We Are a Team With no Killer Instinct and Little Character

Mitts

Registered User
Jun 29, 2011
3,592
1,869
Calgary
I look at teams who are successful and they all seem to have this belief, a swagger, that they wont be beaten. We have too many fragile players who's play is determined by their confidence level that day. I'm sick of hearing about confidence, I want more of won't die attitude, Mike Smith has what most of our players lack, and old school players had, hate for the opposition and a real will to compete.

Yes, Gio, Staj, Brouwer etc, nice guys with good "character", the character I want is never say die kind. Our team has been a team of underachievers ever since Daryl left the bench, neverending tale of "we need to be better" "it's about the process" "we need to put this behind us and come out better next game", and Gully has as much intensity as Jim Benning. Just tired of it. I know this doesn't address all our issues, but its something that irritates the hell outta me.
 

viper0220

Registered User
Oct 10, 2008
8,473
3,436
I look at teams who are successful and they all seem to have this belief, a swagger, that they wont be beaten. We have too many fragile players who's play is determined by their confidence level that day. I'm sick of hearing about confidence, I want more of won't die attitude, Mike Smith has what most of our players lack, and old school players had, hate for the opposition and a real will to compete.

Yes, Gio, Staj, Brouwer etc, nice guys with good "character", the character I want is never say die kind. Our team has been a team of underachievers ever since Daryl left the bench, neverending tale of "we need to be better" "it's about the process" "we need to put this behind us and come out better next game", and Gully has as much intensity as Jim Benning. Just tired of it. I know this doesn't address all our issues, but its something that irritates the hell outta me.

Fully agree with this, at the height of Iggy era, we had that swagger, don't f*** with us, even if we lose, we will rip the opponents heart out, we are missing that. Teams that have won(Pens), have that.
 

DFF

Registered User
Feb 28, 2002
22,275
6,525
There is no energy because the 3rd line is useless, and the 4th line consists of overpaid vets out for light skate

Gaudreau line is inconsistent...only Backlund line is some what working

On the defense only Brodie is doing something and even then it's off and on
 

Baxterman

Registered User
Aug 27, 2017
6,939
1,499
I think that GG reluctance to break up the 3M line has been an issue this year. I don't think they have looked nearly as effective (as a unit, Tkachuk has looked great individually) and I think we could use Tkachuk either to boost the top line or help a guy like Bennett get kick started and create a 3rd line to that can provide some offense. (I mean 3rd line in terms of already having 2 lines not that Tkachuk should be reduced to "3rd Line" minutes).
 

Mobiandi

Registered User
Jan 17, 2015
20,841
17,197
Honestly this team looks lazy. You can probably count the number of times the entire team has played a 60 minute game on two hands since Hartley left.

There's no fire in this team unless they're on a roll. Otherwise they curl up into a ball and die at the first sight of adversity. Hell, look no further than 4 of the last 5 outings against Edmonton as proof of that.

2nd edit: You look at the Flames teams of old (even as recent as 2013), and you used to see a tenacity. They had the heart and a drive to win which made games enjoyable to watch even when they were a terrible team. You don't see that with this crop of players. Too many of them are just coasting.

So yes, while our disjointed play is fixable, there's has to be some sort of effort to remedy that. After 11 games, I've yet to see it.
 
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WhiskeyYerTheDevils

yer leadin me astray
Sponsor
Apr 27, 2005
33,467
29,368
Team is just too slow and plays a terrible system that limits speed through the neutral zone. They also lack offensive depth and creativity, much of which is made worse by GG.

I can't believe he's not been fired. Flames are 5-6 despite getting fantastic goaltending. They deserve to be about 2-9.
 
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Flameshomer

Likeaholic
Aug 26, 2010
3,830
1,039
Edmonton
Gulu has 5 seasons in the league as a head coach and the entire sample size points to a mediocre season of our best players underachieving. How is complaining about this fact and the atrocities were witnessing on the ice shortsighted or impatient?

We're in the opposite scenario as last year, our goalie is actually the only one keeping us in sometimes. Without Smith were bottom of the league right now with no 1st.
 

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Feb 3, 2015
16,133
7,107
2022 Cup to Calgary
This team has Character. Giordano. Bennett. Monahan. Backlund. Tkachuk. Gaudreau. Brodie. Ferland. Hamonic. Jankowski. Don't ever tell me these players don't ooze character.

It lacks chemistry.

It needs a shakeup, which would be as simple as rolling optimal lines/pairs something we have yet to do once this season.

It lacks belief.

Everyone who should be using their skill is electing for safe plays or second guessing their hockey sense. Bennett has 0 points in 11 games but the talent to have 11+ if utilized properly. Eric Francis on sportsnet last night even pointed out how our defense is not an offensive threat which is the opposite od what they should be.

But character is not something this team lacks. This is the same core that gave us all those comeback wins in 2015. That battled back into a playoff spot in 2016 before Ramo got hurt. That battled into the playoffs despite being virually eliminated on American Thanksgiving in 2017.

This is probably the highest character Flames group I have seen.

