Tag: Calgary Flames

NHL fans bashed the Flames for Dillon Dube’s ‘mental health’ leave of absence in wake of Hockey Canada investigation

The Flames should be made to answer for their handling of Dillon Dube’s leave of absence related to the Hockey Canada investigation.

Editor’s note: This story contains mentions of sexual assault. Please proceed with caution.

The 2018 Hockey Canada investigation continues to unravel at a rapid pace, with TSN‘s report Tuesday that four NHL players have been directed to surrender to London, Ontario police to be charged with sexual assault.

According to TSN‘s Rick Westhead, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart, Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube, and New Jersey Devils forward Michael McLeod and defenseman Cal Foote are set to be charged with sexual assault in connection to the 2018 Hockey Canada investigation. The years-long investigation into Hockey Canada stems from the alleged sexual assault of a woman by five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior team during a gala in June of that year.

Alex Formenton — former NHL player with the Ottawa Senators and current player in the Swiss National League — also surrendered to the London police as part of the Hockey Canada investigation.

While the hockey world awaits the next steps of this investigation, NHL fans are incensed at how the Flames seemingly handled Dube’s involvement in the case. On January 21, the Flames announced that Dube was stepping away from the team indefinitely “while he attends to his mental health.”

Mental health is a serious issue that impacts athletes and others alike. It’s possible Dube is also dealing with mental health issues during this time or the team wasn’t aware of the allegations when the statement was made. But the Flames’ ambiguous statement on the matter reflects poorly in light of this latest news.

Mental health issues are not a shield to be used to deflect away from sexual assault allegations. If the Flames knew about Dube’s connection to the investigation and allegations against him, they could have crafted a press release without using mental health as the crux of his absence, much like the Flyers did for Hart’s leave.

After Tuesday’s news broke, NHL fans took to social media to express their abject disappointment with the Flames’ handling of Dube and the Hockey Canada investigation.

Former Notre Dame players on NHL rosters to begin 2023-24 season

Know where to check out the former Irish who have made it to the highest level.

We understand that most of you come here for football, but Notre Dame has a devoted fan base for its hockey program. A lot of NHL players have come through the program, and many of them even have found great success at hockey’s highest level. And it’s unlikely any of them forget that they once donned the Gold and Blue.

For the 2023-24 NHL season, there are seven former Irish on rosters at the start. That’s three fewer than the start of each of the past two seasons. But be on the lookout for the 24 players with Notre Dame connections currently in the AHL or even the four in the ECHL. For now, here’s who you can watch in NHL uniforms:

The Flames signed Nazem Kadri and are now set up to be even better this season

The Flames lost its two best players and still might be better this fall.

The Calgary Flames truly worked some miracles this offseason.

On Thursday, NHL insiders reported that the Flames had signed reigning Stanley Cup champion Nazem Kadri to a seven-year, $49 million deal worth $7 million a season. To make the salary work, the Flames also reportedly shipped out Sean Monahan to Montreal for an undisclosed return. In the midst of a relatively quiet offseason after the busy start of free agency, the news stunned hockey fans, especially after rumors swirled around the New York Islanders being the potential landing spot for Kadri.

Instead, however, Kadri is headed to Alberta as the Flames turn over a new leaf in their franchise’s history. Earlier this offseason, the Flames lost both Johnny Gaudreau (to free agency) and Matthew Tkachuk (via trade) after the pair put up career seasons of 100-plus points each. Given how the Flames were one of the best teams in the Western Conference during the 2021-22 season, the loss of two of the team’s first-line players — coming off of career seasons no less — was a bitter pill to swallow for Calgary and its fans.

For a time this summer, it seemed as if the Flames’ promising future was prematurely snuffed out as the team took a large step back in pure talent. Yet now, after recouping some incredible assets in the Tkachuk trade and Kadri’s recent signing, Calgary may just come out of this summer a better hockey team than before.

Let’s break it down, shall we? Here are all of Calgary’s major losses since the 2022 offseason began:

  • Johnny Gaudreau (free agency)
  • Matthew Tkachuk (trade)
  • Sean Monahan (trade)
  • Calle Jarnkrok (free agency)

And here are all of the Flames’ major additions this summer:

  • Jonathan Huberdeau (via trade, then signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension)
  • MacKenzie Weegar (via trade)
  • Nazem Kadri (free agency)

That’s not half bad at all from general manager Brad Treliving. Yes, it’s not ideal to have lost Gaudreau and Tkachuk after the pair revitalized their careers last season. But, it seems as if Gaudreau was always going to move east to be closer to home once his contract expired in Calgary and the Flames got way more in return for Tkachuk than anyone was expecting in that deal.

