Posted on November 13, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames are second in the Pacific Division, and starting to get their game together.  We look at the changes to the Defence pairings that we saw this week, if Michael Frolik’s time as a Flames is over after two healthy scratches, and if 5 days off this week will help or hurt the Flames.

This week’s episode is longer than usual, as we spend over an hour talking with our new Stockton Heat correspondent to catch up on all the happenings with the AHL affiliate.

Posted on November 5, 2019 (Season 8)

As the Calgary Flames return home from the longest road trip of the season, it looks like the team is starting to turn their game around.  We break down what went well (and what didn’t) on the road trip, and how the team’s game improved, and look ahead to the Flames schedule for November and what we can expect for this month of games.

Posted on October 30, 2019 (Season 8)

After a really good week for the Flames last week, we saw the exact opposite this week. Dan and Matt discuss the Flames shaking up their forward lines and what impact that may have on the slumping group, if the Tobias Rieder waiver move and Alan Quine being recalled will have any effect on the team, and what (if any) kind of the trade the Flames could make to shake things up this early in the season.

Posted on October 22, 2019 (Season 8)

What a difference a week can make! Aside from the LA Kings game, the Flames had a much better week this past week than they did the one before. The Flames started on time, and played well structured games for the most part. What does this week hold for the Flames? Which goalies will start which games? How will the Flames do in the Heritage Classic? We try to answer all these questions and more.

Posted on October 15, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames struggled on their road trip this week, and their play hasn’t looked anywhere near what it needs to be if they want to be the #1 team in the Western Conference again. Is it time to start worrying about the Calgary Flames, or is this just a slow start that they’ll bounce back from?  Should the coaching staff start to shuffle the forward lines to get something going?

Dan and Matt debate these questions and more, as well as look ahead to the four games for the Flames this week, and if we think the team can rebound.

Posted on October 9, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames lost their 10th season opener in a row – losing to the Avalanche in Denver to open the season, and then came home and beat the Vancouver Canucks in the home opener. We break down these games, talk about what we’ve seen (or not seen) from the team so far, answer a fan question about David Rittich’s workload, and make predictions for this week’s important road trip.

Posted on October 2, 2019 (Season 8)

We recap the last three games of the pre-season, discuss the three contracts signed this week, and we look ahead to the regular season including what our lineup might look like, how the Flames October schedule looks, and make our predictions for this season.

The 2019-2020 season starts now. Go Flames Go!

Posted on September 24, 2019 (Season 8)

The Flames training camp is almost over, and Matthew Tkachuk still isn’t signed. We look at some recent RFA signings and discuss how those contracts might impact Tkachuk’s contract, if the Dustin Byfuglien in Winnipeg means the Flames may have a trade partner for TJ Brodie, and recapping the last week of news and happenings from the team’s training camp – including 15 players being reassigned to the AHL or junior leagues and 5 players being placed on waivers.

Posted on September 17, 2019 (Season 8)

As the Flames open their 2019 training camp, we’re back to recap the busy summer for the Flames – and look ahead to training camp. We’ll discuss the Lucic trade, RFA signings, the odd summer for Michael Stone getting bought out, and then resigned, Andrew Mangiapane’s decision to hold out on a contract, and if we’ll get Matthew Tkachuk signed before the season starts. Plus we look ahead to the Flames training camp.

Posted on July 17, 2019 (Season 7)

In this episode – recorded live at Winsport during the Flames 2019 development camp – Dan and Matt break down what the Flames did (and didn’t do) during the July 1 free agent signing period, and how the team looks at this point. The rest of the show is dedicated to our thoughts on the 2019 Development Camp, and interviews with the prospects in attendance.

Posted on June 24, 2019 (Season 7)

This week we recap a fairly quiet NHL Entry Draft for the Flames – the first draft since Brad Treliving joined the team that they haven’t made a trade. The Flames made all five selections that they entered the draft with, and we recap our thoughts on each pick and if the Flames got what they needed.

We also look ahead to the opening of the Free Agency period, and what positions the Flames need to go shopping for, and what they might be able to realistically get done considering the salary cap, and their own Restricted Free Agent deals that also need to be done.

Posted on June 17, 2019 (Season 7)

With the Stanley Cup playoffs over, it is time to look ahead to the NHL Entry Draft.  The last few drafts have seen the Flames top picks traded for veteran help on the blueline. Should the Flames trade their pick this year, or draft? We discuss some of our picks for who the Flames should target with their first round (#26) draft pick, and what type of player the Flames need to draft with their other picks.

Posted on April 24, 2019 (Season 7)

Well, the Flames are out again the first round after a 4-1 series against the Avalanche. Coming into the playoffs as the best team in the Western Conference and the second best season in franchise history, what went wrong? The guys break down the playoff series and what went wrong, as well as what the Flames need to improve in the off season and what next year’s lineup could look like.  Is it time to make some hard decisions to move some key assets of this team? Is this core built for a deep playoff run?

