Bell: Calgary burns in the cold; Now you can’t blame Sutter

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Where are you now?

All great talkers suddenly don’t talk much anymore.

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They are too busy ignoring the past. The recent past where they were so wrong.

A year ago, when your writer dared to write about Darryl Sutter getting ejected by the Calgary Flames’ snowflake hockey players, detractors who claim to know a lot more about the game than the rest of us couldn’t believe such uninformed garbage and shameful. was being written and published.

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And the words were a far cry from the script prepared by Flames’ superiors.

Who was this desperate, nonsense-spewing fool, a hockey heretic, an idiot as out of touch with the real world as Sutter?

What did he know? He was not a sports journalist.

They talked about a sports journalist as if it were some kind of job that required the specialized knowledge of a neurosurgeon or a nuclear physicist.

In fact, you don’t have to be an Oppenheimer to realize the result.

What did he know? The writer did not know the new NHL, a more sensitive world of hockey, a kinder and gentler sports universe in which one must tread carefully so as not to hurt the fragile egos of today’s players.

What did he know?

Now that the tyrant Sutter was out the door after demands from more than a few players, there was a lot of talk that the Flames would bounce back.

There was excitement.

They would probably make it back to the playoffs, maybe even go far in the playoffs.

Everything was possible.

Hockey would be fun again. The players would be loose again. Joy would return to the Saddledome. Better days were coming.

Better days after a generation of futility stretching back to the faded memory of the playoff run you had to be there for 20 years ago and the horrible seasons before that.

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Hell, Jonathan Huberdeau could earn his handsome salary.

All you had to do was drink the Kool-Aid.

So, dear readers, what happened to the glorious season?

Few mention it except in passing.

Oh, we heard about the Flames rebuilding or is it a restructuring.

They are said to be full of optimism and eager to bring in some good players in the upcoming draft and sign others.

There are stories of hockey players who had good seasons.

All good. I wish them the best and hope the team recovers as soon as possible.

But they must be held accountable.

That implies that the players look in the mirror. Really look in the mirror and not just try to cover empty calorie talking points with a veneer of sincerity.

You know, onwards and upwards. Keep faith.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any decent autopsies because the team wasn’t supposed to be in a position to need one.

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Let’s not forget that some brave souls made just one comment this time last year. There couldn’t be more whining and complaining.

In the real world, if the boss gives you what you want, you have to perform. You have to improve your game.

We all know how that turned out.

The Flames finished so far out of the playoff race that you need a telescope to see the wild card spot.

I know I know.

Those trying to save face will say that the Flames were still fighting for a playoff spot, but couldn’t make it work after the trade deadline when good players were traded.

Yes, it’s true that the Flames got worse as the season dragged on to the inevitable, ugly end. Absolutely.

But let’s face the facts. The Flames weren’t exactly world-shakers at any point.

As for fighting to make the playoffs, just for fun I’ll give the Flames six more wins.

That puts them at 93 points, which is exactly where they were under Sutter.

Where was the big change? Where was the reward when the players got the kind of coach they wanted?

These are not questions you are supposed to ask.

Even Huberdeau, who swims in the millions, gets the kid glove treatment.

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The man had 55 points last season and 52 points this season.

The biggest point drop of all time, after 115 points with the Florida Panthers and then signing his good deal and going under with the Flames, now wants to reach 70 or 80 points in future seasons.

You’re joking, right? She’s not serious. Tell me she’s not serious.

The Flames coach reportedly loves him. That’s what’s important.

I still remember this time last year when Peter Maher, the legendary voice of the Flames, thought that some of the Flames should have played better last season even if they didn’t like the coach.

Then he made this observation.

“The players’ shoulders are going to be a little bit heavier to perform regardless of who the coach is,” Maher said of this season.

“Now we’ll see where it goes.”

And unfortunately, we saw where it went.

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