David Song

Calgary Flames star goaltender Jacob Markstrom has found himself under a magnifying glass after his shocking second-round playoff performance last May against the Edmonton Oilers. Simply put, a 5.12 goals against average (GAA) and an .852 save percentage (SV%) are not going to cut it in any postseason series, especially not for someone considered to be a top-tier NHL puck-stopper. Now, athletes are human too and there’s not yet a reason for Flames fans to panic, but questions have certainly emerged.

Blake Coleman was, on paper, the only significant acquisition the Calgary Flames made this offseason. But Flames fans will have to wait a tad longer to see what he can do in regular season action. It’s never ideal to come to a new team and serve your first suspension before playing your first regular season game. It’s also disappointing because now, head coach Darryl Sutter won’t have another chance to test drive Coleman on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm — a trio that has the potential to become Calgary’s top unit. No, seriously. Coleman and Tkachuk with Lindholm down the middle could be the Flames’ number one line.

On March 2, more than 19,000 fans filed into the Scotiabank Saddledome alongside a collection of notable Calgary Flames alumni. After a heartfelt hour-long ceremony, they watched a new number rise to the rafters of the Saddledome, joining Mike Vernon’s #30 and Lanny McDonald’s #9 as immortal symbols in Calgary sports history. That number was, of course, Jarome Iginla’s #12, retired in tribute to the greatest player to ever wear the Flaming C. Did he win the Stanley Cup? No. Is he a sure-fire Hall of Famer who left a lasting and meaningful mark on the sport of hockey? Without a doubt.

Canadians expect greatness from their athletes, particularly in sports like hockey and curling where we are used to excellence. While Team Canada's performance in those areas took a big hit at Pyeongchang, we must also remember the ascendant showings of athletes in other fields, particularly those who won medals despite the odds. From luge and bobsleigh to freestyle skiing and figure skating, Canadian winter sport is in a great place going forward.

Few hockey fans were pleased when the NHL announced it's intention to bar it's players from competing at Pyeongchang 2018. Many expressed the notion that the Olympic hockey tournament would suffer drastically as a result. Yet, has that been the case with other Olympic sports? The Olympics have traditionally been about showcasing amateur, not professional talent, and the word "amateur" itself is popularly conflated with the notion of being inferior. Canadians should ask themselves why they have previously been enraptured by Olympic hockey: is it due to the presence of famous superstars, or a simple love of game and country?