Posted on April 15, 2019 (Season 7)

We’re two games into the series, and the Flames and Avalanche have split the wins. We talk about what we saw in the first two games, and what the Flames need to change to make sure they can win this series.

Posted on April 9, 2019 (Season 7)

As Beesley would ask….”AAAAARRREEE YOU RRRRRRREEEADDDY?” The post-season is here!  This week’s show is over an hour of previewing the Flames first round matchup against the Avalanche. It’s the first time these two teams have ever met in the post season, and one of the most anticipated playoff runs this team has ever had.

Posted on April 2, 2019 (Season 7)

The Flames won their game against the Sharks on Sunday, and have now officially clinched the #1 spot in the Western Conference, and the Pacific Division. The Flames are division champs for the first time since 2005-06, and conference champs for the first time since 1989-90.

We look ahead to what a playoff matchup against the Colorado Avalanche will look like, and look ahead to what the rest of the Western Conference playoffs might look like in round one and beyond. We also discuss previous Flames seasons, and if we were ever as sure of this team as we are this year.

We answer a fan question asking if the Flames have officially won the trade with Carolina over the summer, and more.

Posted on March 26, 2019 (Season 7)

For the first time since the 2005-2006 season the Flames have earned over 100 points. In this episode we look ahead to the playoffs – predicting who will be on the Flames lineup and who will be in the pressbox for game 1. We also look ahead to the summer and predict who we think the Flames will trade, and what we think the return will be. Will the Flames move a defenceman to try and get a goalie? We’ll break down what that deal might look like, and a lot more.

Posted on March 19, 2019 (Season 7)

It’s official…the Calgary Flames are the second team to clinch a spot in the 2019 playoffs. The guys chat about who they hope the Flames play in the first round, and which teams they want to avoid. It was announced that the Flames will wear their red “retro jerseys” for all playoff home games, and there is talk about the “retro white” possibly making a comeback next year.Plus we talk about the last week of Flames hockey and our thoughts on the week ahead.  Go Flames Go!

Posted on March 12, 2019 (Season 7)

The Flames are back home for the month of March – only going on the road for three games. Will sleeping in their own beds and enjoying home cooking all month help the Flames regain the top spot in the Pacific Division?  After a season long seven game losing streak, many in the C of Red felt that the sky was falling for the Flames. After the big win over Vegas at the Dome, is the team going to be able to turn this month around?

Posted on March 5, 2019 (Season 7)

This was an up-and-down week for the Flames. The team ended a season long 7 game win streak, coming up short against the Minnesota Wild on the evening that the Flames retired Jarome Iginla’s #12.

We discuss Oscar Fantenberg’s first few games as a Flame, what the pending returns of James Neal and Michael Stone will mean to the Flames lineup, and the decline of both of the Flames goaltenders since the Trade Deadline and what it might mean for a long playoff run.

And of course…we give our thoughts on the jersey retirement ceremony for Jarome Iginla, and share our thoughts on Iggy’s legacy as a Calgary Flame.

Posted on February 26, 2019 (Season 7)

The 2019 NHL Trade Deadline is over and the Flames make only 0ne move – acquiring Oscar Fantenberg from LA. We discuss this deal, some deals that the Flames didn’t […]

Posted on February 19, 2019 (Season 7)

Mike Smith is looking like an NHL goalie again, James Neal is out of the lineup and Dalton Prout is becoming a serviceable defenceman. We discuss if these factors should change the Flames trade deadline strategy? We’ve talked alot about what the Flames should acquire at the deadline, and this week we look at what the most likely asset(s) for the Flames to give up are.

Plus we read some listener emails about the sky falling in Calgary, and if the Flames need veteran leadership. And of course a healthy dose of Oilers bashing this week. Could an XBOX do a better job of managing the team than the past GM did?

Posted on February 12, 2019 (Season 7)

The Flames lost both games this week, and the C of Red is on red alert.  Are the Flames really looking bad this week, or are they just not able to outscore their problems as they have in the past?  Is David Rittich regressing, or is he just having a bad few games as a young goalie?  The guys look at this week and if it’s time for Flames fans to get upset yet or not.  Plus, we answer some listener questions about the upcoming trade deadline, and we make our predictions for if the Flames can get back on track for the coming road trip.

Posted on February 5, 2019 (Season 7)

It’s early February, and we’ve only had two Flames games in the last week – which means we’ve got more time this week to discuss the upcoming trade deadline. We discuss the Flames reported interest in Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kunitz, and Ryan Dzingel and our thoughts on the Flames first round pick being traded, and if we think the Flames can afford to trade their high round picks again this year. On the flip side, what do we think the Flames have to give in a trade that would be attractive to other teams?

