thecalgaryflames.com

So the Calgary Flames will honour Al MacInnis by hanging his jersey a banner in the rafters at the Saddledome. He’ll be the first player honoured under the new “Forever A Flame” program, which will see the sweater numbers of former Flames kept in circulation with the current team. Not retired, honoured.

Why not retire his jersey? Is it because we have such a historic franchise of all-stars that we are running out of numbers? This team has been around for over 30 years and we have two: Vernon’s #30 and Lanny’s #9. Why not do what the Canadiens do and retire the number for a set period of time? Maybe keep the number retired for as long as that player is alive, and it goes back to the franchise upon that players death. So they’d be retired for 40 years or so. And in special circumstances a new player could ask the retired player if he could wear that number. Like if Marty Brodeur were to be traded to the Flames. And he probably will be, a la Grant Fuhr.

Who do you think is going to wear #2 after this anyway? They’d have to be a real jerk. Come to think of it, who has worn #2 for the Flames since MacInnis left? Are we really denying anyone anything? Jamie Allison, Mike Commodore, Alan Letang (who?), Darrel Scoville (again, who?), Darryl Shannon, and Brad Werenka. All due respect to that group of no-names, but denying them the privilege of wearing #2 would have gone unnoticed.

Al MacInnis was a first-round pick of the Flames in 1981, he would go on to be named an all-star eight times in 13 seasons with the team. He also took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989. MacInnis continues to hold the franchise record for assists with 609. His number was retired by the St. Louis Blues in 2006 (he was a Flame for longer) and a year later he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Calgary isn’t going to retire his number? Just. Plain. Stupid. Shame on you Calgary Flames brass.

You always hear about the ‘man games lost’ number, which is usually misleading because one game without Sidney Crosby is probably worse than an full season without Raitis Ivan?ns. Who, by the way, played one game for Calgary last season but counted as 81 man-games-lost.

Anyway, this year has been bad, as bad as I can remember. Curtis Glencross, Blair Jones, David Moss, Lee Stempniak and Derek Smith are all injured right now. That’s your entire second line. The second line tonight against the Leafs? Tom Kostopoulos, Mike Cammalleri and Blake Comeau. That line has a combined 18 goals all year, or as much as Mikhail Grabovski – T.O.’s number two centre.

Calgary has 254 man-games-lost due to injury this year (as of Feb 10) which is second most in the league. Second only to Pittsburgh.  But they win so they’ll get no sympathy from me. Calgary can’t win with a full roster, much less a decimated one. Feel bad for us!

This was one of those deals you had to make. Morrison’s time here was extremely limited, and he no longer added anything to the on-ice team. And in Brian Connelly., the Flames acquire a 25-year-old American Hockey League all-star with offensive prowess.

Calgary fans will get the chance to say a proper goodbye to Morrison on Friday night with the Blackhawks in town to play the Flames.

The Flames also sent goalie prospect Joni Ortio to TPS Turku of the Finnish Elite League in a move designed to create room for Henrik Karlsson on the Abbotsford Heat.

With our leading goal-scorer now out (Glencross) for what they are saying may be a few weeks, the chances of making up the 4 points seems to be less and less likely. Here is who we’ve got on IR at the moment.

At the town hall in September, Jay Feaster was asked straight-up by one of the Flames’ loyalists “Who do you think will be the surprise player of the year?”

Feaster didn’t hesitate, “Niklas Hagman,” he said. And the crowd laughed.

“No really,” said Jay, and he went on to explain how Hagman was really disappointed in himself and that this year will be different.

Well, it wasn’t. After being put on waivers last week and sent down to Abbotsford of the AHL, Hagman was claimed on re-entry wavers by the Anaheim Ducks. Anaheim and Calgary will split the remainder of his US$3-million salary this season.

Flames general manager Jay Feaster said he met with Hagman last week to tell him he was trying to complete a trade but no one was willing to take on his contract.

“I advised Nik that upon clearing waivers we would place him on re-entry waivers and I gave him permission to speak with other teams,” Feaster said in a statement Monday. “We are pleased for Nik that he was claimed and we wish him well.”

Feaster said Hagman did not fit in the team’s plans for the future.

My, how times do change.

Brendan Morrison is back on the injured-reserve list due to “inadequate rehabilitation of ACL knee surgery,” and will be replaced by centre Paul Byron.

Anton Babchuk had his left hand had been fractured blocking a first-period shot Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild — and T.J. Brodie is back in the National Hockey League.

Calgary’s new line combinations have been posted.

Well that changes the lineups a bit…

Check out the opening day lineup any time of the year on the Calgary Flames current line combinations page. Here’s what Saturday’s opener against the Penguins will look like.

The final roster will be announced on Wednesday, but because of some injuries and being only four players above the required 23-man roster, we have a pretty good idea of what this team will look like come October 8th.

I really didn’t want to see Roman Horak cut, especially to give Matt Stajan his (potential) spot. But you (and Feaster) have to make decisions with your head, not your gut or your heart.

I also haven’t heard anything about Ivanans, but the Flames have him on their website as no longer injured. With the suspension to Letourneau-Leblond Ivanans is likely to fill in on the fourth line. Unless of course Bourque is ready to go for the start of the year, which Sutter says he will be, and then Stempniak will be bumped to the third line, Jackman to the fourth, and Ivanans will sit.

*not actually final