Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4 Calgary Flames 0

Ducks Cook Flames in Wild One 

D'Arcy McGrath

December 8th, 2001

Just what is the recipe that results in a home loss to the worst team in the Western Conference?

Simple.

Ingredients:

  • Lackluster team effort from the home side
  • Bizarre effort from the officiating staff

Directions:

  1. Start the home side off quick, with plenty of chances, and many a blocked shot
  2. Have the officials make their stake on the game, completely delivering momentum from the home side to the road side.
  3. Have the home team inable to stem the tide or react positively to the slightest sign of adversity.

You get the idea.

As the dust settled on what should have been a quiet finish, the Ducks walked away with a 4-0 triumph over the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome on Saturday night.

The Flames had numerous chances in the games first ten minutes carrying the play to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

The game seemed to change on a dime when Clarke Wilm was called for crosschecking leading to a Ducks powerplay that resulted in a goal from Paul Kariya.

On the play Jeff Friesen fed Kariya for a wide open net, Mike Vernon had little chance.

A few minutes later the Ducks doubled their lead when Dean McAmmond was pulled down in the Calgary zone resulting in a two on one for the Ducks. Patric Kjellberg completed the play to put the visitors up by what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

The officiating played a large role in the Ducks' third goal in the second period when Jason York scored with a two man advantage. The Flames were down two men due to two more strange calls to Scott Nichol and Ron Petrovicky.

The third period was a different game in itself.

The mayhem seemed to start when Craig Berube rubbed Duck goaltender J.S. Giguere into the boards behind the Anaheim net. The hit itself was rather harmless, but clearly a penalty, and led to a double minor when Berube finished the play by fighting all takers that took offence to the original call.

Apparently the four minutes weren't enough to appease Duck coach Brian Murray.

Two and a half minutes later Duck tough guy Kevin Sawyer tried to mix it up with Calgary defenceman Bob Boughner. The attempt to fight appeared to be retaliation for a Boughner hit on Kariya in the second period. Sawyer dropped his gloves and chased after Boughner, who skated away much like Sawyer did in the first period when Berube thought he had acquired a bout with the Duck winger.

The calls were different this time around as the officials let the bare handed Sawyer retrieve his stick without a call despite the fact that they whistled Berube for roughing in the first period for exactly the same action.

Sawyer wouldn't stay out of the box long.

Less than a minute later, with goaltender Mike Vernon having covered the puck on a dump in , Sawyer skated deliberately toward the Calgary cage and cross checked Vernon in the mask. Knowing the foul was bound to cause a stir, Sawyer turned with his gloves already dropped in time to receive an incensed Robyn Regher in the first what was to be a long line of fights to conclude the game.

In what was likely the second part of Murray's retribution plan, the additional Duck tough guy on the ice, Denny Lambert jumped Jarome Iginla, the NHL's leader goal and point getter. After the gloves were dropped Lambert found more than he bargained for from the skilled winger, and Iginla more than held his own in the fight, ducking many a Lambert blow, only to deliver his own right.

Then ... if you can imagine .. things got a little more insane.

Greg Gilbert clearly orchestrated the next set of events as all four Calgary Flames lining up for the next face off dropped their mitts and proceeded to pummel their Anaheim counterparts.

After the original four Flame skaters (Gauthier, Boughner, Wilm and Begin) were all ejected for instigating, a ten minute misconduct, fighting, and a game misconduct, another set of Flames took the ice to fill in the gap.

On the next face off where three skaters faced three skaters, Toni Lydman and Rob Niedermayer both dropped the mitts and found partners to dance with themselves.

After they were ejected the next set took the ice which featured Ron Petrovicky fighting and getting ejected.

The next face off had Scott Nichol fighting and then ejected.

To cap things off Dave Lowry, spying tough guy Craig Berube ready to get out of the ice, flipped the puck into the crowd to free the Flames winger. Soon after Berube was chasing Duck winger Jeff Friesen down the ice and pummeling him into the ice.

When the dust settled the Flames accumulated 190 minutes of penalties in the third period, to the Ducks 107. 

While condoning the Flames actions toward the end of the game would clearly be wrong, one could empathize with the frustration that would clearly have been festering on the Calgary bench. When a tandem of officials so brutally butcher a National Hockey League game, it's only natural to see the victimized team react with anger.

The Ducks cheap tactics involving Sawyer was like lighter fluid on an already simmering coal bed.

In a strange turn of events, a 4-0 loss might have actually galvanized the Flames team cohesion, and may do a lot to right a ship that has drifted from the plan that built them their lead in the standings.

 

Box Score

FLAMES LINES

McAmmond Conroy Iginla
Niedermayer Savard Hentunen
Lowry Wilm Petrovicky
Berube Nichol Begin
Regehr Boughner
Gauthier Lydman
Kravchuk Allison

OUR THREE STARS

1) Jeff Friesen - Duck winger had three assists on the night, and took many a Berube punch in the late going.

2) J.S. Giguere - Made some key saves early when the Flames were carrying the play. Stopped Jarome Iginla on a penalty shot.

3) Brad Meier/Greg Kimmerly - The nights referee tandem. By their game call the clearly wanted to be star of the game, Calgarypuck is full marks in obliging.


SAVE OF THE GAME

J.S. Giguere stones the NHL's top goal scorer, Jarome Iginla, on a first period penalty shot. Iginla didn't attack with the best game plan, but the timing of the save was key in the flow of the game.


HIT OF THE GAME

On a hit that was not only hard, but right on the mark, Bob Boughner stepped into Duck captain and superstar Paul Kariya in the second period. The play created a shoving match instigated by the Ducks that somehow led to only one penalty call ... that to Flame center Scott Nichol.


NOTES & STATS

What notes and stats feature is more important than penalty minutes in a contest like this one? ... Craig Berube led the Flames with 33 minutes in penalties on the night, which included three roughing minors, and instigator penalty, a fighting major, a ten minute misconduct and a game misconduct. ... He wasn't alone. Bob Boughner found his way to 29 minutes. Scott Nichol had 29 minutes. Denis Gauthier had 29 minutes. The strangest call? Jarome Iginla got a game misconduct for his fight with Duck tough guy Denny Lambert. ... The Flames must have set a franchise record on the night as 10 different plaeyrs received fighting majors. ... Lambert had 27 minutes himself. The night's catalyst, Kevin Sawyer had only 15 official minutes, though he'll likely talk to Colin Campbell for his match penalty against Vernon. ... Back to the actual game ... The Flames lost their edge in the face off circle as the Ducks held a 58%-42% edge on draws. Only Clarke Wilm had a good night at 53%. ... The Flames out hit the Ducks by a margin of 15-10, both numbers were very conservative, as the game was much more physical than these numbers show. ... Toni Lydman led all skaters in ice time with 24:55.


 

 

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