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1999-2000 Stat Leaders Stat  Leader  No.  Goals  Valeri Bure  35  Assists  Phil Housley  44  Points  Valeri Bure  75  +/-  Bobby Dollas  4  Shots  Valeri Bure  308  Ice Time (F)  Valeri Bure  21:00  Ice Time (D)  Derek Morris  24:48  Faceoff Pct.  Cory Stillman  54.42%  Hits  Denis Gauthier  168  PP Pts.  Phil Housley  35  SH Pts.  Clarke Wilm  3

There's a new attitude in Calgary, and much of it has to do with newly hired general manager Craig Button. Despite finishing next to last in the Western Conference last year, Button makes no bones about his team's overall goal this season -- the Flames must make the playoffs.

Top it off with a mandate from ownership that 14,000 season tickets had to be sold by June 30 or else, and it's plain to see these are uneasy times in Calgary.

New coach Don Hay has the tough task of motivating the troops. But it's not as though he doesn't have anything to work with. Valeri Bure, no longer known just for being Pavel's brother, blossomed into a 35-goal scorer last season. And Jarome Iginla lit the lamp 29 times.

The Flames should be set in goal. Button took a calculated risk by bringing back one-time hero Mike Vernon, who was booed out of Calgary in 1994. He'll help stabilize the netminding with Fred Brathwaite (2.75 goals-against average, .904 save percentage).

For more on the Flames, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.

BRIGHT SPOTS		GRAY AREAS
Veterans Tommy Albelin, Phil Housley, Steve Smith and Brad Werenka are solid on the blue line. The signing of mucker Dave Lowry was a smart move. Lowry leads by example, and his no-holds-barred style of play is infectious. He's entering the twilight of his career, but Vernon can still turn heads -- and maybe sell tickets. His 2.47 GAA and .917 save percentage with San Jose and Florida last season seemed to prove he isn't slowing down. For what it's worth, the Flames will have new home and road jerseys for the 2000-01 season. C Daniel Tkaczuk, RW Rico Fata, C/LW Oleg Saprykin and RW Sergei Varlamov are young but could provide instant help.		Eleven wins on the road last year was good for third worst in the league. Only Tampa Bay (6) and Atlanta (5) finished with fewer. Fans reached the season-ticket ultimatum issued by co-owner Harley Hotchkiss. Soon after the ownership group gave no promises that the team will stay in Calgary unless other provisions are met by the local government. Their lack of a No. 1 center is a glaring weakness, although a healthy Cory Stillman may be forced to step into the role. After 19 years with the organization, Lanny McDonald resigned from his marketing post after reports surfaced that he and team president Ron Bremner were feuding.

Comings
Player	Pos.	From	Via
Niklas Andersson	LW	Nashville	Free agent
Wade Belak	D	Calgary	Re-signed
Jason Botterill	LW	Calgary	Re-signed
Fred Brathwaite	G	Calgary	Re-signed
Martin Brochu	G	Calgary	Free agent
Chris Clark	LW	Calgary	Re-signed
Jeff Cowan	LW	Calgary	Re-signed
Dallas Eakins	D	N.Y. Islanders	Free agent
Mikko Elomo	F	Calgary	Re-signed
Dave Lowry	LW	San Jose	Free agent
Mike Martin	D	Michigan (IHL)	Free agent
Marty Murray	F	Kolner EC Haie (Germany)	Free agent
Jeff Shantz	C	Calgary	Re-signed
Mike Vernon	G	Minnesota	Trade
Brad Werenka	D	Calgary	Re-signed
Jason Wiemer	C	Calgary	Re-signed
Clark Wilm	RW	Calgary	Re-signed

Goings
Player	Pos.	To	Via
Eric Charron	D	Minnesota	Free agent
Steve Dubinsky	C	Chicago	Free agent
Jean-Sebastien Giguere	G	Anaheim	Free agent
Andreas Johansson	LW	Swiss team	Free agent
Sergei Krivokrasov	RW	Minnesota	Expansion
Filip Kuba	D	Minnesota	Expansion
Martin St. Louis	RW	Tampa Bay	Free agent
Andre Trefilov	G	German team	Free agent
Brad Werenka	D	Calgary	Re-signed

Prospect Watch
Rico Fata, RW, 5'11", 202
Born: February 12, 1980 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Acquired: 1998 draft, first round (No. 6 overall)
Projected as the overall No. 1 pick in '98, Fata fell to the sixth spot. A multi-talented player, Fata also plays a physical game. His agility and speed are uncanny for a player his size.

Get the Highlighter
Thurs., Oct. 5 vs. Detroit: Button and his clan get their first playoff-ready test when they host Detroit. OK, so it's still a bit too early to judge.
Fri., Oct. 27 at Minnesota: First matchup against the Wild could start Flames on a roll. Three of the following five games are against teams that missed the playoffs.
Wed., Dec. 13 at Montreal: Eight of their next 11 games are on the road, beginning here against the Habs.
Thurs., March 8 at Philadelphia: Could define the Flames' season. They hit the road for five games.

Quoteworthy
"Are we a championship team? No, but in the same breath we are expecting no less than the playoffs this year."
--Button

Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.

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