Calgary Flames Daily: Game-Day, One Last Chance to Break a Curse

Happy Tuesday Calgary Flames fans! With only three games left in the regular season, it’s crunch time. Let’s check out some Flames news.

The Calgary Flames will be in California this week to finish off the last three games of their regular season. Tonight, they’ll be playing the Anaheim Ducks and hopefully will get revenge for Sunday’s game.

Wait… if the Flames are playing IN Anaheim.. oh no.

The Flames will be playing at *gulp* the Honda Center. It’s like a scary movie.

Everyone Flames fan knows about this curse. For some reason, the Flames just can’t walk away with a win at the Honda Center. For 24 straight games, to be exact. It’s been over a decade. Actually, the last time the Flames won a regular season game in Anaheim was April 4th, 2017. So exactly 13 years today. Yikes, 13 is an unlucky number. Please hockey Gods.

However, there’s a very real chance that the Flames could play the Ducks in the first round. And an even more real chance that the Ducks will get home-ice advantage. The Flames NEED this win before the playoffs start and this will be their last chance.

Them constantly losing at the Honda Center is really more of a mental thing at this point. They’ve beaten the Ducks before. Many times. It’s not like they can’t win at all. But this curse.

Calgary Flames

Via Calgary Herald:

"“That’s negativity you can’t let creep in your game,” said Flames forward Troy Brouwer. “It’s not (a factor) to me. I’ve only been (to the Honda Center) once with this team. That’s not how I view it.”“You want to be able to put that last game behind you because that’s what you want to do in the playoffs,” Brouwer added. “It’s a game where we’re still trying to get points to put ourselves in a good position. We have to learn and evolve and that’s what it is in the playoffs.“We have to find ways to win night after night. You’re playing against the same team and the same systems. Those little adjustments and in-game adjustments are going to be huge.”"

Alright alright, if Troy Brouwer isn’t fretting over some dumb curse, why should we?

Some of our stuff regarding this curse

The decade long curse of the Honda Center.

"The Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks met for the first time this season at the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Flames haven’t been able to break a decade-long curse."

The Calgary Flames won an NHL record – but not a good one.

"The Calgary Flames won just one game in their three-game road trip to California earlier in the season. But what really stank was their game against the Anaheim Ducks."

Calgary Flames: The last time they won in Anaheim.

"The Calgary Flames haven’t won a game at the Honda Center since January 19th, 2004. What was happening the last time they won in Anaheim?"

Some links around the internet surrounding the Flames

Talk of moving Flames just posturing, says sports economist (CBC News).

Playoff prep already begins for Flames (Calgary Herald).

Nenshi could Flame out in fight with new arena: Steward (The Star).

Gulutzan has almost found the perfect line up, but it is time to fix the bottom pair (Matchsticks & Gasoline).

Some other links surrounding hockey and the NHL

Rangers Brady Skjei is this season’s underrated rookie – for now (Puck Prose).

The NHL’s beef with the Olympics, explained (CBC Sports).

Hockey fans will suffer most from NHL’s money-driven call to bypass 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang (National Post).

NHL’s regular season problems (The Hockey Writers).

Next: Five reasons the Flames made it to the playoffs

That’s all in this edition of Flames Daily! Let’s hope the Flames can use this last opportunity to break the Honda Center curse before the playoffs start.