Curse of Da' Dome...

Well, if you're a Minnesota Wild player or fan.. you
Might think the Saddledome is cursed.
Calgary has won 4 of the 5 games so far this season,
3 of those match ups on home ice.
But more importantly..the Wild have lost 11 of the last
12 games between the two teams at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

Last nights game was no different..the Wild started with
The lead after scoring about 3 and a half min into the game.
But lost the lead early in the 2nd period, when Stephane
Yelle tied it up. Conroy would score in the 3rd period
To give the flames a 1 goal lead they'd hang onto long
Enough to win the game...but just BARELY...

So what makes the game interesting enough to write about??
lol...well a couple of rather odd occurrences would make
The fans laugh..and the Wild fans curse at the same time lol.

The first occurrences happened with about 6 min left in the
First period when Dion Phaneuf wired a shot from JUST outside
The Wild blue line. The shot..directed at Harding for
An attempt at a goal..would miss, and shatter the glass
Behind the net.
Ok.. so that wasn't so strange..
Well geez.. i'm not done YET.. ;)
6 min later as the buzzer would signal the end of the 1st..
Dion would try for one last fluke goal, wiring a shot from
Midpoint inside HIS OWN blue line at Harding, only to
Miss yet again, hit the fiberglass behind the net..and
Shattered it once again, two panes of glass, One Period.
Maybe..he figured he had something to prove after losing
The hardest shot at the flames super skills competition
The previous Sunday to Adrian Aucoin, and Jarome Iginla??
lol I don't know..but I do know the 2nd shot was about
150 shot that still managed to shatter the glass.
Needless to say..everyone was waiting for the glass trick lol.


However...There WAS a ummm..hat trick? or perhaps better
Called a Post trick to speak of..
Remember when I said the flames *just barely* hung onto
The lead? Wellll.....with a few min left in the game,
The flames on a bad change that nearly cost them, Harding
Passed the puck to Brent Burns sneaking up the opposite
Side of the ice from the changing flames..now Burns
Was a free and clear man..he WIRES a shot past kipper..
And Scores!!..umm...or did he? actually..though everyone
Thought at first he did, himself included..what he actually
Did, was complete the Triple post trick!!
The puck ricocheted off the first post TOO the other post
Then rolls back along the goal line to hit the first post again,
And stays OUT!!.
Courtesy of youtube


That..and Yelle scoring for his 2nd game in a row, made
For an interesting game to say the least ;)
It vaulted the Flames back into 1st place before the
All star break.
On a not so great note...Iginla was once again held off
The scoring sheet, for his longest scoring drought since
2005, currently 7 games.

Calgary Flames- A Year To Remember...

This season the Calgary flames had a questionable start at best,
But despite a start that left fans wondering at times if the flames
Would even make the playoffs..There have been some highlights in
The first half of the season I feel should not go unnoticed.

The first half of this season has been one for making History..

First we start with a rather odd, but still interesting stat.
An 86 year old record last set by the Ottawa Senators in 1921,
who broke their own previous record first set in 1918.

The most consecutive games in which a player scored two or more
Goals each game.

Calgary's first 7 games of the season did that, Daymond Langkow
Was responsible for 3 of those two goal games, Kristian Huselius
for two of them, Jarome Iginla had one, and Mathew Lombardi had one.

Secondly we go to Calgary Forward Owen Nolan reaching 1000 game
Milestone in his career, Making him the 220th NHL player to
Reach that goal.

Thirdly...
we have captain Jarome Iginla making flames History
By passing Al MacInnis's 803 games played in a Flames Jersey, Jarome now with 821.
This is the tribute video the played for him at his 804th game.

A true leader who plays with so much heart that he's won the heart
Of every flames fan.
Seeing as how he came to Calgary as the result of an unpopular trade
That sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Dallas, with 11th overall draft pick Iginla,
Paired with Corey Millen coming to Calgary, it was no small feat to prove himself.
It's amazing to think how many games he will have played by the time
His contract extension runs out in 6 more years.
Should he stay a flame..and stay healthy for the better part of
Those years, that will be a record likely to stand for
Decades to come.

And coming in 4th..
Amid one of the most successful road trips in NHL history, Calgary
Flames head coach Mike Keenan reached his own milestone with
600 wins under his belt. Only the 6th man ever to reach 600 wins
In their NHL coaching career.
Though with the flames next two wins as of todays date, Jan 7th..
He will pass Bryan Murray who has 607 wins, and be in 5th place
For all time wins.