We finish the show by profiling the Stockton Heat, and looking at some young Flames prospects and their performance so far this year.

Posted on January 29, 2019 (Season 7)

It’s the Flames 2019 bye week, which means we’ve only got one game to discuss this week. We answer some fan questions, talk to a Flames fan in Australia, speculate about what the Flames may do leading up to the Trade Deadline, and discuss the NHL All Star game format.

Posted on January 22, 2019 (Season 7)

In our last episode before the Flames take a hard earned break, we discuss the last week of games including the big win over the Oilers. We speculate on how many starts each goalie will get for the remaining 32 games of the season. Plus we answer a fan question, and give our prediction on the Flames final game of the month.

Posted on January 15, 2019 (Season 7)

The Flames tied a franchise record this week, winning 30 games in the first 47 they’ve played this season – tied with the 88-89 Calgary Flames team. We discuss the last 3 games for the Flames, and how they’re managing to win even when not playing their best hockey, and what the team has to do to stay #1 in the Western Conference with two teams now right on their heels.

Of course we have to look ahead to Trade Deadline, talk about what impact a returning Michael Stone will make to the lineup, and if David Rittich is a long-term starting goalie for the Flames past this season, and we look at the Stockton Heat – plus answer a listener question and more.

Posted on January 8, 2019 (Season 7)

The Flames have past the half way point of the season and are still first place in the Western Conference. With seven weeks until the Trade Deadline, we discuss what the Flames may need to acquire and what a suitable return would be to make those upgrades.  With Michael Frolik’s agent tweeting to criticize the team’s use of him, is it time for the Flames to move on from Frolik?

We discuss if Dillon Dube and Curtis Lazar are legitimate NHLers, and if they either player should have a spot in the lineup this season, or what they’d have to do to make the team next season.

The Flames play the Jets next season on October 26, 2018 in Regina for one of the Heritage Classic outdoor games. We discuss and speculate what retro style jersey we’d like (or not like) to see the Flames wear for that game.

Posted on January 1, 2019

Happy New Year! The team is still off for the holidays, but we’ll have a brand new episode next Tuesday – January 8, 2019 recapping what happened over the holidays, and looking ahead to January.  This week we are replaying our interview with Peter Maher from a few weeks ago.

Posted on December 25, 2018

The entire Fireside Chat team is taking some time off over the holidays, but we wanted to give you something to enjoy this week, so we’re re-releasing our Theo Fleury interview that was originally part of Episode 100 in 2015.

Happy Holidays to you and your family from the entire Fireside Chat team. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season, and we look forward to talking Flames hockey again in 2019.

Posted on December 18, 2018 (Season 7)

The Calgary Flames top line, and the power of the purple Gatorade lead the team to three wins this week. In a week with injuries and lineup changes, the team still managed to keep their spot atop the Western Conference.

We recap our 2018-2019 predictions as we close out the 2018 calendar year, and share our thoughts on Bill Peters so far as the coach, as well as looking ahead to the 2019 portion of the season, and what the Flames need to do to last as a top team in the West.

Posted on December 10, 2018 (Season 7)

This week had ups and downs for the Flames, but can be summed up as 3…2…1. Three wins before the loss to the Oilers (the end of a 5 game […]

Posted on December 4, 2018 (Season 7)

The Flames ended the week with 5 of a possible 6 points this week, on a week when they arguably didn’t play great hockey.  We discuss how Mike Smith looked in two consecutive starts, and what the goalie scenario might look like for the rest of the season.

With the Flames having some injuries, we see Oliver Kylington and Ryan Lomberg draw into the lineup. We discuss how these guys looked, and if Lomberg deserves a spot on the NHL roster. Will Dillon Dube’s demotion to the AHL prove to be the best move for him?

As well we recap some Stockton Heat team news, and look ahead to the Flames December schedule, and our thoughts on what the team’s record has to do to make this month a success.

Posted on November 27, 2018 (Season 7)

On this week’s show we’re joined by Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster Peter Maher to discuss his career, listen to Calgary Flames stories, discuss the current Flames team, and talk about his new book If These Walls Could Talk: Calgary Flames: Stories from the Calgary Flames Ice, Locker Room, and Press Box (available at Amazon and bookstores everywhere).

Posted on November 20, 2018 (Season 7)

The most important news item this week, is the Flames beat the Oilers. David Rittich looks like he’s going to be leaned on as the starting goaltender for a while. The guys debate if that’s a good idea, and what the Flames need to do to give Rittich the right chance as a starter. Plus some Stockton Heat news.

Posted on November 13, 2018 (Season 7)

The Flames have returned from their California road trip and we break down three very different games from this week – including the goaltending in each game as the Smith vs. Rittich debate continues. 

