Game day for the Calgary flames in Dallas in a bout of irony it appears the Flames will be without their starting goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff who has the flu (insert your own comment here). Brent Sutter classified him as doubtful but a game time decision.
This is the first time in a long time (I believe since 03/04 off the top of my head) that Kiprusoff has missed because of injury or illness, and if he doesn’t play tonight you have to think that he wouldn’t play tomorrow night in St.Louis.
Different set up for McElhinney this is no longer a start to relieve Miikka this is now his team likely for at least the next 48 hours, he has to win, it’s harsh but that is the reality.
As far as line up changes for tonight the Stars will make a couple as Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen will be back in the Dallas starting line up Mike has played 1 game and Jere 2 games so far this season.
Marc Crawford has sounded an awful lot like Brent Sutter the last couple of days; he has been unhappy with his team’s commitment over the past couple of games and is shuffling his lines.
The Flames continue to be hammered in the media over the H1N1 Shots the team received last week, while the team contends they didn’t do anything wrong (they asked and they got what they asked for)public sentiment continues to be harsh. What happened wasn’t right and when the pointing of fingers is done I can only hope that steps are made to make sure that the system gets fixed.
Click here to subscribe to Kerr's blog
Brave boys take the shots. Just because there’s a life raft and someone says hop in doesn’t justify it , when there’s women and children waiting to get in . No shame I guess.
- garryRob,
First time emailer but I wanted to weigh in on the H1N1 controversy.
I am a long time Flame’s season ticket holder and have been a fan for many years. I am also an OB/GYN practicing in Calgary.
I have to agree with what I perceive as justified critisism of Alberta Health Services and the Calgary Flames regarding the H1N1 issue. However, I would like to put a different spin on this issue. Every day I see patients, including pregnant women, who are not planning on getting their H1N1 vaccination. I have been recommending it to all of my patients, family and friends as per the recommendation of Alberta Health Services. What I think is that the Calgary Flames really missed an opportunity to help in our community. I believe that the Flames should have lined up for their shots like everyone else. They could have then use the opportunity (with the help of the media) to help encourage members of our community to be vaccinated. Then, rather than seeing Jarome Iginla with his head down on the cover of the Sun today, we might have seen him getting his vaccination (assuming he got one) with his family. This would have put a positive spin on the vaccination and may have helped others who were undecided to go ahead and be vaccinated. I don’t have to tell you that these players carry a lot of weight and are a big example to many people in and around Calgary.
Perhaps as a measure of goodwill the Flames should consider spending time at the vaccination clinics - meeting and greeting the public/signing autographs etc. I think that this would go a long way to tip the public opinion back in their favour on this issue. Who knows, it might also just encourage some people who were not going to be vaccinated to come down to the clinics.
Respectfully,
- Joel SteedDr Joel Steed
I have to say that the coverage on this issue with the Flames over the last couple days is pretty one sided toward the big bad rich hockey players jumping the queue.
Have all the non sport media hacks and politicians ever thought about what these players have given back to the provincial health care system. They are paid to play hockey. Period. Yet we constantly see announcements of money raised by the Flames, on their personal time, that goes directly to the Childrens Hospital, Flame’s House etc….
I see they have fired a senior staff at the health superboard over this “Atrocity”. I wonder if this senior staffer may also be the person that has been the liason with the Flames, and has helped the board raise money and help bring a little cheer to some of our sick kids?
I don’t expect the paper scribes to address this with the public but I do expect it from the station I listen to everyday to and from work.
Keep up the good work!
- Randy