Coming in 5th we have the flames becoming only the 4th team ever to
Win 6 consecutive games, a clean sweep in a single road trip.
First the Bruins in 71-72, then the Flyer's in 82-83, the Red Wings
In 01-02, now the Flames in 07-08.

So..despite allot of controversy concerning the flames start to the
Season, and their defensive play, even about goaltender Miikka Kipprusoff..
The flames have also had their share of memorable history making moments
That will stay with us long after we've forgotten about the first couple
Months of this seasons play.

With the season only half over..perhaps they're not done rewriting the
History books...

GO FLAMES GO!!!

Coughing Up The Puck!

Taking a look at the "D"

It's no secret that the Flames defense needs some serious work.
There's no sign of the incredible defense that took us to the
Stanley cup finals when Sutter was GM. The Defense that could
Hang onto a one goal lead with seeming ease at times.
Instead...we're giving up leads, and sometimes BIG leads after
Being up 3 or 4 goals on the opposing team.
Allot of difficulty clearing the puck out of our end, giving up
Great scoring chances, and far too many shots on goal.
It's no wonder Kippers averages for the year are way down in
Comparison to the last few seasons.
Even a great goalie will look bad in front of a constantly
Shoddy defense.
Personally, I am in HUGE favor of some defensive trades at or by
The trade deadline, and truthfully..would be rather upset if there
Were none.

Adrian Aucoin
7 goals, 15 assists, 22 pts and a +9.
Offensively Adrian's been a good acquisition for the team.
Even defensively I think he's done a decent job.
I don't often see *glaring* mistakes from him that cost
Us goals.

Robin Regehr
4 goals, 8 assists, 12 pts, and a +9.
Robin is a defensive defenseman, and is never really going
To add allot of offense to the team. However as a defenseman
He's one of the Elite, he does his job and then some.
He's had a few tough games this season, then again..so has
Every player in the league, overall..he's got far more good
Days on the ice than bad ones, great at throwing his weight
Around, doesn't take bad penalties, and is reliable game in
and game out.

Dion Phaneuf
6 goals, 23 assists, 29 pts and a +1.
I have to admit..I've got mixed feelings on this...
He started out the season on a great foot, skating, scoring,
Making great plays etc. It's crossed my mind if he wouldn't be
A better power forward than a defenseman at times.
Too many times in the defensive zone he's just not skating, and
He has made his share of glaring mistakes while covering in the
D zone.
I've always said about Phaneuf, he's either REALLY good or really
Bad. When he comes to play..he's great, he'll do everything.
But on an off night..you'll really notice what he's NOT doing.
Seeing as how his contract is coming due..if he truly wants
To remain a flame, he'll play like he's worth the huge $$$ Increase
He's going after.(then he'll take a home team cut like Iggy, Kipper
And Regehr)
It's rumored he's turned down a 6 mill/yr contract.
And with how the season has progressed for him, though I'm sure
Many teams would give him that and more gladly, if I were Sutter
I wouldn't give him more than 3.
Yes, I'm being critical..because I know what he *can* do every night,
But he hasn't brought that kind of play every night.


Anders Eriksson:
1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points and a -5.
hmmm, I can't say I'm thrilled about him, he's made some great
Plays, but more times than not..he's either unnoticeable,
Or noticeable in a not good way.

Corey Sarich
2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points and a +2
Again..a defensive defenseman, never really gonna put out allot
Offensively, on average I'd say he's done his job, sure he's
Made a couple of glaring mistakes..but again, everyone has.
I'd say he's more dependable than not on any given night.

Rhett Warrener
0 goals, 3 assists, 3 pts and a +4
Rhett has been out with injury for a while, so I can't asses his play
Of late really, but...with Rhett..he's never gonna be an Elite
Player, he is going to come, and do his job night after night.
He'll give what he's capable of giving, and plays with heart.

David Hale
0 goals, 1 assist, 1 points and +3
More nights than not I wanna smack him upside the head for something
Stupid, and more nights than not..it's more than one stupid mistake.
Replace him with a young guy from Quad city please.


