Jay Bouwmeester is officially on the Calgary Flames roster after signing a five-year contract worth $6.68 million per year with the team.  I’m sure the Edmonton native will be happy to be so close to home even if he is playing in the rival city.

According to the Calgary Herald, Flames GM, Darryl Sutter, had the following to say about the deal: "Jay is one of the most complete defenseman in the game, and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement that will make him an important component of the Calgary Flames success.  We identified Jay as the priority player where we were going to focus our money. We wanted an opportunity a few days in advance of the deadline, and that’s why we made the move we did this past weekend."

Bouwmeester, who has only played with the Florida Panthers in his six-year NHL career, had 15 goals and 27 assists in 82 games this season.  The Panthers acquired the rights to Jordan Leopold and a third round draft pick (they shoe Josh Birkholz). 

"I am happy to have this deal done as Calgary was a team I was very interested in playing for. I was encouraged by the commitment Calgary showed by acquiring me prior to July 1," said Bouwmeester. "I am familiar with some of the players and believe we have a strong club that is poised to make the next step in becoming a championship club. I look forward to contributing to that success."

I’m sure this will be a huge change for him.  I don’t think the market in Florida is particularly strong for the hockey team but Calgary is known for their loyal and spirited fans.  While I’m sure he will appreciate the energy and support a strong fanbase can bring, it can also be hard to deal with if you’ve never really encountered it before.  Either way, I’m extremely excited about this deal and I can’t wait to see what he adds to the team.

image: TSN

I’ll get the details of the less interesting deal out of the way.  The Calgary Flames have traded Jim Vandermeer to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Brandon Prust, who was originally drafted by the team back in 2004 and played in 35 games over two seasons before being dealt away.

The Flames also acquired the rights to Jay Bouwmeester who was traded by the Florida Panthers today in exchange for Jordan Leopold and a 2009 third-round draft pick.

“I’m as confident (in getting him signed) as any other time I go into any other negotiation,” said Calgary GM Darryl Sutter. “He’s 26-years-old, so I feel his best years are in front of him. But until we talk to him, I really couldn’t tell you anything else.  I haven’t spoken to Jay or his agent.  We just got the right to talk with him a short time ago, so once the draft is over, we’ll go back to Calgary and try to take that next step.”

Leopold had just returned to the Calgary lineup at the trade deadline.  I’ve been reading comments by people who feel that Leo and Bouwmeester’s value is similar but the main difference (to me) is that Bouwmeester brings a physical presence to the ice that Leo never could.  The Flames need a tough defenceman (I’m not even going to comment on how Dion Phaneuf has been performing lately) and I think, especially when you consider how many minutes this guy can log in a game, this could be a great acquisition for Calgary.

image: TSN

TSN is reporting that a deal to bring Brent Sutter on as the head coach of the Calgary Flames is well underway and that the announcement should be made sometime tomorrow.  Of course, the news shouldn’t come as a shock to most people since the rumors about him sitting behind Calgary’s bench started immediately after (and even a little before) he resigned from his duties with the New Jersey Devils.

Since there was still a year left in Sutter’s contract with New Jersey, Lou Lamoriello (GM of the Devils) will have to give the Flames organization permission to talk to him.

After the leadership in these fast few seasons, first with Jim Playfair and then with Mike Keenan, the Flames might be receptive to Sutter’s coaching style.  Of course, since the team’s GM is Brent’s brother, Darryl Sutter, this could either be disastrous (certainly not the time for old sibling rivalries to flare up) or a great thing for the club who has failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs since they went to Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. 

With many of the core players still in place (Iginla, Conroy, Regehr and Kiprusoff), there’s no reason why they couldn’t make the push again.  The goaltending situation needs to be addressed, though.  The Flames don’t have a proven netminder to back up Miikka Kiprusoff who has never been as sharp as he was the he first joined the team.  No matter how they choose to approach it, the Flames will need someone more dependable between the pipes and only time will tell whether that will come in the form of Kipper getting back on top of his game or if they will have to bring in someone new.

