CBC-Sports

Flames on a roll, thanks to change in philosophy

January 16, 2009 02:37 PM | Posted by   Kelly Hrudey  

We’re all very aware just how close many of the top teams in the NHL are to each other and just how fine the line is between winning and losing.

Currently three teams have put together excellent first halves to this season, losing fewer than 10 games, which is a remarkable feat. They are Boston, Detroit and San Jose.

Impressive to be sure, but none of these three teams may be the best in the league right now.

What may surprise some people is the Calgary Flames are as good as or even better than anyone right now.

People around the league are really starting to take notice of the Flames because right now they have zero weaknesses.

Miikka Kiprusoff is absolutely brilliant and has been making all the timely saves. It’s not only how many saves a goalie makes, it’s when they make them.

Their defence is mobile, great at moving the puck to the forwards and above all else, incredibly difficult to play against. There are no free nights when playing against this rugged group.

The forwards are faster than ever, more skilled than before, take the puck to the net hard and are tough as nails. No one in the NHL will intimidate this group.

The coaching staff should get a lot of praise for their work too.

Not many coaches would have been flexible enough to change their philosophy and strategy after 18 games.

In mid-November, this talented team was floundering in a sea of mediocrity and something needed to change.

The Flames endured a 6-1 shellacking in San Jose on Nov. 13, but since then, under the guidance of Mike Keenan and Jim Playfair, they’ve posted a 17-4-3 record. The difference is this team has played a much more controlled game defensively.

Playfair is such a good tactician; he really is the architect of the structure, which is so important in today’s game.

The way this team is mowing down opponents, they are putting Keenan in a position to be considered as a strong candidate for the Jack Adams Trophy awarded to the best coach in the league.

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