In preparation for tonight's contest and in light of their recent struggles, I think the Flames - both players and staff - should take a gander at Theoren Fleury's recent article in the Herald: Life Lessons I Learned from Hockey. Some gems of wisdom reside in that column. Including (but not limited to)...
You always want to overachieve in everything you do -- not just in hockey, but in life.
There are a lot of negative people in this world who are followers: Be a leader, take the bull by the horns and control your own destiny.
and
Surround yourself with good people, people who care about each other. Inspire someone on a daily basis to be better than they were the day before and results will come.
Winning is a process.
also
Everyone fears change, but you don't need to make drastic changes right away. Start small, realize it wasn't as bad as you thought and move on to the next stage and then the next, and all of a sudden you've empowered yourself.
Empowering, no? And don't overlook...
Ultimately you control your own destiny. I know if you're reading this, you are starting to feel a little uncomfortable. I'm trying to take away your excuses. Quit blaming everyone else for where you are at in your life. Rise above all the negative and turn your life into a positive. Somebody's gotta win and somebody's gotta a lose.
Hear that, Flames (and other people reading the article, all of whom are presumably shameful underachievers in some way)? No more excuses!
Other nuggets to consider...
"Take the high road to a more positive life experience."
"Drop the zeroes and get with the heroes."
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result."
"Recognize the fact that you are the one who is going to change your life and destiny."
and, finally, the conclusion:
So as you can see, there's more to playing the game of hockey than just lacing 'em up every day. Put a few of these principles into your life and I can tell you from my own experience that your life will get better...
Until next time. Stop the insanity and take the first step to a happy and prosperous life.
Got that Flames? Stop the insanity!
I think what we can take from this article is - clearly - the current iteration of the Calgary Flames is lacking principles. They aren't looking at the bright side, following their hearts, yearning to be better or maxing to the extreme. Leadership is lacking and negative energy is dominating their relationships and personal auras. The boys need a swift kick in the ass; an inspiration to strive for more and break themselves out of the downward spiral. As Brad Goodman once said: there's no trick to it. It's just a simple trick. Be like Boy! Be like Boy!
Also - Theoren Fleury is apparently thinking of abandoning the concrete industry to become the sage guru of the fortune cookie business.
Prediction - You will see a bald man get very angry this evening. Calgary's lucky numbers are 13-16-12-28 and 3.