As for Killer Instinct? Tough to have when you never have leads and can't hold a tie because he coach insists on an asinine Stajan-Brouwer PK unit. Heck Sam Bennett is a top 3 PKer on this team along with our best faceoff man and he hasn't even gotten a half a chance to kill a penalty.
 
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Anglesmith

Setting up the play?
Sep 17, 2012
46,441
14,715
Victoria
The problems with the Flames will be fixed when they consistently support the puck properly and make good passes. Until then, line combinations are a minor point, IMO.
 
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Vordus

Registered User
May 9, 2014
138
44
Calgary
It does seem like there's no killer instinct with this group. Even going back the last 2 seasons. As soon as we get even a 1 goal lead the level of play drops noticeably. It's frustrating. I'm willing to bet we've won more games when getting scored on first.

The only fearless guys on the team with an in-your-face attitude are Tkachuk, Ferland and Smith.

Beyond that, I'd say the guys who always compete hard, play-wise, are Monahan, Backlund, Frolik, Gaudreau and Gio, but they're not physical or intimidating.

Brodie is a great skater and good positionally but often looks lazy and interested. The times he's caught out of position he doesn't seem to hustle very hard to get back. Good player with seemingly 0 character.

Stajan. Hurts me to knock him cuz i met him personally and he's a nice guy, but what he brings to the table for the amount he's being paid... Just wow... The guy has zero drive, charisma or fight in him. A few games back some opposition player was literally RIDING on Stajans back! For like 5 seconds. Staj did nothing. Young rookie-ass Bennett had to go in there and rough up the guy to protect "veteran" Staj. That's pathetic. I wouldn't even care about any of this if he actually put up a point once in a blue moon.


Craig Conroy in his later years epitomized this whole "nice guy, great character, always a smile on his face" type that people didn't seem to have much aggression or desire to win no matter what. I hope part of this team niceness and gutlessness doesn't stem from him being in head office...

According to what I've heard from Isles fans on this site, Hamonic is that kind of player too.
 

Baxterman

Registered User
Aug 27, 2017
6,939
1,499
The only fearless guys on the team with an in-your-face attitude are Tkachuk, Ferland and Smith.

Does Ferland play that style?

I know he has this big rep as a tough guy who can knock anyone out but I can't really think of time that I have seen him play a fearless, in your face style since maybe the Canucks series 2+ years ago.
 

Mr Snrub

I like the way Snrub thinks!
Oct 12, 2016
5,713
2,410
Does Ferland play that style?

I know he has this big rep as a tough guy who can knock anyone out but I can't really think of time that I have seen him play a fearless, in your face style since maybe the Canucks series 2+ years ago.

I don't think there's any question that Ferland plays with intensity and is exactly the sort of guy that the OP says we need more of. We just haven't seen a lot of it this year since he's been playing a bit out of his element on the top line.
 
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Johnny Hoxville

The Return of a Legend
Jul 15, 2006
37,549
9,343
Calgary
Playing physical doesn’t necessarily mean playing with killer instinct. I think Ferland could exhibit more of both, myself.
 

JPeeper

Hail Satan!
Jan 4, 2015
11,511
8,599
Fan base is shortsighted and impatient

How is the fanbase shortsighted?

What's the bigger picture here? Gulutzan ruining Bennett, limiting all offensive creativity from all our skill guys, utilizing 4th liners on our 1st unit PP, playing Stajan and Glass more than janko and Bennett. What's the upside here? Nothing because our coach is f***ing idiot.

There is no far sighted outlook to what Gulutzan or Treliving are doing that isn't asinine and f***ing stupid. Tre built a good defensive core, we have good forward depth, but everything is ruined because Gulutzan is a trash donkey of a coach. I hated the hiring when it happened, I hated it last year when our defensive zone coverage (my biggest peeve of Hartley's system) didn't improve, and I hate it now where our special teams are equally as God awful as they have been for the past 6 years.

The Flames organization is being run by morons; I like Treliving, but his hiring of Gulutzan was a huge mistake in a off season when there was a lot of good coaching options. And to think Janko is going to be sent down tomorrow (if Jagr comes off IR), while f***ing Tanner f***ing Glass and Freddie f***ing Hamilton are in the press box (waivers takes 24 hours so if Jagr does come off IR they 'd have been sent down today), and Stajan and Brouwer are on the Flames team, nevermind the fact that these two useless piles of crap get 13-15 minutes of ice-time a night. It's lunacy.



And then the organization has the balls to want public money for a new stadium when they give us this product to watch, it's a joke that would make Richard Pryor blush.
 

Baxterman

Registered User
Aug 27, 2017
6,939
1,499
I don't think there's any question that Ferland plays with intensity and is exactly the sort of guy that the OP says we need more of. We just haven't seen a lot of it this year since he's been playing a bit out of his element on the top line.

I think there is a big question of whether he does that or not. You even state that we haven't seen it a lot this year.

I think like many things with Ferland the "myth" of what he is, is much more prevalent than what he actual is.

Maybe if he is dropped down to the 4th line where he belongs we will see more of this style of play but he sure hasn't shown it in a long time.
 

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