Stark Contrast.

No funny picture today. Better grammar checking. There's no excuse.

The Flames have no excuse and no time either. Tonight they host the Colorado Dive-alanche and make no mistake about it this is a must win game. All season long the Flames have delivered sound bites at the right time with the right message: play better, play simple, pucks on net, blah blah blah. Time to deliver gentlemen.

Where to place the blame? Sadly, it's on the shoulders of a hard working man by the name of Daryl. Blame not Iggy. Blame not Kipper, dude was bound to have a rough season eventually. Blame the team composition. We have some extremely talented players that are saddled up with young or 'past their prime' players. You can't have 2 people on the number 1 line, you need three. You cannot have 2 people on the number 2 line, you need 3 bona fide second line talents. As for our defense, Regs and Dion should just suit up and play 60 minutes, it would be no less effective than our current situation.

If you are a professional athlete and the likes of Jarome Iginla cannot inspire your overpaid ass to play your best then simply, you fucking suck. Or, perhaps in our case, the best of the rest falls short of what we need to win consistently. To the Flames roster I say this: It's time to rise above and play beyond yourselves, be the difference stop waiting for something to happen.

The Flames have proven in the past that the underdog role suits them. The weight of expectation hobbles what could be the best team in the league. Starting this very instant I drop all expectations, my Calgary Flames suck and are underdogs that I do not expect to clinch the division, make the playoffs or even take a run at the Cup. I expect they will fall out of the playoff race in the next 10 days.

There you go Connie, Lanks, Juice, Preems, and every other under performing member of that cast. You're cast free from the shackles of any expectation, every point you get, every hit you deliver and every positive thing you do will be a bright spot on your ice time. Every other boneheaded move you make will be fine by me because I expect no less. You can now play above and beyond yourselves much like you did in 04.

Fight hard, make every team that suits up against you remember the cost of touching the puck. Please go down fighting harder than you ever have.

This evening Hale is going to score. Ironman Lombo (aka the NHL's official tester of post and crossbar structural integrity) is going to get a goal. Aucoin is going to play like he's 21 and not get out raced in the defensive zone. And Kipper is going to shine.