At the moment...I'd say our top Dman is Regehr as far as current play
Not NHL status goes.
And we do have a couple of really good defenseman besides Regehr, but most
I'd say are average, or a little below at this point in the season.
Regehr, Aucoin and Corey get my vote for most consistent play.
I know Phaneuffan is going to disagree with me on Phaneuf lol, but
Inconsistency is a big thing with him. I don't consider him an
Elite player yet..he needs to be much better in the D zone for that.
He's young..and got time, and likely IN time will be one, but not yet.
Yes..he's the biggest hitter in the NHL, but that will only get you
So far.
I just want him to be as good as I know he can be every night.

I guess too, With Iginla having a great season, the Offensive
Power we do have, and Kippers play much better now than at
The beginning of the season, I truly believe we could have
A serious shot at the cup...but ONLY..ONLY with much better
D zone coverage, so it's extremely frustrating to watch at
Times.
Yes, there are offensive players at fault too, who screw up
More often than not in our own zone, but this was a specific
Look at the Defenseman.

This in the middle of a great run for the Flames...who are
12-1-4 since Dec 1st.
It's simple, the offense isn't always going to be able to score
Us out of trouble, there are times the Defense is going to
Have to hang onto a 1 goal lead, or times Kipper is going to
Have to steal a game. That's just how it works.

Anyway.. Just my thoughts, my opinions on it all lol.

A Flame Without the Fire...

It's been far too long since I've posted anything on my blog, since last season
In fact, and I'm sorry about that, too much going on in the off season, and personal
Life.
Alas..the new season is here..and it's time to keep this updated again :)

When do you start to worry, when does it become ok to voice your
Opinion without everyone down your back about running scared too
Early?

Some have argued the pre-season doesn't count, and others have argued
It's only BEEN one game, and they're both valid arguments.
Maybe the pre-season doesn't count, but what happened to grinding out
A win out of sheer pride? no team wants to lose an entire series of
Games either.
The first game was the home opener..on home ice. Statistically
Over the last few years the place the Flames have played their best.
A place most teams found it very hard to win in, the Pengrowth
Saddledome.

I'm going to offer up one other argument, one that concerns me most
Due to the impact it has to have on each players mental state of mind.
Regardless of most of it happening so far in the pre-season, regardless
Of it only having been one game in the regular season, the flames
Have won ONE game, ONE game..in nine.
Now sure..during most of the pre-season, we weren't dealing with the
Core players, the star players on the roster, but a win..or loss..
Effects every player on the team, every game.
My concern lies in the confidence that is either gained from a win..or
Lost from a loss.
And despite what the players have said in interviews on the radio..
Or tv, the confidence level had got to be suffering a huge blow at the
Moment.
Even on games where 2 of 3 periods we outworked..and out shot the
Opponents, we still managed to lose the game.
Now sure, there's a million different things you can attribute the
Losses too, not scoring enough, turnovers, defensive hiccups..
Whatever, but in the grand scheme of things a team that has confidence
Will grind out a win despite the mistakes EVERY team makes during
A game. ALL teams make those same mistakes,some more than others..
During a game, but one has to remember, every win or loss is made
On those mistakes.A perfectly played game is almost an impossibility.
Truth is..it's a matter of if you make a mistake that costs your team
A penalty..or a goal, going back out there and making up for it.

I love my team, and this many losses is a hard pill to swallow.
Every fan wants to see their team do well.
My ultimate concern lies in the confidence I'm certain the team
Has had to have lost in themselves regardless of the games being
pre..or regular season games, and how long this losing streak could
Last because of it all.
Not so much when their next win will be, but how long will it be before
They have enough confidence to grind out consecutive wins?

Maybe my concerns are unwarranted, after all..they do have a new coach,
They had a new head coach last season too, and with each new head coach
Comes the need to create a new identity for the team, something they
Never quite achieved last season, an identity.
New methods for practice, new methods of training, both coach and
Players needing to get used to each other, needing to find that
Connection that works.
As well..several new players that need to get used to each others
Playing style, and the time to find the connections that work the best
Between them.
Maybe it'll end up being a season of discovery in that regards...
Though I can't help but hope for more.
Maybe everyone's..including my own expectation of an explosive start under Keenan was too
Much to expect..too soon. It has after all..been many years since
Keenan coached and even though he's worked with several of the players
Before, they are at different stages of their career now, different stages
In their lives.

I guess the one thing I can rest on, is that every cloud has a silver
Lining. Every storm has to come to an end sometime. Every bad moment
Gives way to a good one eventually.

So here's to time...being the road that changes everything.

Analyzing Sutter...

