Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been a joy being able to follow my favourite team all season. This was a season to remember, one for the history books.
I am proud to call myself a Flames fan. Through the good and the bad, I have stood by my team and, although I may have had my own personal criticisms, I have always had faith that things will get better. This is the year that I have been waiting for. I believe this is the season that we ALL have been waiting for.
So let’s take a look at what has transpired throughout the greatest Flames season since 2004…
The beginning of this season was still quite shaky for the Calgary team as new faces arrived by the boatload. As well, old faces had a way of finding their way through the exit. From the firing of Jay Feaster to the acquisition of Sean Monahan and Kevin Westgarth, this season has been memorable. Regardless, the team had to go through the hardest part of their rebuild before the good stuff began to happen.
Personally, it was a momentous year for me because I got to witness two very important things. I was at the Saddledome the night that Jarome Iginla returned and we finally got to say our goodbye to the former captain that had taken us down the Red Mile. Those days are over and the arena was a sea of tears during our last goodbye.
As well, I was also in the presence of Bobby Orr this year when he was the guest speaker at a charity dinner. No, this had nothing to do with the Calgary Flames, but we are all hockey family and Mr. Orr is a very important part of the greatest sport on earth. I was humbled to be in the same room as him and I was grateful for the impact that he has made in the world of hockey past, present, and future.
On the lighter side of things, I couldn’t get enough of Mark Giordano and his commercials this year. I found that I would stop what I was doing during intermissions to watch Gio, our newest captain, take on the role of actor. I smiled every time. And I still do. Not only has he made me chuckle this year, but he’s also led the newly-formed team to greatness that was not expected this season. Thank you, Gio, from a fan of over 25 years. I’m looking forward to next year with you at the helm and leading the team to even more success!
To be continued…