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Thursday, September 30, 1999
Flames count on former rival Fuhr to re-ignite faltering franchise
CALGARY (CP) -- Goaltender Grant Fuhr provided a decade of torment in the 1980s for the Calgary Flames when he was helping the Edmonton Oilers win Stanley Cups.Now Calgary and its disgruntled fans are counting on him to be a saviour, ending three frustrating seasons of losing and missing the NHL playoffs.
Fuhr, 37, and his $3 million US salary were picked up in a trade with the St. Louis Blues as training camp began, immediately boosting the Flames' respectability and confidence.
Neither Fuhr nor his teammates are casting him as the saviour, but there's no denying his importance to the Flames in their pursuit of a playoff spot.
"A lot of words have been thrown around," said Fuhr. "But I don't worry about that. I just worry about fulfilling my expectations."
And while the injury-prone Fuhr is great at stopping pucks, he isn't much good at scoring goals -- which was clearly a problem for the Flames in the pre-season and likely to continue into the regular season.
"Our strengths come through our youth and speed," he said. "We'll get better and better as we go along."
It's a team full of grinders that is now minus right-winger Theo Fleury (traded to Colorado last season and now a New York Ranger) and skilled centre Andrew Cassels, who signed as a free agent in Vancouver.
Power forward Jarome Iginla attended training camp without a contract and could be out of the lineup for the Flames' season-opener in San Jose on Saturday if he doesn't sign a new deal.
There are some offensive bright spots in the lineup with the likes of Cory Stillman (27 goals, 30 assists) and Valeri Bure (26 goals, 27 assists) both capable of producing. They along with Iginla (28 goals, 23 assists) will have to be consistent point producers if the Flames are to stand a ghost of a chance at making the playoffs.
The addition of Marc Savard in a trade with the Rangers could also add punch to the Flames offence, but he remains an unknown quantity at this point.
Calgary has signed training camp surprise Oleg Saprykin to a contract. The 18-year-old left-winger played last season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, collecting 47 goals and 46 assists in 66 games and if he sticks could be a real plus for Calgary.
A winning record at home would also help the Flames in their quest for a post-season berth. Last season Calgary was 15-20-6 at home and on the road.
"We'd like to have a better home record and that's what we've got to work on this year. You have to be an above .500 team at home in order to make the playoffs and that's what we're looking forward to," said Stillman.
"They may not be the most exciting games to win from a fan's perspective, but if we can win game's 1-0 at home, it's definitely going to give us a boost."
Defence doesn't present as much of a problem for the Flames.
The blue-line is anchored by veterans Phil Housley and Steve Smith. They are joined by emerging star Derek Morris and solid bangers like Cale Hulse.
Captain Todd Simpson left the Flames blue-line on Thursday after being dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for gritty winger Bill Lindsay.
Smith also sees the addition of Fuhr as a big plus for the defensive corps.
"The key with Grant is stability," said Smith. "With a mostly young defence, mistakes are made and he can make the big save when a mistake is made."
Smith said, however, the Flames have to guard against using Fuhr as a crutch.
"There is a danger of that, but as a team we're saying we're not going to leave him out there on his own," Smith said. "We have to make his job as easy as possible."
Special teams were dreadful last season with the power-play ranked 19th overall and penalty killing at 26th.
Coach Brian Sutter said for the Flames to make the jump from also-ran to playoff team it has to get better at home and improve special teams.
"We're excited about this season," said Sutter. "We were one of the better teams in the second half of the season, but we didn't get the start we wanted."
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