CALGARY — Going from the worst team in the league to one of the hottest teams in hockey, the Calgary Flames have turned an 0-5 start into a streak that has seen them win four of five.
A 4-1 win over Detroit Saturday was their third in a row, and a perfect way to pay tribute to the 2004 team that fell one game short of winning the Stanley Cup.
After all, you might recall, the team that re-energized a franchise with one of the most unlikely runs in modern NHL lore had barely made the playoffs that year.
And while no one is suggesting the playoffs are a remote possibility in Year 1 of what promises to be a lengthy rebuild, the current crop of Craig Conroy’s kids have suddenly tapped into a similar elixir to the one that led Darryl Sutter’s crew to springtime euphoria.
Combining hard work with airtight structure and all-world goaltending, the Flames have rebounded from a humiliating start in which the team was outscored by 19.
Their latest win, once again on the back of goaltender Devin Cooley, has them tied with just a few other teams at 4-1 over their last five.
With green hard hats dotting the Saddledome on Saturday night, in recognition of the organization’s workmanlike approach to slaying three playoff dragons 22 years ago, the Flames did their best impression of the lunch pail crew that electrified the city and might even have saved the organization.
Wearing throwback jerseys from that year, which featured a black flaming C, black pants, gloves and helmets, they delighted the C of Red and a national TV audience with an unexpected win.
They even got a game-opening goal eerily reminiscent of the conference semifinal series clincher Martin Gelinas scored in Game 6 to oust a Red Wings team that featured six Hall of Famers.
Joel Farabee’s forehand past the glove of sprawling netminder John Gibson was a little further out than Gelinas’ goalmouth tap-in, but both were left-handed finishes from the right side while all alone.
There were even more flashbacks when Ryan Strome scored the Flames’ third goal of the game while wearing no. 22 – the same number worn by Conroy, who was responsible for introducing the Player of the Game hard hats that caught on around town.
On Saturday, the first 2,004 fans in the soon-to-be-shuttered Saddledome were handed modern-day replicas of the helmets, which they could have collectively tipped to the players who continue to show tremendous character as they dig out of their early hole.
“I wasn’t born yet, and even I know it was in,” was one of the signs held aloft by a young fan, alluding to the shot Gelinas appeared to have scored on in Game 6 of the Cup final, albeit without a video review to confirm what could have clinched the Cup. They later lost that night in double OT, and again in Game 7 in Tampa.
Gelinas wasn’t there Saturday, but a good chunk of his old roster was, including Robyn Regehr, Rhett Warrener, Mike Commodore, Dave Lowry, Conroy and Sutter, who all helped Darryl’s son, Chris, drop the ceremonial puck.
Chris would later delight the crowd with a pair of dancing segments formerly known as Chris Sutter Time, that brought down the house.
Shortly after the dusted-off 2004 pre-game montage featuring Evanescence opened the night, old-school anthem singer Heather Liscano sang the national anthems as part of the team’s ongoing salute to the final season at the 44-year-old rink.
It’s all designed to remind people of past glory and of better times ahead.
Devin Cooley played the role of Miikka Kiprusoff, making 28 saves as part of a trio of stellar outings that rival his post-game performances.
Having gone viral twice in one week, he too is building a cult-like following ol’ Kipper spent a decade cultivating.
Another ’04 favourite, Ville Nieminen, was famous for saying, “We play hospital hockey – lots of patience.”
This Flames group is learning to embrace a similar approach, relying on a defence-first system that is essential if the offensively-challenged group is going to compete nightly.
On Saturday, goals weren’t a problem, as two youngsters everyone is paying admission to see both found the net — Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin.
Just before the Flames blew the game open with three second-period goals, call-up sensation Jonathan Castagna would have scored his first NHL goal if not for a diving stick save by Ben Chiarot.
To add one more taste of ’04 Flames, newbie Jake Middleton dropped the gloves with Chiarot to punctuate an evening memorable for performances past and present.