In light of recent movement in the Flames organization...
Some fans are wondering if Sutter's perhaps taken a leap
Off the Sanity Bandwagon lol.
First..there's the change up in Head coaches, bringing
Keenan behind the bench, and now..the trade of Andrei
Zyuzin for Adrian Aucoin from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now it appears...most Hawks fans are happy to see Aucoin
Go, and his 4 million dollar salary freed up.
The time he spent in the Hawks organization was full of
Injuries, and he didn't have a great year besides the
Injuries.
Now..there's a LOT of speculation that this move has
To do with Keenan now being the Head coach, because Keenan
Had coached Aucoin before.
Which also brings the concern for the flames fans that
Perhaps Todd Bertuzzi is next.



I think though..the reality of the situation is this:
Sutter has had a basic idea all season long of what July
1st might bring this season, the free agent market.
As the season wore on and it became apparent the Flames
Defense was lacking something, he's had his eye out for
What defensive players might open up when free agency opened.
I think too, that if he didn't have his eye on Timonen..
Which I wouldn't at all be surprised if he did, the Timonen
Signing set the bar for what a Top Defenseman could ask
For in the market, something both Hamrlik and Stuart could
Ask for and GET, from other teams.
So getting a top 4 Defenseman for 4 million, in reality is
A steal.
But I'm not really going to go into the money aspect of it,
More if Keenan really has that much influence when it comes
To Sutter, or if this move would have happened even if Keenan
Wasn't behind the bench.
Having had his eye on the market all season long basically..
Regardless of the Keenan connection, Aucoin was on of the best,
If not the best he could get this season.
Interviews have also shown that although Sutter may have been
Considering a coaching change during the regular or playoff
Season, that he hadn't started talking with Keenan till after
The flames season was over. What I gather from the interviews..
The decision to bring him up to coach the flames went down
Pretty quickly, within a couple weeks of the time they announced it.
And if that's the case...and Sutter's had his eye out for most of
The season for a top D man, and with the good possibility of already
Having narrowed it down to just a handful of players if that..
Then really the fact that Keenan has previously worked with
Aucoin had little..or no bearing on the decision. It *may* have
Been the final deciding factor, but I highly doubt it was
Something that Keenan went to Sutter about. I'd place bets
Aucoin was already under serious consideration before Keenan
Was brought in to coach the team.
There's a strong possibility that the Keenan connection has been
Largely blown out of proportion

As for being worried about someone like Bertuzzi making it to
Calgary because of his Keenan connection, I honestly don't think
That Keenan has that kind of power with Sutter so to speak.
They may be friends, they may have worked great in the past, but
This is now, and this is Sutters team, This is what he's worked
So hard to build the last several years, and I don't think he's
About to let anyone come in..and push him around.
He might not always be outspoken, but he's no fool.

Has Sutter taken a flying leap off the Sanity bandwagon?
I don't think so, Sutter knows what he wants, and has made the
Moves to get there.
There's no doubt the flames needed a tougher more experienced
Coach behind the bench, and they got him.
They needed an improvement in their defensive zone, and Sutter
Believes Aucoin will at least partly fit the bill.
The bonus being that Aucoin played some of his best seasons under
The flames new head coach.

NOW...onto the other signings that have happened:

David Moss:
IMO a Sutter resigning Moss is a great decision, for his first
Season in the NHL, he's definitely proven he's ready to play at
This level. He plays hard, with allot of grit. At 6'3 203 lbs he's
A big boy, lol..he sure as heck don't look 26 though.
With 8 goals and ten assists from Jan till seasons end, I don't
See why he couldn't easily be at least a 20 goal scorer for the
Team. I'm actually surprised looking now, that he was a 7th round
Draft pick in 2001, 220th overall. Then again..it's taken him till
Now to play at the NHL level I guess.

Brent Krahn:
The resigning of Krahn perhaps indicates that McClennan won't be
Returning as a Calgary flame next season.
Rather that both Curtis McElhinney and Brent Krahn could end up
Vying for the position of backup goalie for Kipprusoff.
McElhinney has been a pleasant surprise for the flames, Taking over
Top spot in the AHL from Krahn.
However it goes down...it seems there's a good chance that One of
The two will back up Kipper, and one will stay in the AHL for
A while longer.
Either way..Calgary is in great shape for goalies for the next
Several years it seems.

