Flames Win the Cup

...virtually.

A renown computer simulation has the Calgary Flames downing the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens are headed for the playoffs. The other four Canadian teams are not.

Sports Interactive, a leader in the field of sports management games, simulated the 2006-07 NHL season for The Canadian Press using its NHL 2007 Eastside Hockey Manager PC game.

The simulation game suggests it could be a special year in Calgary, where the Flames finish second in the Western Conference before a magical playoff run ends with them beating the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup.

Newcomer Alex Tanguay wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP but it's captain Jarome Iginla who really makes the Flames burn.

Iggy scores a league-best 63 goals and 125 points in the regular season and ensures this trip to the NHL final didn't end in heartbreak, as it did in 2004.

It's enough to help rookie coach Jim Playfair win the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year at an NHL awards ceremony high on Calgary content. Tanguay (Hart Trophy, Lady Byng), Miikka Kiprusoff (Vezina Trophy) and Robyn Regehr (Norris Trophy) are all finalists for major trophies.

The Habs are the best of the rest in Canada, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference thanks in large part to a strong performance by captain Saku Koivu, bouncing back from a serious eye injury.

Montreal loses in a seven-game first-round series by the Buffalo Sabres.

Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto don't make the playoffs.

Hmmmm, well it looks like it might be a big year for the Calgary Flames. If things do turn out well I wonder if they'll be putting together something as coool and hip as this again...



I really hope they do. That's classic stuff. Man, I can't believe they got Tim Hunter to play along. It's so bad... it's kind of cool.

Well, kind of... sort of.

Naaaaah, what am I saying and who the hell am I kidding? But it is pretty freakin funny.

Who says hockey players can't groove ? Who?

UPDATE:

hockeygirl (a Flames fan) sends along this inspired response to the above video.... (stay with it till the 1:05 mark then it gets good, although I'm sure hg would probably say the whole clip rocks).

Muchas gracias hockeygirl.