Vol. I, No. 64
Calgary is the site of the Pengrowth (fka Olympic) Saddledome and the Stampede. The wild west is part of the city's fabric. So is hockey.
Two teams play at the Saddledome. One you know. The other is the Hitmen. Today, they hit on a team from Moncton, New Brunswick. There were parallels with the NHL Boston-Philly game. But first, let's go back to Calgary.
It is Canada's fourth largest city, the only place with more than a 1,000,000 people between Toronto and Vancouver. In the hockey world, the Calgary Flames play in the NHL Western Conference. The Hitmen play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). They share the arena built for the Flames in 1983 and the Olympics in 1988. The Saddledome is located on the Stampede Grounds.
The arena roof looks like a saddle; the Stampede is an annual summer rodeo, billed at the "Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth". It is certainly the largest rodeo in the world, attracting 1.2 million visitors over a 10 day period in early July.
When hockey season is over, the city moves into rodeo mode. Hockey gets going again in the fall, with a brief respite for CFL games and the Calgary Stampeders. And the city has multiple hockey attractions.
Two teams play at the Saddledome. One you know. The other is the Hitmen. Today, they hit on a team from Moncton, New Brunswick. There were parallels with the NHL Boston-Philly game. But first, let's go back to Calgary.
It is Canada's fourth largest city, the only place with more than a 1,000,000 people between Toronto and Vancouver. In the hockey world, the Calgary Flames play in the NHL Western Conference. The Hitmen play in the Western Hockey League (WHL). They share the arena built for the Flames in 1983 and the Olympics in 1988. The Saddledome is located on the Stampede Grounds.
When hockey season is over, the city moves into rodeo mode. Hockey gets going again in the fall, with a brief respite for CFL games and the Calgary Stampeders. And the city has multiple hockey attractions.
The Flames entered the NHL in 1972, playing in Atlanta. But the southeast was not yet ready for ice sports, and so in 1980, the Flames moved 1900 miles northwest to Alberta's southern metropolis, Calgary. Ice is somewhat easier to find in Calgary, which lies 1000 miles due north of Las Vegas.
Calgary had two professional franchises before the NHL Flames arrived. The Calgary Tigers played from 1921-27, but were done in by the Great Depression. Fifty years later, the Calgary Cowboys played in the WHL for two years. But they only had the Stampede Corral as a venue, and with its 6500 seat capacity, the Cowboys could not collect enough gate revenue to stay in business. They folded up their tent in 1977, six years before the Saddledome was built to accommodate a professional franchise (and the 1988 Olympics).
The Flames were Calgary's first NHL franchise. The team encountered initial success, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1986 and then winning Lord Stanley in 1989. Alberta owned the Cup in those years, with Edmonton winning four times, bracketing the year that Calgary took the grand prize. Battles of Alberta, between the two teams, remain a provincial favorite. But since the 80s, NHL hockey success has drifted away from Alberta and the Canadian teams. The Montreal Canadiens are now bucking this trend - to the amazement of many.
Calgary had two professional franchises before the NHL Flames arrived. The Calgary Tigers played from 1921-27, but were done in by the Great Depression. Fifty years later, the Calgary Cowboys played in the WHL for two years. But they only had the Stampede Corral as a venue, and with its 6500 seat capacity, the Cowboys could not collect enough gate revenue to stay in business. They folded up their tent in 1977, six years before the Saddledome was built to accommodate a professional franchise (and the 1988 Olympics).
The Flames were Calgary's first NHL franchise. The team encountered initial success, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in 1986 and then winning Lord Stanley in 1989. Alberta owned the Cup in those years, with Edmonton winning four times, bracketing the year that Calgary took the grand prize. Battles of Alberta, between the two teams, remain a provincial favorite. But since the 80s, NHL hockey success has drifted away from Alberta and the Canadian teams. The Montreal Canadiens are now bucking this trend - to the amazement of many.
This year, the Calgary Hitmen won the WHL championship and were invited to the annual Memorial Cup tournament. Today, the Hitmen put away the QMJHL champion Moncton Wildcats with a come-from-behind finish. The Wildcats led 3-1 after two periods, but the Hitmen scored four goals in the third period to come out ahead 5-4. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? But this story gets even a little stranger.
The scapegoat for Friday's implosion by the Boston Bruins was allegedly Marc Savard, who signaled that he was coming off the ice and then stayed on, leading to the extra man penalty. Today, Moncton's defensmen David Savard tried a clear around the boards, but a bad bounce off the Zamboni door put the puck on the stick of Hitman Tyler Shattock who scored the winning goal. Two Savards, a mistake and a bad bounce. That's the way hockey games are decided. For the curious, these Savards are not related.
On Sunday, the Brandon Wheat Kings take on Moncton at 3pm EST. They'll be playing at the same time some team from Chicago starts its series in San Jose, trying to get to a Stanley Cup final. The Blackhawks have been Stanley Cup-less for 59 years.
Go Hawks. Go Wheat Kings. Western Hockey Rules.
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