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Calgary Flames
Overall: 26
Northwest Division: 4
It didn't
take long for Flames coach Brian Sutter to figure out his
team last season. "Two minutes into training camp I
could tell their approach
wasn't conducive to winning," he says. "We had
some young players who
didn't understand what it takes and others
who were accustomed to
mediocrity."
For the first half of the season Calgary was worse than
mediocre: It won just six times in 31 games as Sutter went
with his young players. But then the Flames went 14-13-5 in
their final 32 games. They still need to develop
consistency—not to mention a
power play—before they can think about the playoffs.
However, they should improve on last year's
26-41-15 record, the worst in franchise
history.
While Calgary's future is its youth—the Flames will
use a dozen players under age 24—its immediate success
will depend on how the veterans perform. Right wing Theo
Fleury, the only player left from Calgary's 1989 Stanley
Cup team, led the Flames with 78
points last season, while no other Calgary player had more
than 49. The 30-year-old Fleury is capable of a 50-goal
season, but he has been frustrated by a lack of
support.
The defense is burdened by inexperience. As a stopgap
measure,
13-year veteran Steve Smith, a Calgary assistant coach last
season, has come out of retirement, and the Flames signed
34-year-old free agent Phil Housley. In the nets Calgary,
one of five teams with a goals-against
average of more than 3.00 in 1997-98,
acquired 34-year-old Ken Wregget to provide stability.
Wregget, however, is injury-prone—he was limited to 15
games with the Penguins last season because of a back
ailment.
Sutter's not promising a Stanley Cup this season, but he's
sure his players now know what it takes to win. "This
team has worked hard and sacrificed a lot," Sutter
says. "I guarantee we'll be miserable to play
against."
—By B.J. Schecter
Fast Fact
Right wing Theo Fleury, the NHL's shortest man at
5'6", was the only player in the league to lead his team
in penalty minutes (197) and points
(78).
Key To Success
- Forward Jarome Iginla needs to rebound from a sophomore slump
that saw his goal scoring dip from 21 to 13.
- Andrew Cassels must prove that he's capable of being a No. 1
center, which would keep opposition checkers from smothering
Theo Fleury.
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