All in all, it was a good day to be in the Czech Republic.

That must be what both Flames GM Craig Button and goaltender Roman Turek were thinking today in light of the unexpected - but somehow surprising no one - resignation of Calgary President Ron Bremner.

Button was about as far away from his patron as geography would allow in scouting a tourney in Prague while Turek, introduced to the Calgary media today, was probably wishing he were home popping beer cans with his new GM.

It was no revelation that Bremner didn't have the full support of ownership, readily apparent with his own near miss from the axe in the Great Purge of 2000 only a summer ago.

But now was as good a time as any for Bremner to say goodbye/get canned with a lottery arrangement with the province stalled out, no TV schedule announced but the Flames obviously slipping on CTV Sportnet's radar screen, outside media lining up early predicting the Flames are in line for a miserable season and fans in general reluctant to come back to the Dome any time soon.

Under those circumstances, an obscure Wednesday in August was as good as any other day for a change.

Bremner inherited a franchise in 1996 just embarking on a difficult rebuilding phase, a retrenchment that has taken one year too long and left innumerable casualties in its wake.

From a promising beginning - remember those accountability sessions every summer at the Dome - the Flames seemed to lurch from one bad PR note to another, promising hope but, in the end, always leaving fans holding a bag of disappointment.

Through five years Bremner increased revenues exponentially and Flames fans last year had the greatest number of games on television in franchise history.

But it wasn't enough. Whichever way you want to analyze this it was ultimately the lack of on-ice success which deep-sixed Bremner. And we won't know the true story of how long Al Coates, a pure pick by ownership, would have remained in his post had Bremner had a full hand to play. Or if it would have made a difference to the on-ice product and ultimately to Bremner's own chances for survival.

It's one thing to rebuild but quite another to seem poised for the next step upwards only to suffer the ignomious disaster that befell the Flames last year.

We are left wondering how badly things are going with the province on the lottery issue. Although Gaming Minister Ron Stevens announced a solution in June, it was so universally panned there should be little doubt of the philosophical gap between what the Flames/Oilers need and what the province seems willing to offer. In turn, the solution to the Saddledome lease still requires the determination of provincial assistance and isn't a completely done deal either.

Bremner's replacement is a clone in many ways, from the media community but different in the sense that Ken King's background has more emphasis from the editorial side although a strong presence in the corporate community. Bremner, from a television background, was pretty much pure business.

And let's face it - this franchise could use a little polishing on the PR front.

Ultimately, as with most NHL franchises, it comes down to the fans. In the case of the Flames, it is the lack of enthusiastic fans willing to step forward and support a team five years out of the playoffs and 12 years removed from its last playoff win that has caused ownership to squirm.

In my June 20 column - which is proving particularly providential - I discussed Bremner's tenuous hold on his position and summed it up with the following sentence: "The Flames have never been reluctant to finger a scapegoat when it suited them."

True enough.

Welcome to the doghouse Ken King.