Last week My Best Friend treated us to a night with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) who have been struggling of late. Their opponent was the Calgary Flames who have special significance for me given their birth in Atlanta in 1971. They were sold and moved to Calgary in 1982. The Atlanta Flames played their home games in the iconic Omni Arena which like Tara has gone the way of the wind replaced by the Phillips Arena now home to the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL and Atlanta Hawks of the NBA.
The Omni was an innovative, catty cornered, architectural wonder with its rusty waffle iron exterior appearance and one of the most perfect venues for athletic events and concerts. While intimate and perfect for spectators, it was too small to make big money (without a huge TV or radio package), and the advent of newer, bigger more luxurious arenas and an unfortunate design flaw – it never stopped rusting - guaranteed its demise. It was also home to the Atlanta Hawks though it was the Flames who represented most of my interaction with that venue. I even had the opportunity to play on Omni ice in an exhibition intended to increase awareness of amateur hockey in Atlanta.
I shared season tickets in one of those catty “home” corners that afforded a great view of the home goal and really the development of the game. As a goaltender I liked watching two Atlanta goalers, Danny Bouchard and Phil Myre ply their trade with diametrically opposed styles – Bouchard with his mostly edgy butterfly and Myre a classic stand up goaltender. Other players that stand out for me include Guy Chouinard, Bill Clement, Curt Bennett, Eric Vail, Brad Marsh, Rey Comeau, Tim Ecclestone, Tom Lysiak, Willi Plett, Pat Quinn, Larry Romanchych and, of course legendary coach and inventor of the slap shot, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and the equally iconic Voice of the Flames, Jiggs McDonald.
Bouchard was great to watch as he was one of the early goaltenders that skated well out of the crease and remember him venturing regularly to the blue line and even to center ice a few times. He almost scored a goal in one game and that would have been most appropriate for this wandering goaler to light the lamp. I don’t think he ever did but he sure scared the hell out of us a few times scrambling to get back to the net when the opposing team regained the puck. He dove into his crease just a few times… I never wandered far from my crease…
Back to the Stars game and the point of this post. Our seats were in the home corner of the American Airlines Center in section 122 which allowed great views of the game not unlike those Omni catty corners. Up close and personal…
Most of the protypical NHL stars of my era were very big, fast and strong while the new NHL game is supposed to favor the smaller more durable and quicker player – more the soldier than officer. You wouldn’t know it that night as both Calgary and Dallas offered rosters with big players including the 6’3” and 212+ lbs future Hall of Famer Mike Modano. But, I still didn’t see across the board explosive accelerations, big powerful strides with long leg extensions and recovery except from Modano who despite being in the twilight of his career on the ice still seems to be in a league of his own. I reveled at Modano’s performance as only a few players seemed to be skating their lanes in contrast to that earlier era. It might have been that game and/or the subjective perspective of this writer, but…
I immediately noted the changes in the goal crease but was soon distracted by the Dallas Stars’ Ice Girls who clean the ice in front and around the goals during commercial breaks. Seems like it might get cold out there with their two piece outfits, but they do work hard… There are new rules on goaltenders which limits their ability to handle the puck except in and around the goal and that area immediately behind the goal so no more Danny Bouchard sojourns.
Highlights of that game include Modano’s goal which further increased his all-time goal-scoring and points lead amongst American-born players (Livonia, MI) in the NHL. Stars' defenseman Mark Fistric was fined $2,500 (he got off light) for beating the crap out of Flames' forward Eric Nystrom with the assist of Nystrom’s helmet. Nystrom actually started the fight following stoppage of play and after a clean hit by Fistric in the neutral zone. Reaped the whirlwind, Nystrom did…
The Stars won the game in a shoot out, four goals to three with Loui Eriksson soon of the Swedish Olympic Hockey Team scoring the only goal of the shootout. As if to assure us of his humanity, Modano had the first try of the shootout and wiffed his shot. I groaned…
Modano followed up the Flames game by scoring two goals in the Stars' next tilt a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche including the tie breaker and ultimate game winner. Modano appears on the way back. The Stars will need him to be productive to have any chance at the playoffs.
