Kiprusoff Finally Earns Shutout Against Habs
November 11, 2009 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under Calgary Flames, Goalies, NHL, News
As a Calgary Flames fan, I’ve had a really hard time watching goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, go from this incredible talent with so much promise, to a struggling player. I realize that he was exceptionally good when he joined the team but I never figured it was a fluke. I also know that he had a hard time with Mike Keenan as the head coach over the past couple seasons since their tension was visibly obvious which is pretty significant considering how reserved Kipper is.
image: TSN
When they announced that Brent Sutter would be coming over from the New Jersey Devils, I was mostly happy but I was particularly relieved for Kiprusoff. He responded very well to Daryl Sutter’s coaching style and Brent has a somewhat similar philosophy and I also figured he’d work well with older brother, Daryl, who is now the team’s GM. So far, Kip seems to be slowly returning to his former self and I’m growing confident about his record this season.
I grew up in Montreal so I have a real allegiance to both teams and I really love when they play against each other, particularly since it happens so rarely. When the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Flames last night, I wasn’t sure what to expect. They battled here in Calgary back on October 6, 2009 and the Flames handed the Habs a 4-3 loss with Jaroslav Halak between the pipes.
Halak was backstopping the Habs again and, although he made 30 saves, he was the losing goaltender while Kiprusoff got to enjoy his first shutout this season. It was a low-scoring game, 1-0, and I know that some people complain about those but I found it very exciting.
Calgary captain, Jarome Iginla, scored the lone goal and has scored in the last four games. The Flames have also won the last four consecutive contests. If Iggy and Kipper can find a rhythm, who knows how this season will end?