And now, add Kadri to the list. At 31-years-old, it’s unreasonable to expect Kadri to top his career high 87-point season he had with the absolutely stacked Avalanche last year. Not only that, seven years at $7 million per is a steep price to pay on a contract that won’t be team friendly by its end. That being said, Kadri can still produce at a high offensive rate when surrounded by appropriate talent, which the Flames still have in spades.

Lest we all forget, Huberdeau matched Gaudreau in points last season (115) and set the single season assists record by a left winger with 87. Weegar too has playmaking potential while being an immediate, stable upgrade to the Flames blue line. Add a Stanley Cup winning Kadri into the mix and the losses of Gaudreau and Tkachuk don’t seem nearly as dire as they once were.

Headed into the 2022-23 season, it’s going to be weird seeing a Flames team without their two best players in Gaudreau and Tkachuk. And yet, with the savvy moves Treliving and company have made this offseason, the Flames could very well be even better than before.

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Matthew Tkachuk trade: Who won the Panthers and Flames deal?

The Panthers surprised everyone on Friday night by trading for Matthew Tkachuk in a blockbuster.

Hockey fans were treated to an absolute blockbuster of a trade on Friday night.

After a few days of furious trade rumors, the Calgary Flames dealt Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers for a massive package that would have made the NBA blush. Even with the NHL offseason in full swing, the Flames and Panthers came out wheeling and dealing late Friday night to stun the hockey world.

It’s not often we see a NHL trade of this magnitude, especially in the middle of the offseason. And on a Friday night, no less! Let’s take a look at how the Panthers and Flames grade out on this gargantuan deal that sees one of the most explosive offensive players in the game head to Florida long-term.

8 NHL teams that should trade for Matthew Tkachuk

Matthew Tkachuk is now the hottest player on the NHL trade market, but where will he land?

The Calgary Flames were three wins away from making it to the Western Conference Final mere months ago. Now? Star Johnny Gaudreau has left in free agency to join the Columbus Blue Jackets and Matthew Tkachuk is likely headed to the trade market.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Rutherford and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic dropped a bombshell on a hockey world that is just settling in for a long summer. Reportedly, Tkachuk has told the Flames he will not sign long-term — the 24-year-old is a restricted free agent — and that a trade out of Calgary is likely.

Tkachuk is also due for quite the pay raise after putting up a career-high 42 goals and 104 points in the 2021-22 season. The departure of Gaudreau — who had a career-high 115 points himself — clearly did the Flames negotiations with Tkachuk no favors, as the team is set to lose two players off their top line in a rough offseason.

With a Tkachuk trade likely imminent this summer, here are the eight NHL teams that should trade for the talented young winger.

Ref during Game 3 of Flames-Oilers hilariously doled out a penalty to everyone sitting in the box

Everyone in the box is on notice!

The Flames and Oilers’ second-round playoff series has been an absolute barnstormer. A great rivalry in the “Battle of Alberta.” Lots of goals. High stakes. What more could you ask for?

On Sunday evening, with the series shifting to Edmonton (-105), both of these squads were probably on edge. Again: They’re already rivals, and now there’s a spot in the Western Conference Finals on the line? All opposition get out of the way because all bets are indeed off.

With the Oilers holding a commanding 4-0 lead midway through the third period, frustration started to set in for Calgary. And a usual suspect — one Milan Lucic — happened to be at the forefront of a roughing penalty that would turn into an all-out brawl:

What chaos!

Aside from Lucic (who was given a five-minute major): How does an official even begin to sort that mess out and designate appropriate penalties? It’s actually pretty simple, as it turns out:

“Everybody else in the penalty box!”

Shoutout to this official for the funniest delivery of a penalty we’ve ever heard and for adding more fuel to the fire of a playoff series only getting more heated.

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Senators’ Brady Tkachuk cheering on the Flames and his brother Matthew is the best story of NHL playoffs

Brady Tkachuk is the Flames biggest cheerleader in these playoffs.

Brady Tkachuk is the Calgary Flames biggest cheerleader in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

As the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on through the second round, the best story of the NHL postseason has been the brotherly love between Flames star Matthew Tkachuk and his brother — the current captain of the Ottawa Senators — Brady Tkachuk. While the Senators may not be in the playoffs, Brady has taken to cheering on his brother and the Flames with incredible, wholesome passion.

Hockey fans first caught on to new No. 1 Flames fan Tkachuk doing his thing at the end of Calgary’s first round series against the Dallas Stars, where he was seen celebrating in the stands with a child on his shoulders!

Then at the start of the second round — with the Flames facing the Edmonton Oilers in a long-awaited Battle of Alberta — Tkachuk absolutely stole the show. From carrying multiple beers through the stands…

To absolutely vibing out during the Flames’ chaotic 9-6 victory on Wednesday…

Brady Tkachuk was having an absolute blast of a time cheering on the Flames and his brother. Seriously, how awesome is that?