Either way, I am looking forward to the changes that this team will introduce in the new season since, after the entire coaching staff was fired, they will basically have a fresh start.

image: TSN

The 2010 NHL Winter Classic will be a double-header next year.  The first game will take place at Fenway Park with the Boston Bruins facing off against either the Washington Capitals or the Philadelphia Flyers.

image: Zuma Press

A second game will happen and, according to the Calgary Herald, the Calgary Flames are being considered as the hosts.  If chosen, the NHL could hold the game at McMahon Stadium.  The venue’s manager, John Haverstock, was quoted as saying: “I have heard discussions.  I guess it’s a possibility, but to say it’s close to reality is not correct. It’s just so far been discussions.  I think it would be very cool for the city. Logistically, it’s possible. We had an artificial-ice surface at McMahon before at the closing ceremonies for the 1988 Olympics. So it can be done.”

Flames owner, Harley Hotchkiss, and president, Ken King, have also confirmed that there have been some “discussions.”

What do you think?  I don’t really like the idea of having two Winter Classic games in the same day to begin with but, of course, as a Calgary Flames fan, it would be cool to have the event here in Alberta.

Mark Messier, himself, presented the Mark Messier Leadership Award to Calgary Flames captain, Jarome Iginla. Amazingly, Messier was able to refrain from bursting into tears.  I know it’s off-topic but can you imagine what it’s like to present a current player with an award named after you?  It’s crazy!  Of course, Messier gets to decide (all alone) who gets the prize so at least he can’t complain about the recipient.

During Iginla’s acceptance speech, in addition to all the traditional thank yous, he mentioned that it was great to get the award "from someone I’ve looked up to since I began playing hockey as a kid in Alberta."  Iginla grew up right outside Edmonton while Messier was a star player on the Edmonton Oilers roster.

image: NHL.com

TSN is reporting that Brent Sutter is no longer the coach of the New Jersey Devils and has cited personal and family reasons as the motivation for stepping down.  I don’t know if anyone is shocked but I’m a little surprised since he did still have a year left in his contract.

Of course, everyone is wondering if he’s going to be making a move to the recently vacant head coach position with the Calgary Flames since the general manager is his brother, Darryl Sutter.  Since he’s breaking his contract, the Flames would have to talk to New Jersey Devils’ GM, Lou Lamoriello, in order to get permission to speak with Brent Sutter.

I don’t know if that is the plan but it could work.  I would prefer to see Darryl lead the team but Brent does have playoff experience and since he coached the Devils for just two years and lead them to the post-season both times.  They have a decent 97-56-11 record as well.  Still, it’s not like he brought his team to the Stanley Cup Finals (like Darryl did) so it might not even be much of an improvement.

I’d still like to see Darryl reclaim his spot behind the bench.  I feel that we would see a marked improvement in the performance of goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, who seemed to just fall apart with the last two coaches.  I will be very interested to see what develops in the next few days.

image: TSN

I cannot believe it but general manager, Darryl Sutter, has decided that the entire coaching staff for the Calgary Flames has to be replaced.  At least Mike Keenan (who was fired as head coach just days ago) can find some comfort in the fact that Sutter thinks the organization needs a complete overhaul.  I can’t believe it, though.  For a team that has consistently been making it to the playoffs in recent history, it’s a pretty big risk to get rid of everyone but I guess he feels that it must be done.

At today’s press conference, I was expecting him to announce the new head coach but he not only didn’t find one but he also revealed that he believes he’s the best man for the job.  He stressed that he’s still looking at other candidates but mentioned that "all the best coaches in the league are under contract. There’s three guys who are excellent. I won’t tell you who they are, but then I’m fourth.  If I find out at the end of the search that I think I’m the best candidate, then I am the coach."

I know that some people would disagree with it but I think it’s a good move, especially if all of the staff is leaving.  The players need some sort of familiarity.  Either way, this situation definitely took a turn that I wasn’t expecting.

image: TSN

The Calgary Flames will be looking for a new head coach after GM, Darryl Sutter, made the following announcement this afternoon: "Our team did not meet expectations.  Following detailed evaluation over the past three weeks, and taking into consideration all factors affecting our season ending result, we believe this is a necessary change required to allow our team to continue toward our objective of winning the Stanley Cup."

