Calgary, Alberta – On the front page of a Calgary newspaper Tuesday was the Avalanche logo, photo-shopped into a rearview mirror with the words “Object may be closer than it appears.”
On one of the local sports radio talk shows, irate Calgary Flames fans vented to host Bruce Dowbiggin, who at one point asked if any fans were ready to “jump off a bridge yet?”
There is, indeed, a bit of nervousness among Flames fans over the state of the reeling team while the Avalanche is surging. Last week, the Flames held a 10-point lead over Colorado for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot, but Sunday the Avs cut that to four points. The Flames’ 2-1 win over Detroit on Tuesday night put them back up by six.
Things have gotten so bad for Flames fans that they have been reduced to hoping for help from their bitter Albertan rivals, the Edmonton Oilers, who host the Avs tonight at Rexall Place.
Inside the Calgary dressing room, players are maintaining a calm front. Flames captain Jarome Iginla, starting to come under some criticism for not being an emotional leader, faced a large crowd of local media before Tuesday’s game against Detroit. Don’t panic, was his message.
“It’s not like we’re without a rudder, just floating around. We’re not happy with the way we’re playing and not happy we’re not winning,” Iginla said. “But we do believe we’re gonna turn it (around) and know we have to be more determined and have to be more gritty. We’ve talked a lot, but it comes down to doing it.”
Flames general manager Darryl Sutter spoke to the team Monday in a closed-door session. No doubt the theme was, “Start playing better,” but Sutter wouldn’t discuss the topic with the media. There has been speculation that first-year Flames coach Jim Playfair will lose his job if Calgary doesn’t make the playoffs. Sutter moved upstairs to the GM job when the team lost in the first round of the playoffs last season after coming within one win of the Stanley Cup in 2003-04.
Despite the trade-deadline acquisition of defenseman Brad Stuart from Boston and a defense that already included top-notch blueliners Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Roman Hamrlik, the Flames haven’t been as good defensively this season as last.
“We know we have to be a good defensive team if we want to go far in the playoffs,” former Avs winger Alex Tanguay said. “We still like our team, though, and we know we can do better. It’s an 82-game season, and there are going to be ups and downs. We’ve got time to turn things around.”
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
