In a rare event, Calgary Flames coach Bob Hartley may scratch some of his star players for disciplinary reasons. Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Lance Bouma — The Calgary Three — may all be watching Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs from the press box, according to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos and TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
McKenzie suggests the team may run just 11 forwards and seven defensemen against a depleted Toronto team, who traded away Dion Phaneuf on Tuesday, but may not have Jared Cowen available in time to take his place.
The discipline for The Calgary Three may stem from Super Bowl Sunday-related events.
On Monday, coach Hartley held just a 25-minute practice, instead of a skate-out-the-beers-you-drank kind of practice following Super Bowl Sunday. This was odd enough to be noted by multiple reporters, including Sportsnet’s Mark Spector.
Spector writes that after 25 minutes, Hartley pulled the team into the corner, gave them a stern talking to and then left the rink without tell the team if practice had ended or not. Afterward, Hartley insisted that the 25-minute skate was his plan all along.
It was also noted that Bouma was “ineffective” during practice and was sent off the ice after 15 minutes. “He wasn’t feeling good, so we removed him from the ice,” Hartley said. Yet, he was still at the rink and around teammates hours later. That’s not a common practice with a player who is ill.
Additionally, Bouma and his roommate, Monahan, were seen hustling into the rink at 10:15 for a 10:30 practice as well.
While there was less clarity on Monday, it seems like there’s a lot of clarity on Tuesday if that trio is being sat for disciplinary reasons.
UPDATE:
All three have been scratched.
#TORvsCGY Roster Update: Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Lance Bouma will be healthy scratches for tonight’s game vs. the #Leafs.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) February 10, 2016
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
