A team’s train ride to the playoffs
How a few beers might have saved the season for the turnaround Calgary Flames
Hockey players are human, too.
And after a crummy day at the office, sometimes you just need a beer.
By now, with the Calgary Flames officially rolling into the Stanley Cup playoffs, you’ve heard at least snippets of the story ...
It’s nearing midnight on Jan. 24, and the Flames have just been embarrassed by the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, a 5-1 blowout that marked their fourth consecutive stinker.
In his post-game media scrum, Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan blasts his squad for what he repeatedly calls a “pathetic” performance.
It’s a miserable bunch as they board a train to Ottawa, the final stop on a three-game junket.
Typically, the skating stars can enjoy a beer or a glass of wine as they travel between destinations, but on this night, the attendants have been ordered to keep all alcoholic beverages on ice.
The booze ban doesn’t last long before Gulutzan wanders back to the players-only car — the coaches, management, trainers, etc., were seated in a separate section — and asks a few thirsty veterans if they could use a brew.
He already knew the answer. In fact, he already alerted the serving staff to have the drink tubs ready.
“Just in my gut, sitting there as we were driving for the first 10 to 15 minutes, the whole thing didn’t feel right. I wanted to move forward, not backwards,” Gulutzan said.
“The lady came to me later and she said, ‘Well, that changed the mood in that cart.’ ”
It might have changed the course of their season.
Gulutzan thinks this sudsy story is overblown, but this sure seems like a turning point in Calgary’s now-completed quest to secure an invitation to the spring dance.
After losses to the Predators, Oilers, Maple Leafs and Habs, the Flames seemed to be — cue your best Kenny Rogers voice — on a train bound for nowhere.
But they snapped out of the slide with a 3-2 overtime victory two nights later in Ottawa, hitting the NHL’s all-star break on a high note.
“That’s definitely when we were able to turn it around,” centre Matt Stajan said. “But we all went our separate ways after that game and then we reconvened, so it’s not like we were able to roll right from the Ottawa train ride. We came back and we had a good stretch of games before our bye week, and that’s where I think we really saw what we can do and came together.
“Ottawa is where it started, but it kind of built over the next few weeks.”
Since that overtime triumph, the Flames have chugged along to a 20-6-1 mark, including a record-setting run of 10 straight Ws from Feb. 21 to March 13.
The Flames clinched their playoff berth with Friday’s 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
In a jubilant locker-room, Gulutzan told them: “I’ve never been more proud of a group of guys in my entire coaching career.”
Somewhere, there must have been a drink tub ready.
“Sometimes, you need to just come together,” Flames captain Mark Giordano said. “We realized that we were in a tough spot at that point, but I think the message was, ‘Hey, let’s clean this up,’ and also at the same time, ‘Let’s not be too down on ourselves and think that we’re the worst team in the league.’ ”
As they trundled through the darkness toward Ottawa, Gulutzan wanted them to realize they weren’t nearly as bad as they were feeling. This wasn’t a case of the bench boss returning with a flat of Molsons and delivering a lengthy diatribe. The drinks were on the way. The coach offered only a few sentences.
“And then I left,” Gulutzan said. “I just said, ‘I’m putting the beer back here and you guys are going to sit down with your headphones off and you’re gonna figure this out. We’re gonna figure this bleeping thing out. Because we’re a good team, you’re gonna figure this thing out.’ That’s exactly what I told them.” So what happened next? What did they talk about? Not so much about breakouts, forechecks or the Xs and Os of Gulutzan’s system. “It was just B.S.-ing, chirping guys, just having fun with it,” defenceman Deryk Engelland said. “Even after a tough loss, instead of everybody sitting there with their headphones on and I guess you could say pouting about the game, everyone got up and everyone was talking, everyone was having a good time. And I think it brought us closer together as a team.”
Added winger Lance Bouma: “I think everyone just realized we have a really good group of guys and this is a team you want to go far with.”
It is now, officially, a playoff team.