The flames also resigned Lombardi and Nilson after their season
Had ended, Lombardi IMO was a great resigning, he had a great year
Last season, and his incredible speed, though he needs to learn to
Use it on a consistent basis.
Nilson, he's a good player, but I'm not 100% sold on this
Signing. 5 goals and 10 assists in the '07 season doesn't convince me
He's worth resigning. He had some decent seasons with the Panthers,
But hasn't seemed to show what he's capable of in his 3 seasons as
A Flame.

The flames drafted 5 prospects in the '07 draft, the most exciting
Prospect being Mikael Backlund, a strong Center with allot of skill.
Drafted in the 1rst round, 18th overall, he's got 20 goals and 26
Assists in his Swedish League.

They also drafted Defense-man John Negrin in the 3rd round, 70th overall.
A decent size defense-man who will only get bigger as he matures, 6'2
195 lbs. 1 goal and 15 assists on his WHL team last season.

What happens now for the Flames? well...lol, that's really anyone's
Guess since we are talking the team that Darryl Sutter manages, and
He keeps everything airtight till the last minute for the most part.
HOWEVER..I don't think he's done on the back end of things..especially
With the signings of Stuart and Hamrlik not completed yet, if there's
Going to be one. If both players end up going, the flames will likely
Be in the market for another top Dman, with Hannan being a possibility.
Though.. I'm still hoping against the odds that the rumors are NOT true
About Stuart, and that he decides he'd like to stay in Calgary.
If not... I may just have to kick his 6'4 ass :P lol.
One thing is certian...it could prove to be an interesting off season
For the flames once July 1st gets here.

Nine Lives Keenan?

Well now....TSN and Sports-net are reporting a bit of a whopper for flames fans.

The apparent Demoting of Head coach Jim Playfair, after only One season, and signing of Mike Keenan to replace him.
Soo, lets take a gander at the situation shall we?

Playfair..One season as an NHL Head coach carried his team to 96 points, one of the higher point seasons in recent Flames history.
The best home record in the league, and one of the worst road records.
However...he did pretty good for his first season as a Head coach.
96 pts.
30 home wins(league best in '07)
Made the playoffs

One of the biggest complaints among fans about
Playfair was the lack of passion/emotion he showed behind
The bench, believing that lack of emotion trickled down
To the players.
And I guess.. I'd have to agree on that, those were my
Feelings as well.
I don't think the team played with allot of heart this past
Season.
I don't think the team connected with Playfair like they
Did Sutter either.
And it's pretty well known Sutter was definitely a harder
Coach than Playfair.
Now I know allot of fans, me included..had hoped that maybe
Sutter would have a change of heart, and come back behind
The bench. Ahh well, you can dream right? lol.

Keenan...Mike Keenan comes with a rep for being a hard ass
Behind the bench. Maybe ten years of not coaching has mellowed
Him out somewhat? or maybe not.
Keenan's Stats:
1,014 games as Head Coach
569 Wins
447 Losses
140 Ties
20 OT losses.
He ranks #5 all time for wins as head coach.
He's a Stanley cup winning head coach
And A Jack Adams trophy winner(1985)

Is this a good or bad Move on Sutters part? eh..well I guess
We'll never know until next season starts and ends.
After visiting the Flames forum though..feelings seem very
Mixed on this move.
Then again.. they were last season with Playfair starting.
The consensus though is that most fans believed a change
Was needed behind the bench, that Playfair wasn't hard enough,
And that we needed another *Sutter type* coach.
Well..in the end, be careful what you ask for...
For better or for worse, it seems they got what they wanted.

I guess to a degree.. I get to view this from an ignorant
Perspective. Simply.. I wasn't a hockey fan at the time
Keenan coached in the NHL. So other than the here-say, I can't
Really say how bad or hard he is as a coach, but the overwhelming
Opinion seems to be...he's as hard ass as they come.

Now I'm going to say..I'm starting to think that maybe, just
Maybe..this is a great move on Sutters part.
I mean.. IF the team buys into Keenan's system..his coaching
Style, (something I don't think the players did with Playfair)
We could become the team that no one wants to play.
I mean..Just think;
Iginla, Regehr, Phaneuf, (possibly Stuart?)Hamrlik, Moss,
And some of our other very physical players, under the coaching
Of Keenan.
He could provide one helluva spark..
Possibly Wayne? Eric Godard, some big players could really
Make an impact.

Only time will tell though, the other side of the coin is that
This will be yet another new coach for the flames, another system
They have to learn, to buy into..
That could prove to be another setback.
And as it stands right now, we have allot of veteran players on
The team, who may be pretty set in their ways, and not easily
Swayed by Keenan's coaching Antics.

