The Newsy Neighbour Magazine
February Issue 112
Article Provided By: Jock Wilson of JockTalk
“In Huff we Trust!”
Calgary Stampeder fans know exactly what
I’m talking about. As the New England Patriots play in yet another Super Bowl,
comparisons are being made between Bill Belichick and John Hufnagel.
Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000. During
that time, they have only missed the playoffs twice: in 2002, after winning the
Super Bowl with a kid named Tom Brady, and in 2008 when Brady missed the season
with a torn ACL.
11 times in the AFC championship game and
now 7 appearances in the Super Bowl. It really is a modern day (salary cap)
dynasty.
John Hufnagel took over the Calgary
Stampeders in 2008. His team has never missed the playoffs. They have played in
four Grey Cup Championship games (winning two) and they have been to the West
Final in 8 of those 9 years. While the conversion rate is disappointing, in my
opinion, it’s still a modern-day dynasty.
The only difference between the Belichick
dynasty and the Hufnagel dynasty is a quarterback. 39 year old Tom Brady has
been the pillar for Belichick, while Hufnagel has employed Henry Burris, Drew
Tate, Kevin Glenn and Bo Levi Mitchell.
While you can debate whether or not the
Stampeders are a dynasty, there is no debate the organization is the model
franchise of the Canadian Football League.
In most circles, February 14th
is known as Valentine’s Day. In the CFL, it’s also the first day of free
agency.
There’s expected to be a record number of
players hit free agency this season because of the league’s awful decision to
allow one year contracts. While Calgary will not be immune, Hufnagel has led
the way to keep his core in place.
The kickers, Rene Paredes and Rob Maver
were taken out of play early. The same can be said about sack masters Charleston
Hughes and Cordarro Law on the defensive line. The biggest surprise came on
January 24th when the club announced a new deal with former first
overall pick Pierre Lavertu on the offensive line. The 2015 western all-star
was rumoured to be home sick and wanted to play closer to home.
The Stampeders did release defensive end
Frank Beltre so he could sign a future deal with the New York Jets. Fellow DE
Micah Johnson and the league’s outstanding offensive lineman Derek Dennis could
follow Beltre to the NFL (contract status was up in the air at the time of
printing this article) but the point is, Hufnagel has created a culture and
environment where players do not want to move. He has a reputation as a tough,
but fair negotiator. More importantly, the players know in Calgary you have a
chance to win.
The Calgary Flames did not do a lot of
winning in January and that has the organization in a precarious position
heading into the stretch drive of the NHL regular season. A playoff spot that
looked very solid in December is now hanging by a thread.
So what has gone wrong?
Let’s reset the five burning questions I
asked in this space last October:
1) Will the Flames be better than the
Oilers this season? This question has already been answered. The Oilers swept
the season series winning all four games. 1 out of 8 points could cost the
Flames a coveted playoff spot.
2) Is Glen Gulutzan a better coach than Bob
Hartley? The jury is still out on what I called one of the most baffling moves
of the season.
3) Have the Flames solved their goaltending
woes? Not even close! We thought Jonas Hillar, Karri Ramo and Joni Ortio were
erratic? Brain Elliot has been a bust while Chad Johnson has been good but is
obviously not a number one goalie.
4) Can Johnny Gaudreau produce on the road?
This has been a disappointing year for the Flames most electric player. A
broken finger cost him 10 games but his lack of production at home and the road
has been a mystery.
5) Did the Flames overpay for Troy Brouwer?
While I won’t say he has been a bust, he is not a great bang for the buck! He
may be great in the room but he’s an average skater that has a bad habit of
taking bad penalties.
As I wrote in December, it’s tough to give
Brad Treliving a passing grade and obviously the organization agrees as they
are not rushing to give their general manager a contract extension.
About Jock Wilson:
Jock has been involved in the Calgary sport
media scene for over 30 years. He hosts the Calgary Stampeder football
broadcasts on Newstalk 770 and is the host of Sportstalk from 6:30 pm to 8:00
pm.
Email: jock@am770chqr.com
Twitter: @sportson770
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