While some naysayer hockey fans weren’t the biggest fans of Brady seemingly switching sides from the Senators to the Flames, who cares? This is the absolute best story of the playoffs so far and it’s all been born from the familial love between Brady and Matthew Tkachuk.

And the majority of hockey fans? They couldn’t get enough of it!

The casual fan’s guide to betting on the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Are we actually betting on a Canadian team to win the whole thing?

Hello, and welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! To be more specific, this is a guide for the casual NHL fan who, like myself, only pops up during the postseason but now wants a stake in the action we didn’t follow nearly enough in the regular season.

Did you know an absurdly large amount of goals were scored this season, a number not seen in decades? No? Great, then this guide is for you.

For deeper analysis on each of the 16 teams in the postseason, I recommend checking out all of the awesome playoff content by For The Win’s Mary Clarke, including her Stanley Cup Playoff power rankings. But here we’ll get into the odds of these teams in the first round and beyond, and make a couple picks to win us some money.

All odds are via Tipico Sportsbook

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Flames’ Andrew Mangiapane scores sensational goal after taking a pass off his skate

Andrew Mangiapane remains red hot in Calgary.

Andrew Mangiapane has, for a lack of a better phrase, been lighting things up for the Calgary Flames this season.

Heading into Thursday night’s game between the Flames and Montreal Canadiens, Mangiapane was leading Calgary in goals with eight on the season in 12 games played. Add another to the list for Mangiapane with this sensational tally to help the Flames break their first period tie against the Canadiens.

With less than four minutes remaining in the first, the Canadiens left Mangiapane undefended on a rush down the ice. While Sean Monahan’s cross-ice pass to the open Mangiapane was a bit off the mark, the forward was able to shift the puck from his skate to his stick then — from his knees! — stickhandle a backhand past Jake Allen in net.

And just like that, the Canadiens were down a goal again.

Mangiapane showcased incredible speed and skill on this play, from being able to outpace the Canadiens’ defense to being able to corral the puck and put it behind Allen for the lead.

It’s still early in the 2021-22 NHL season, but keep your eyes on Mangiapane as a player set to have a real monster of a season.

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The NHL should be ashamed for making the Oilers play after teammate’s memorial service

This was inexcusable.

The Edmonton Oilers didn’t look much like a team interested in playing hockey Saturday night, despite playing a fierce rival a few days before the trade deadline.

They lost the latest installment of the Battle of Alberta 5-0 to a Calgary Flames team that hadn’t played since Monday; Edmonton was skating for the third time in four nights. The difference in energy was apparent from the beginning.

But this isn’t just a case of one rested team jumping on a tired one. The Oilers had gathered earlier in the day at their Calgary hotel to watch a memorial service for Colby Cave, who died unexpectedly at age 25 from a brain bleed a year ago.

This also was not a case of unfortunate scheduling; Edmonton was originally supposed to have Saturday off, but this game was recently rescheduled from May 7 so that Hockey Night in Canada would have a second game to show (the Vancouver Canucks are dealing with several Covid cases and have been unable to play lately.)

Connor McDavid, the generally soft-spoken super star, rightfully called the league out:

Those are searing critiques for a guy as mild-mannered as McDavid. And while he and other teammates also tried to give their standard hockey guy answers about playing through adversity and finding a way no matter what, it all came out hollow. This team should not have been playing Saturday night.

Here’s how Sportsnet’s Mark Spector described the Ceremony of Life that Edmonton players watched prior to their game:

It was an emotionally draining memorial for a 25-year-old brother whose beautiful young widow Emily wept throughout her tragic eulogy, trembling as she said her heart-wrenching goodbye. Cave’s mother wept while talking about his first NHL game as a Boston Bruin, while his father, a burly Saskatchewan rancher named Al, could scarcely be understood, so choked was he to have lost his only son.

Then they dropped a puck at the Saddledome and said: “Go play.”

Man, I bet those Hockey Night in Canada viewers watching an emotionally devastated team get whooped really appreciated the NHL having their best interest in mind! Just needed that game there!

What makes this move by the NHL all the more offensive is that it continues to manipulate the schedule to leave room for the Canucks to finish their season. The same Canucks who’ve had their last 7 games postponed because 25 members of the organization have contracted Covid-19 — many with symptoms — in the worst outbreak of the season.

And yes the Canucks (35 points in 37 games) could conceivably catch the Canadiens (43 points in 38 games) for the fourth playoff spot but …. no. Vancouver has a -20 goal differential and is going to be asked to play 19 games in 31 days.

It’s absolutely reckless. Just as making the Oilers play on Saturday was heartless.

TV contracts pay the bills, sure, but the fact the NHL couldn’t get more creative about how to fill a time slot — and that the league is pretending it’s absolutely essential for one team to play every last game despite a dramatic outbreak — shows the players how the league actually feels about them.

Oilers honored late Colby Cave with a heartbreaking tribute video