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Monday, March 1, 1999
George Johnson's verdict
How on earth could they give up on Chris Dingman so quickly?
Sure, sure, we all knew that the lippy little beggar with the hole in his smile was as good as past tense. Hardly a drop-dead bolt-out-of-the-blue there.
But no one had an inkling that Dingman would be in-volved in this chicanery.
The cruel fickleness of fate!
Seriously, though, folks (tympani roll, please) ... And hey, we all need a sense of humour this morning.
So, he's really truly gone. Our last link to the glory days. Taking with him all the verve and chutzpah and fame left in this organization. The little man that made us big-league. Gone to bigger, richer pastures.
Even with Fleury at full throttle, these Flames were a lunch-bucket bunch. Without him, downgrade that to paper-bag.
They've gassed the playoffs this year, despite the shrill protestations you're undoubtedly being bombarded with to the contrary. Grit and faith are wonderful, uplifting things, but the cold, hard reality is that most nights, Fleury provided the necessary magic to make the other ingredients work.
This, we assume, is strictly a deal for the future, which is a noble idea, if you're dead certain that given the economic absurdities of the NHL today, this team has a long-term future in this market. It won't mean much to us if that first-round pick they weasled out of the mighty Avs is wowing the masses in Houston or Milwaukee.
Everything here is directed at the future. Future. Future. Future.
Well, people will tell you they'd like to live in the present once in a while.
The Flames will tell you what happened yesterday was inevitable. Or was it?
If you believe Fleury's contention that he could've been signed, sealed and delivered for $5 million US a season a year ago today, then the Flames shortsightedness, or stinginess, is nothing less than criminal.
If you believe the Flames, there was no way short of moving heaven and earth that they ever could've got his name on a contract for that amount of money.
Alas, though, trades today are more about PR spin, damage control and -- on both sides -- than about anything else. The selection they'll make from Colorado's abbreviated reserve list looks to be the key to the deal from a Calgary perspective. With Alex Tanguay not included in the list, the selection pales considerably.
"In our situation, we have to think about the next 10 years, not only the next three months,'' said coach Brian Sutter, who looked upon Fleury as a second son.
But the next three months, the right now, should be of grave concern to everyone. Try selling a Fleury-less team to these fans. Being a telephone solicitor for the Flames this summer should come with danger pay. Or ear plugs.
By not getting Fleury signed or traded last season, the organization had begun painting itself into a corner. Yesterday, the Flames extricated themselves as best they could.
Compared to the Yanic Perreault-Pavel Rosa trade that was nullified last week, this seems to be a bonanza.
What is difficult to understand is the timing. Surely this particular deal would've still been on the table a couple of weeks from now. Waiting would've given the Flames another stretch with Fleury in the lineup, thereby strengthening their playoff position, and maybe driven the ante up, depending on circumstances. What if, say, John LeClair got injured? Wouldn't the Flyers immediately up their ante to acquire Fleury? Certainly.
More time might've equalled more options. Now, their options are closed.
The greatest player in franchise history has left, joining the countless others before him. We'll all wait with baited breath to see who general manager Al Coates chooses from the Avs' reserve list. That will go a long ways in telling us how hard this will be to accept.
Is this deal good enough?
No.
Is it the best they could do, under the circumstances?
Yes.
But that, in the cold light of day, is of small consolation this morning.