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Longstanding netminder Miikka Kiprusoff has officially announced his retirement with the Calgary Flames earlier this morning. The veteran goalie has played nine seasons with the Flames and will retire as the Flames all-time leader in wins (305); games played (576) and shutouts (41).
Here's what GM Jay Feaster and Kiprusoff had to say on the subject, courtesy of NHL.com
"Miikka Kiprusoff has been the backbone of the Calgary Flames since his arrival here in 2003, and every night for more than 70-nights per season, his magnificence between the pipes gave the team a chance to win. He inspired hope and confidence, and he made those around him better players as a result of his brilliance. Miikka will take his place in the pantheon of great NHL goaltenders, and his place in Flames' history is secure. He will be missed by players, teammates and fans, and we wish him all the best in his retirement."
"I decided to retire at the end of last season," said Kiprusoff. "I appreciated Jay Feaster and the Flames organization permitting me to take the summer to be 100 % sure. It's an important decision for me personally, my family, the Flames organization and fans. Jay and I had conversations over the summer and nothing had changed for me and upon returning to Calgary last week, I once again spoke with Jay and confirmed with him that I would be retiring."
"I've been very lucky to have spent 10 years of my career in Calgary. There is no better place to live and play. I look forward to taking the next year with my family to enjoy everything wonderful about southern Alberta."
"I have so many people to thank for their tremendous support including the Flames ownership group who always provide the team with every resource to be successful as well as creating a family environment for the players off the ice. To the staff who work so hard to make every game night special for the fans and most importantly, Flames fans who through good times and bad, our fans never left our side. And finally, my teammates for making it fun and rewarding to come the rink everyday."
As a result, the Calgary Flames fall 29th in team payroll with Kiprusoff's salary off the books. Should be interesting as the Flames will be one of few teams with money to spend.
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The Calgary Flames rookies took on a big and physical San Jose Sharks rookie team last night and found their first loss of the Young Stars tournament.
Despite being a close and well spirited bout for both teams, the Flames could not ultimately find the back of the net for the equalizer during the third period and would walk away with a 3-2 loss.
The Flames started the game on a strong note when Markus Granlund would steal a mishandled puck and break in on net to slide in the game’s first goal. The Sharks would squeeze in two uncontested goals and take the lead early in the second period until Corban Knight would receive a beautiful gift from Sharks goaltender J.P. Andersson which he would bury in the back of the net. With only two minutes left in the third, the Sharks would secure the lead once again and hold off the Flames who fought hard to tie up the game.
It was a close game and well played on both sides. Flames fans had once last chance to see some of their rookies play together and all things considered, they had a very successful tournament.
For last night’s game specifically, Wotherspoon was for me, the strongest defenseman out on the ice. He played a very steady and strong game making key passes and creating offensive rushes to get his team going. Since being drafted 57th overall in 2011 by the Flames, Wotherspoon has had a lot of experience playing in several tournaments and playoff runs with his respective teams. I have to say - his game is developing quite nicely
Though he had a solid first showing, Brossoit couldn’t quite match the all-star performance from his counterpart Joni Ortio from the previous game. While I would say he played well, Brossoit was not able to bail his team out after seeing 26 shots in the first two periods compared to the Flames measly 9 shots taken.
And I will give credit to the Sharks here because the Flames created a lot of offense but San Jose was able to keep a lot of the plays to the corners and keep pucks from getting to the net. The Flames therefore had a tough time getting more than 2 goals as the Sharks handed them their loss.
As mentioned in previous write-ups, Granlund has been quite impressive throughout the tournament and would have another strong showing last night. It’s certainly nice to see as most fans were looking for names like Baertschi, Monahan, Poirier etc., and yet it was guys like Granlund, Ferland, Reinhart who stepped up their games. A lot of fans were being critical of Baertschi’s game as I guess they were expecting the young star to be the man of the hour each game played, but at this level with so many guys vying for spots on their respective teams, it’s quite difficult to really stand out.
Baertschi, despite being of the bigger named prospects on the ice was not the oldest, most experienced, or biggest guy out there. While I wouldn’t say that he struggled throughout the tournament, it appeared that he wasn’t exactly giving 110%. Some feel that during tournaments like these players of his ilk are told to “keep it easy” or “don’t screw up your chances for main camp by doing something stupid”, but I’m not sure this was the case for Sven.
He seemed somewhat disinterested at times and didn’t have the fighting drive which he’s displayed previously. Either way, it was a rookie tournament and Baertschi’s skating was strong, he saw the ice very well when he did play the puck, and had a few chances to find the back of the net. The tournament should allow him to prepare for Flames camp which will be opening in a matter of days.
Another name that you didn’t hear a lot of was Pat Sieloff. Given the way that Sieloff plays, not hearing his name is, well – a good thing. Pat had another solid defensive game, didn’t do anything crazy, but did what he needed to do and was reliable. He would have a few chances offensively throughout the tournament but was for the most part a solid defensive defenseman.
Another names that caught my attention – Keegan Kanzig…how couldn’t he? Kanzig dropped the mitts with Kyle Bigos last night and would overpower the Sharks prospect. The 6’7 235lbs defenseman caught the attention of the Flames brass I’m sure, especially knowing that Brian Burke recently stated that the Flames will be a bigger and tougher team to play against – music to Keegan’s ears.
I also liked the way Michael Ferland played throughout the tournament. He is another name that I feel not too many people were looking for. Ferland has really improved his game over the past year or so as he seems to be more agile, quicker on his feet, and also looking to play a meaner game. Something the Flames will be looking for in years to come will be guys like this – a guy who can play the body, move the puck very well and skate. Ferland has the size at 6’1 225lb and if he can continue to improve his game, we could be seeing a lot more of this young prospect in the near future.
And how about Emile Poirier? After being drafted ahead of a hometown boy in the 2013 draft, most were left wondering who Emile was and what in the world the Flames did when they went "off the board” with this selection. Since, Poirier has displayed a very strong skating game with a high level of hockey sense.
Additionally, what I've noticed is that Emile has been all over the ice in terms of proving his abilities. He has planted his butt in front of the net on a few occasions looking for a dirty goal, he’s played the body effectively removing his opponent from the puck, and stormed up the wing to create offensive opportunities using his strong skating ability.
We are going to need to get a closer look at this kid as it appears the Flames were on to something with the selection – who woulda thunk?
That should do for my rookie tournament wrap up.
What did you guys think - Who were your three favorite players throughout, and why?
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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