True Sons Emerge

In analyzing the Calgary Flames' embarrassing loss to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks Wednesday, the popular theory is that the Flames simply failed to show up, and that includes Miikka Kiprusoff.

But the real reason the Flames lost is because of the Sons of Manitoba. And I don't mean Pete and myself.

1) Randy Carlyle - Though not Manitoba born, Carlyle made his name as a rugged defenceman for the Winnipeg Jets. After that, he spent two stints as a successful coach for the AHL's Manitoba Moose. In this series, Carlyle's coaching job against Darryl Sutter was masterful. As a rookie coach going up against the defending Western Conference champs, he could have panicked. Instead, he relied on what had made his team successful. Carlyle made the decision that a goaltender wasn't going to kill the Ducks' chances, whether he played for Calgary or Anaheim.

2) Teemu Selanne - Many Calgary fans will bemoan the fact that Selanne could have been a Flame. Instead, he scored 76 goals and 132 points in his rookie season for the Winnipeg Jets. This season bore an unbelievable crop of rookies, including one who is up for the Lester B. Pearson Award. Yet none of them even approached Selanne's rookie greatness. In this series, Selanne had a head to head battle with Calgary superstar Jarome Iginla, and the Finnish Flash came out ahead. Granted, Iginla didn't have any support, but Selanne scored the timely goals when his team needed them, and Iginla didn't even threaten in Game 7.

3) Dustin Penner - This is Dustin's second appearance in this blog, and deservedly so. Undrafted, Dustin took the U.S. College route to the NHL, starring for the University of Maine before signing with Anaheim as a free agent. 2005-06 was his breakout year, dominating in the AHL with 84 points in 57 games. At 6'4" and 250 lbs, he proved to be a load in the NHL as well. On the Ducks' insurance goal by Ruslan Salei in Game 7, Dustin moved his huge frame in front and distracted Kipper enough that he couldn't get a handle on the Salei point shot. You can count on seeing big #76 play on a line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry for years to come.

And I didn't even mention the Manitoba combination of Don Wittman and Andy Murray providing commentary on CBC.