Music: {allcanada} Local heroes must make Saddledome their castle

Sunday, October 10, 2010

{allcanada} Local heroes must make Saddledome their castle

Welcome mats are for doormats.

"Yeah, you've gotta win games wherever you're at,'' gently lectured Brent Sutter on the eve of the 2010-11 Calgary Flames' Scotiabank Saddledome opener. "But your home record is very important. VERY important. Hey, it's a given. Look around the league and any team that does have success at home for the better part of it is a team that's always there at the end.

"We need to start playing at a certain level at home and (tonight) couldn't be a better time.''

A year ago, as if anyone's memory needed refreshing, instead of defending their castle to the death, to the last drop of blood and final intake of breath, the Flames drained the moat, lowered the drawbridge, threw open the doors and tacked up a sign for invading armies: Pillage as ye please!

Playing gracious host may be recommended behaviour for a cocktail-and-small-talk soiree, but not a tong war waged on a hard, slippery surface by large, angry men brandishing long, slender clubs.

"If you look at the last five-to-seven years, (home ice) is an area we've been good at,'' said defenceman Robyn Regehr (notes), following a decidedly prickly practice Saturday.

"I don't think just one thing went wrong last year … there was a bunch. But if you look at those teams that had a good home record, they came out with really good starts, either hammering teams physically, outskating them, or doing whatever they had to in order to make it difficult. I don't think that happened as much as it used to."

At 20-17-4, counting the OT losses (and why in blazes not, overtime wins are counted as non-asterisk Ws), the Flames actually filed off their own frozen turf losers more often than winners. That lack-of-success rate was the lowest since 2002-03; the 44 points accrued the second worst in nine seasons. As a comparison, the touchstone Stanley Cup group of '88-89 approached invincible, treating the hometown faithful to a 32-4-4 treat and 68 of its franchise-best 117 points.

Compounding the sin of being beaten too often down at the Dome last year was a decided lack of entertainment value in the absorbing. The 95 goals scored by the local action heroes tied for the second most meagre output in 14 winters.

So tonight, particularly in light of an appalling Game 1 performance 72 hours ago due north at Rexall Place, that trend simply must start to change. If not, these Flames will surely be relegated to wallflower status at yet another playoff dance.

"Emotion. Intensity,'' Sutter replied when asked to pinpoint areas that needed significant upgrading on home ice.

Neither was in much evidence Thursday in Edmonton. So many vital organs failed it was difficult to know where to begin the autopsy. The top six forwards were invisible enough they might have been imagined by H.G. Wells. The power play and penalty killing units floundered. Badly. Captain Jarome Iginla (notes) was too often spotted loitering out near Lacombe—or at least as far away as the opposition blueline. Standing so still he might've been playing hide-and-seek. Jay Bouwmeester (notes), one of the most fluid-skating defencemen in the business, and another top-four blueliner, Ian White (notes), struggled with the lickety-split pace of the precocious Oilers.

On and on. So forth and such. A repeat of such a shaky opening tonight against the visiting L.A. Kings and the guaranteed 19,289 huddled in the pews, restless for something to feel positive about, are apt to turn sour in a hurry.

"We can't worry about that,'' countered Mark Giordano (notes). "Whatever happens, we can't be negative if things don't go great right away. It just hurts you more, you get yourself deeper in trouble, if you do. We have to play loose, but focused, with intensity and pride, but smart. Stay with our game.''

Regehr shrugged off the scalding they were subjected to by the media and in chat-rooms across Flames Nation as an occupational hazard: "We're in professional sports. You have to get results… . You play the way we did the other night, you have to respond.''

The home fans await.