Thanks for a great evening and kudos to Mike Modano for truly playing the game.
Aye,
Ned Buxton
The Omni was an innovative, catty cornered, architectural wonder with its rusty waffle iron exterior appearance and one of the most perfect venues for athletic events and concerts. While intimate and perfect for spectators, it was too small to make big money (without a huge TV or radio package), and the advent of newer, bigger more luxurious arenas and an unfortunate design flaw – it never stopped rusting - guaranteed its demise. It was also home to the Atlanta Hawks though it was the Flames who represented most of my interaction with that venue. I even had the opportunity to play on Omni ice in an exhibition intended to increase awareness of amateur hockey in Atlanta.
I shared season tickets in one of those catty “home” corners that afforded a great view of the home goal and really the development of the game. As a goaltender I liked watching two Atlanta goalers, Danny Bouchard and Phil Myre ply their trade with diametrically opposed styles – Bouchard with his mostly edgy butterfly and Myre a classic stand up goaltender. Other players that stand out for me include Guy Chouinard, Bill Clement, Curt Bennett, Eric Vail, Brad Marsh, Rey Comeau, Tim Ecclestone, Tom Lysiak, Willi Plett, Pat Quinn, Larry Romanchych and, of course legendary coach and inventor of the slap shot, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and the equally iconic Voice of the Flames, Jiggs McDonald.
Bouchard was great to watch as he was one of the early goaltenders that skated well out of the crease and remember him venturing regularly to the blue line and even to center ice a few times. He almost scored a goal in one game and that would have been most appropriate for this wandering goaler to light the lamp. I don’t think he ever did but he sure scared the hell out of us a few times scrambling to get back to the net when the opposing team regained the puck. He dove into his crease just a few times… I never wandered far from my crease…
Back to the Stars game and the point of this post. Our seats were in the home corner of the American Airlines Center in section 122 which allowed great views of the game not unlike those Omni catty corners. Up close and personal…
Most of the protypical NHL stars of my era were very big, fast and strong while the new NHL game is supposed to favor the smaller more durable and quicker player – more the soldier than officer. You wouldn’t know it that night as both Calgary and Dallas offered rosters with big players including the 6’3” and 212+ lbs future Hall of Famer Mike Modano. But, I still didn’t see across the board explosive accelerations, big powerful strides with long leg extensions and recovery except from Modano who despite being in the twilight of his career on the ice still seems to be in a league of his own. I reveled at Modano’s performance as only a few players seemed to be skating their lanes in contrast to that earlier era. It might have been that game and/or the subjective perspective of this writer, but…
I immediately noted the changes in the goal crease but was soon distracted by the Dallas Stars’ Ice Girls who clean the ice in front and around the goals during commercial breaks. Seems like it might get cold out there with their two piece outfits, but they do work hard… There are new rules on goaltenders which limits their ability to handle the puck except in and around the goal and that area immediately behind the goal so no more Danny Bouchard sojourns.
Highlights of that game include Modano’s goal which further increased his all-time goal-scoring and points lead amongst American-born players (Livonia, MI) in the NHL. Stars' defenseman Mark Fistric was fined $2,500 (he got off light) for beating the crap out of Flames' forward Eric Nystrom with the assist of Nystrom’s helmet. Nystrom actually started the fight following stoppage of play and after a clean hit by Fistric in the neutral zone. Reaped the whirlwind, Nystrom did…
The Stars won the game in a shoot out, four goals to three with Loui Eriksson soon of the Swedish Olympic Hockey Team scoring the only goal of the shootout. As if to assure us of his humanity, Modano had the first try of the shootout and wiffed his shot. I groaned…
Modano followed up the Flames game by scoring two goals in the Stars' next tilt a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche including the tie breaker and ultimate game winner. Modano appears on the way back. The Stars will need him to be productive to have any chance at the playoffs.
Thanks for a great evening and kudos to Mike Modano for truly playing the game.
Aye,
Ned Buxton
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