Posts About "David Rittich"
Flames Season Hinges on Defensive Zone Success
October 29th, 2018 There's an old joke in hockey: "Goaltending is 50% of the game unless you don't get it, then it's 90% of the game." Since the retirement of Miikka Kiprusoff in 2013, you could make an argument that goaltending has occupied the minds of Calgary Flames hockey operations staffers roughly 90% of the time. But the 2017-18...
Flames Need Net Depth for Season Success
September 17th, 2018 The Calgary Flames missed the postseason in 2017-18 and did so due to the conflation of several smaller challenges that snowballed on them. While no one factor caused their season to unravel, the single largest factor was their goaltending. While Mike Smith was superb in the first half of the season, they didn't get what they...
5 Battles to Watch at Flames Camp
September 11th, 2018 The Calgary Flames are a much different hockey club than they were 12 months ago – or even four months ago – as a disappointing season led to organizational change. Those changes have made for an eventful summer, as well as seem to have the Flames primed for an interesting training camp. Here's a rundown of the five battles to...
Flames Scramble Without Mike Smith
March 3rd, 2018 In hockey, good goaltending can cover up for a lot of a team's deficiencies. But it's incredibly difficult to cover up for deficient goaltending. While it's difficult to characterize the Calgary Flames' goaltending without Mike Smith as deficient, it's safe to say that the team is a lot better with him than without him. A recent...
Why Are the Flames so Bad at Home?
February 19th, 2018 Heading into the home stretch of the 2017-18 National Hockey League season, the Calgary Flames are a team that has accomplished several things. Mike Smith has cemented himself as a top-flight starting goaltender. Johnny Gaudreau has pushed himself into the upper echelon of NHL scorers. But one problem has perplexed virtually...
The Importance of Mike Smith
January 29th, 2018 On June 17, 2017, Mike Smith was acquired by the Calgary Flames from the Arizona Coyotes for goaltender Chad Johnson, defense prospect Brandon Hickey and a conditional third-round pick. At the time, many were skeptical about the deal wondering what they were getting in a ‘below-average’ goaltender from Arizona. However, Smith has...
