I definitely have been a Nystrom fan for a couple of seasons now. He brings everything to the ice that Dave has described, but he also brings personality off the ice.
Let’s not forget that big league sports is also big league showbiz. In that regard, most NHL players fail with their constant stream of cliches and beige public persona’s. There are a few exceptions to the rule however, and Nystrom is one of those. If I was in charge of PR at Calgary Flames Intergalactic HQ, no players would be allowed to talk to the media except Craig Conroy and [...]

The one thing that has encouraged me about the Flames’ sputtering stretch run has been the play of Eric Nystrom.
Yes, this guy is a lunchbucket player with a limited skill set. He’s a third-liner at best, a checker. Great speed, not much else.
Except his heart and his breeding.
Nystrom’s father, Bob, won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders and became legendary for his ability to raise his game to a new level when it mattered most. Based on his play over the past couple of weeks, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. Eric isn’t as skilled as [...]

And my traditional role is to tell Iain he doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about, and that he’s too in love with the Flames GM and/or coach, one/both of whom needs to be fired. Then he tells me I should stop my knee-jerk Steinbrenner-esque “fire everyone” ranting, shut the hell up and let them do their jobs. Then I call him a name, then he insults my mom, and finally I tell him to meet me by the monkey bars after school so I can kick his head in. (This is how you stay friends for 35 years.)
In this case, though, [...]

I’m Iain. I tend to leave the in-depth analysis to Dave and Daryl, because they’re good at it. Most of my posts will be short and to the point. Like this;
“We’re not done. We have 7 games, we can get to 97 points.” – Jarome Iginla.
“ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…riiiiiiiiiiiight” – Iain Godsman

What a way to launch a revival of the Flames blog on FanSided – presiding over a funeral.
In the past week, the Calgary Flames’ playoff hopes have gone from alive, to clinging to life, to dead. Grudgingly, we (my group of diehard Flames supporters collectively known as The Flaming Circle of Jerks, who plan to occupy this blog space in the coming months) accepted it.
But did we really have to see the guts spilled out all over the ice?
Saturday’s 5-0 castration at the hands of a barely competent Boston Bruins team exposed what is now obvious about the Flames. This [...]