Brian "Moose" Elliott

[Bjornar Moxnes]

So being a both a Blues and Flames fan I've realized Elliott is just what I expected, an above average goalie who shows he can be elite but also shows he can easily s*** the bed when you rely on him too much. I hoped that the Flames solved their goaltending when they picked up Elliott, but I also knew it may not have been the absolute solution. I mean Hiller in 2014-2015 outperformed Elliott despite playing on a weaker defensive team. Elliott's last season was just a major anomaly that went back down to earth in the Sharks series, where he didn't perform well despite the fact that the Blues were better than the Sharks previous two opponents defensively (and since Nashville was more dangerous offensively, Jones fared far better against the Blues). The team has been terrible, and Elliott can't be blamed in most losses, however Elliott has rarely made a big stop, and has given up questionable goals. Also my biggest criticism for him is his puck abilities, which with how bad the Flames D have been, is a terrible thing. Elliott struggles with puck tracking, one of the main reasons why I wanted to get Bishop instead. There are so many instances where Elliott could have easily played the puck or froze it and fails to do so (Another reason to go after Bishop), and with how boneheaded our defense is this year , it's burned us .

Click to read more...

 

[McFlyingV]

Is Bishop a smart answer in Calgary long-term though? I'd imagine he makes it to UFA he'll be asking for close to 6-7Mx7. Would Calgary want to take on that much salary and term when they still need to pay Bennett and Tkachuk when they hit their potential (assuming they do). I feel like the Gio contract was a mistake, but I can't blame them for making it at the time considering his play.

 

[Bleedred]

I keep thinking he'll eventually turn it around, Talbot had a suspect start to last season in Edmonton and played lights our from about December to April and finished with an above average season.

I'm not sure what the problem is? Goalie coach maybe has him playing differently? I really don't know. Maybe he's struggling with confidence issues now? Not sure, but he's definitely been really poor.

I never believed he was a legit 60 starter goalie, but I thought he was MUCH better than what he's been so far this year.

 

[JA]

It's a reminder that he once played for Colorado.

http://www.milehighhockey.com/2011/6/27/2247778/eulogy-remembering-brian-elliott

Eulogy: Remembering Brian Elliott
by Andi D. Jun 27, 2011, 9:18pm MDT

...

We first met Brian Elliott on February 23rd, 5 days after the trade that sent Anderson to Ottawa. The reason for the delay was simple: the US Government didn't want him in this country (And who says they don't care for the welfare of their citizens?) However, after that "unfortunate" delay because of his "visa", Elliott made his debut in goal against the Oilers, the worst team in the league by the stats.

I for one had high hopes for our new goalie. We had just traded away the supposed "goalie of the future" in Anderson, and I was hoping for a determined and dedicated netminder in return that would help return us to the glory days. And that's exactly what we got - a goalie that was hell-bent on proving to those blue and copper mother****ers that we could tank better than they could and get that first overall pick. He truly was amazing that first night. He let in 5 goals and made even Budaj look good in comparison. Ah, the good ol' days.

Since he was so committed to the Avs tanking and getting that top pick, the next game saw the debut of the photoshop now deemed "Lil Tank". Brian Elliott was a superb leader of the Avalanche First Tank Battalion - even though his GAA went down from the 5 the first night, he still manage to maintain an impressive 3.34 and let in at least a soft goal or two a night. He was also one of the most reliable players during that time. Even though the rest of the team struggled to score, we could always count on Elliott for 3 goals a night. Consistency like that is hard to find these days, especially in the NHL.

Now, that's not to say that he didn't lose sight of the overall goal on occasion. I mean he did have that one game that he played well... or at least competently... or at least not completely suckily in. Luckily, he still let up an easy goal in the shootout, so he kept the dream alive. And he did show flashes of brilliance sometimes - never enough to actually, you know, win a game, but just enough to piss off the fans and make them shout, "now why can't you do that every night?!?"

Unfortunately, when the end of the season drew near, it became clear that no matter how dedicated Elliott was to getting his team the #1 pick, no one knows how to tank like Oilers. I mean, those guys are pros. Top pick two years in a row? Now that's skill. So, even though we weren't even "good" enough to win the tank race, Elliott still brought us within sight of it, despite our misguided winning streak at the beginning of the season. And now we have a bright and shiny new Swede because of it.

...

 

[Elvs]

Why is Brian Elliott called "Moose"? This is the second time I've noticed this recently.

 

[McFlyingV]

Why is Brian Elliott called "Moose"? This is the second time I've noticed this recently.

http://www.101sports.com/2016/03/25/surprisingly-touching-story-behind-elliotts-moose-nickname/
Here's the story.

 

[Anglesmith]

Elliott has been fine since the Edmonton game. Definitely not the problem. Your goaltender single-handedly winning you the game shouldn't be the expectation; it's a bonus when that happens, unless you have a generational goalie. Market value for Elliott was a 2nd-round pick. That shouldn't be the expectation for the Flames.

Elliott's a guy that, if the team plays well, will backstop them to a win more often than not. He can make big, key saves at important moments in big games, and he hasn't let in any soft goals since the season opener. That's all you can really ask.

 

[TychoFan]

Why is Brian Elliott called "Moose"? This is the second time I've noticed this recently.

For people who don't want to read the article. I believe he has the nickname because his best friend, who was a moose caller, passed away. Since then he has taken up the nickname to honour his friend.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Elliott has been fine since the Edmonton game. Definitely not the problem. Your goaltender single-handedly winning you the game shouldn't be the expectation; it's a bonus when that happens, unless you have a generational goalie. Market value for Elliott was a 2nd-round pick. That shouldn't be the expectation for the Flames.

Elliott's a guy that, if the team plays well, will backstop them to a win more often than not. He can make big, key saves at important moments in big games, and he hasn't let in any soft goals since the season opener. That's all you can really ask.

He hasn't allowed any soft goals, but his inability to track or move the puck has cost us some unnecessary goals. Soft goal by hfboards definition is a shot that should be saved. Soft goal by some fans definition is goals that are unnecessarily caused due to the goalies poor puck abilities. Besides most highlight reel saves are caused by poor puck abilities in the first place.

 

[MrFunnyWobbl]

Elliot Moose is on the loose

 

[Beville]

insert generic product of the system comment...

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Calgary should have paid that little extra at the draft and gone after Fleury.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Calgary should have paid that little extra at the draft and gone after Fleury.

If people think Elliott is a system goalie, so is Fleury. I'd say Fleury is slightly better than Elliott, but not by much. Also the "little extra" would have been Tkachuk, so hell no.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

I keep thinking he'll eventually turn it around, Talbot had a suspect start to last season in Edmonton and played lights our from about December to April and finished with an above average season.

I'm not sure what the problem is? Goalie coach maybe has him playing differently? I really don't know. Maybe he's struggling with confidence issues now? Not sure, but he's definitely been really poor.

I never believed he was a legit 60 starter goalie, but I thought he was MUCH better than what he's been so far this year.

Goalie coach, coach overall, Flames defense suck (Not just blueline, I mean overall defense, because Flames and Nashville both have elite blueline, but their 2-way forward depth is only mid tier. Although Backlund and Frolik are criminally underrated in that regard). And a main factor most people seem to not realize is Elliott sucks in the puck ability category, which makes defense's life more difficult, especially if they are as bad as the Flames right now. Bishop could have helped mask some of our issues. One very underrated aspect about Talbot is how he helped mask the Oilers defensive issues with his puck abilities. Yes Dubnyk in lockout had better numbers, but Talbot had a better season last year easily thanks to the system he played, defense (When Oilers lost Klefbom and Davidson, their defense sucked), and puck abilities.