Though a shocking development to say the least, and frankly
Unexpected IMO, because of Playfair only getting one season
To pull out a miracle..I'm going to reserve my judgment on
This move.
After a couple months of seeing him behind the bench we'll see
What kind of coach he turns out to be for the Flames.
His record with players and GM's has me wondering..admittedly.
On the other hand, I'm hoping all the time off has had some
Kind of impact for the better.

The biggest concern of all, is if this backfires on Sutter...
There could be allot at stake with Iglina's, Kippers, and Phaneufs
Contracts coming to an end next season. (Unless he signs them this
Summer to an extension)
Or how someone like Juice may or may not fit into his coaching
Style..or plans.

Whatever happens.. it seems that Mr. Keenan's name seems destined
To keep appearing, long after most thought he would/should retire.

MOMMY.....IT'S OVER!!!!

Well Folks....
That's it... It's over.
The regular season and the playoffs have come and gone..
And that shiny silver coveted cup will sit on the Sunny
California Shores for a year.
I wonder...if Lord Stanley ever in his wildest dreams
Imagined that might someday be the case..

It might not be so bad,if the Sens had shown up to at least
Put in a fight, I mean..who takes the finals in 5 games??
Oh I'm sure it's happened..but it's definitely not something
You can walk away from, and know you gave it your all.
It can't be..can it? Could the Ducks have really been *that*
Good? so much bigger..and better as to make it appear the
Sens didn't bother showing?
Maybe..who knows...
Maybe the Sens had too easy of a run up to the finals..
Taking all the previous series in 5 games, maybe they took
For granted it'd be the same here.

I'll give the Ducks credit, they played like they wanted it
From day one in this series. Yes..there was allot of controversy
Surrounding the series, Pronger was suspended for the Second
Time this playoff run, Alfredson got away with likely the
Cheapest Classless shot taken all season long etc...etc..
But I don't really think anyone can deny that they played
With heart. Not allowing the finals to drag out one or two
More games proved that IMO, they wanted the cup..and they
Played hard to get it.

So she's back in the Western Conference, the Canadian curse
Still stands, and will be extended to 15 years without a
Canadian team hoisting up the Holy grail of Hockey.
But...the Ducks are the first team on the West coast to
Win it, hopefully that will be great news for hockey in
California, and hopefully, it will generate a new era of
Fans, God knows they need it.

I could recap the stats to the game..but chances are, if
You're fan enough to be reading hockey blogs such as mine,
You were either watching it, at the game, or listening to t
It on the radio, and are well aware of all that happened
In game 5.
Though I will say.. Alfredson coming out and scoring two
Goals IMO was his way of attempting to clear his name
With the Sens fans, and hockey fans alike for that cheap ass
Shot the NHL let him get away with.
Nice try Alfie..it didn't work.
This will be a series I'm sure you end up wishing you'd never
Made it too, and that one classless shot I hope haunts the
Rest of your career.

Congratulations Anaheim!!! Enjoy the cup, drink from her,
Create a world of memories with her..she'll only be stayin'
A little while..
My parting thoughts (inspired by a comment on another blog
Site)

Don't Take The Cup (To Hotel California)
©2007 Sharon Mark- Socan

(vs1)
There's rumors of this place in California
The walls whisper of many nights gone by
They've heard secrets from the rich and famous
And lone travelers under a weary sky

(vs2)
She stands tall under the western sunsets
Her haunting beauty shaded by palm trees
They tell me if you check in for a nightcap
You can checkout...but you can never leave

(ch)
So please don't take the cup..
To hotel California
I'm certian Lord Stanley would agree
Cause there are spirits
Never meant for capture
And that holy grail was born to be free

(vs3)
The blood, the sweat, the tears it takes to win her
A long battle fought just to hoist her up
Your name engraved in silver stands forever
But time will take the last sip from the cup

(vs4)
A few short months till the new season opens
And every team covets that silver prize
There's a special place reserved in 30 cities
But for now she'll make her home in Anaheim

(ch)
But please don't take the cup..
To hotel California
I'm certian Lord Stanley would agree
Cause there are spirits
Never meant for capture
And that holy grail was born to be free

(br)
Can't stay too long, it'd mean the end
A Nations pride, an era spent
You can't keep, what's meant to go
And moving on is all she knows