I can’t say that I’m shocked but I am a little nervous.  The last few seasons have been rough for the Flames in terms of coaching and, truly, they had enough talent to go a lot further but they just haven’t been able to get past the first round of the playoffs since they made their run for the Stanley Cup in 2004.   Since then, the team has suffered at the hands of Jim Playfair and then Mike Keenan, who took over as head coach on June 14, 2007.   Since then, the Flames have posted a record of 88-60-16 and have made it to the playoffs twice but failed to get past the quarterfinals.

To be honest, I’d really like it if Sutter relinquished his GM duties and resumed his place behind the bench.  He is an excellent coach and star players like Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff respond really well to his style. 

NHL.com is reporting that the team will hold a press conference on Tuesday. 

image: TSN

The Chicago Blackhawks doused the struggling Calgary Flames last night in Game 6 in the Saddledome.  The Flames seemed to come out strong but it just wasn’t enough.  They ended up losing 4-1 and it was really just a sad, sad game.

For the fourth season in a row, the Flames have left the playoffs with a whimper in the quarterfinals and the reasons for this repetitive performance is anyone’s guess.  Tonight, the younger, faster Blackhawks put an end to Calgary’s run for the Cup but I’m not sure this was a game that was decided by offensive play.

In my opinion, this game boiled down to goaltending.  The Blackhawks might have scored four goals but they didn’t have to work very hard.  I knew it was bad but it wasn’t until I looked at the boxscore to write this post that I realized that they only took 15 shots on net and Flames netminder, Miikka Kiprusoff, actually let in three of them (the last goal was an empty-netter). After being so upset when he was pulled by coach, Mike Keenan, in Game 5, I’m shocked that Kipper wasn’t in better form.

His Chicago counterpart, Nikolai Khabibulin, allowed just one of the 44 shots he faced to trickle into the net and, even then, the goal scored by Calgary’s Todd Bertuzzi was pretty much impossible to save.  The Bulin Wall definitely came up big for his team tonight while Kiprusoff seemed out of his depth.

image: TSN

The Calgary Flames might have posted huge victories in Games 3 and 4 but they suffered a humbling loss last night against the Chicago Blackhawks.  The Flames were undeniably dominated, outplayed and outshot by the Hawks in the 5-1 loss.

It was an important game since the series was tied 2-2 going into it but you wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a playoff game based on how Calgary played.  They were undisciplined and incurred unnecessary penalties throughout the 60 minutes.  I was extraordinarily disappointed because it was actually a discouraging and boring game to watch.  The Flames looked like they had given up within the first five of minutes of play.

Keenan took responsibility for the loss: "The team wasn’t prepared to play at all for a number of reasons. The bottom line when the team doesn’t respond or isn’t prepared, that’s the coach’s responsibility.  We weren’t prepared for the push from them and that’s my job."

He wasn’t the only one blaming himself, however.  Captain Jarome Iginla said: "We just weren’t ready. I wasn’t nearly good enough.  I was terrible tonight. There’s no excuse for that. … We’ll be ready for the next game."

There also seems to have been a disagreement between Calgary goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, and coach Mike Keenan.  Kipper was pulled after letting in four goals in 18 shots on net.  "I thought the goal was kicked in. It gave us a time of separation in the game to at least have the goal reviewed," Keenan said. "I told Miikka if they allow the goal he’s finished, if they don’t allow the goal he’s going back in."  Unfortunately, the goal counted and backup, Curtis McElhinney, was called upon to finish the game.  I saw all over Twitter that Kipper was unhappy with the decision. 

• NewYorkRangers tweeted: Kiprusoff pulled! He has gone storming off to the Calgary locker room! #Hawks 4 #Flames ! #NHLPlayoffs (via @goaliemom31) Hawks up 4-1
• NHLBlackhawks tweeted: For a second it looked like the Kipper walked off the bench, but he’s there. He did have some words for Mike Keenan, however. Awwwkwaaarrrd.

Meanwhile, Chicago netminder, Nikolai Khabibulin, was thrilled with the victory after having to make only 19 saves.  "It was one of our best periods of the year," he said. "We were skating, jumping to loose pucks."

Game 6 takes place, in Calgary, on Monday night.  If the Blackhawks win, they will take the series and if the Flames win, they will tie it up.  Either way, it’s going to be intense.

image: TSN