Flames Are Clawing Back

If fear was a person, it would be Jerome Iginla. I once heard that Jerome Iginla laughed in the face of defeat, right before giving it a fatal slap shot to the head!

If you are wondering the reason for the Iggy love fest, it's because thanks in large part to our fearless captain, my beloved Calgary Flames have been playing some of there best hockey right at crunch time. There are exactly 17 games remaining on our season and the playoff race is tight with Calgary clinging to the last spot in the Western Conference. There are 5 teams below Calgary within 7 points or less, and 5 teams above us with 9 points or less. So it really could go either way. This is the home stretch, where teams find out what they are made of. Don't count Calgary out yet. In 2004 they snuck into the playoffs in the final playoff spot, and ended up 1 goal away from winning the Stanley Cup. That is what makes this part of the season so exciting.

Last night Calgary got their 3rd win in a row against the Detroit Redwings, who are typically known as a Juggernaut, and perennial playoff contenders. By the third period Calgary was down 2-1, when Captain Jerome took over. He ended up scoring they tying goal, and assisting on the game winner (He banked it off his own player). His leadership and drive on the ice was unmistakable, and he literally willed the Flames back into the game and on to Victory. This goes along with the hat trick he scored two nights previous. Since his incredible set up of the Gold Medal clinching goal to Sidney Crosby, Iginla seems to be playing with a ton of fire. Amazing how winning does that to an athlete, right?

Well it's too early to break out the championship hats and parade route still, but if the Flames keep playing like this, it's going to make for an exciting playoff run in my opinion. Let's hope they keep up their winning ways. Go Flames Go!