Our main discussion this week centres around some of the players that we, and our listeners, have tagged as “disappointing so far”. We discuss what we need out of these players for them to not to have a disappointing season.

And just for fun, Dan and Matt kick around the idea of the Flames acquiring William Nylander, what it would take, and if that cost would be worth paying.

Posted on November 6, 2018 (Season 7)

One month into the season the Flames are riding high in a four game win streak. The Calgary Flames finally seems to be coming into their own, but how long can the team win games in the last 20 minutes? and how much is their goaltending to blame for their bad starts?

We can’t avoid the goaltending discussion again – who should get starting minutes? Do the Flames need to acquire a goalie, and if so at what cost? Can the team promote from within to solve their goaltending issues? Outside the net the Flames have a lot of players doing things right. Sean Monahan was the first star of the week, and Monahan, Gaudreau and Tkachuk are in the top 10 in league scoring with Lindholm not far behind at number 13. Plus, we debate if Dillon Dube should be in the NHL or AHL right now, who his replacement might be, and answer a question for a Flames fan in the UK.

Posted on October 30, 2018 (Season 7)

Coming off of a 3 game losing streak, and a disastrous game against the Penguins, the Flames played the best defensive game we can remember against the Leafs to break the losing streak, and the Flames are now guaranteed to end October with at least a .500 record.

TJ Brodie has been getting a lot of criticism from Flames fans. Matt suggests trading him and Dan asks what we think a reasonable return would be – and we discuss Michael Stone and Mark Jankowski’s positions in the lineup going into November and what the Flames schedule looks like for the next month, as well as our predictions for the coming week.

Posted on October 25, 2018 (Season 7)

We’re 10% of the way through the season and the Flames have a 5-3 record – their best start in recent memory, and one of the highlights of the team has been backup goalie David Rittich. The guys gave Rittich a hard time early on – have they changed their tune?

Despite the great record we have some concerns about a few players on the roster, which we discuss and put our General Manager hats on to decide what to do with these players.

Posted on October 17, 2018 (Season 7)

The Flames notoriously start slow almost every season, but 5 games in and they are over .500? Could it be?  What are the Flames doing differently and how do they look compared to last year’s team?

This week we discuss the healthy scratches of Mark Jankowski and Michael Frolik, why they were likely benched and what their response should be.  As well we discuss the changes we’re seeing in Sam Bennett’s game, how the rookies are doing and what Rasmus Andersson has to do to stay here after Hamonic comes back.

All this and more as we recap the first 5 games of the season, and look ahead to the next week.

Posted on October 9, 2018 (Season 7)

The Flames opened their season with a home-and-home series against the Vancouver Canucks, with each team winning at home. Losing their ninth season opener in a row, the Flames still have a lot to work on moving forward including their powerplay. This week’s episode looks at these two games and what the team needs to work on still and how Dube and Välimäki looked in the first two games. And we’ll look at the roster moves including the recall of Rasmus Andersson and how he slots into the lineup, Hamonic’s injury and if he should have fought or not, and the current line combinations before the team heads to Nashville.

Posted on October 3, 2018 (Season 7)

We’ve got a couple feet of snow on the ground in Calgary, which can only mean one thing – hockey is back! Today the 2018-2019 NHL season kicks off, and this episode is our first look at the Calgary Flames. Who gets traded first? Who will be a disappointment this season? How far can the Flames go in the playoffs, and what does the team have to do for us to call this a successful season? We answer these questions and many more as we get ready for the puck to drop in Vancouver.

Posted on September 25, 2018 (Season 7)

The Flames are back from China deep into their training camp, prepping for the 2018-2019 NHL season. In this episode we look at all of the off-season moves since the Rookie Development Camp, including the signings of Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and Mark Jankowski.

Looking at the Flames training camp we talk about who’s looking good, who isn’t and who needs to impress to get an NHL job. Plus Dan has a wacky idea as to why the Flames should consider Kari Lehtonen or Steve Mason as a backup goalie this season.

Join us as we get back to talking Flames hockey, and get ready for the regular season starting next week.

Posted on July 22, 2018 (Season 6)

This episode is recorded live from WinSport as we cover the Calgary Flames 2018 Rookie Development Camp. The episode starts with our thoughts on the Flames moves on July 1 and how the new Flames will fit into the lineup to fill the gaps.

The rest of the episode is our day-by-day recap of the camp – our thoughts on the new draft picks, who we like, who needs to be better, and which walk on players might be worth a Flames contract. Plus, we have some exclusive interviews with some of the players at the camp.

Posted on June 26, 2018 (Season 6)

There has been a lot of Flames news since the season ended – Bill Peters is the new Head Coach (and has a new coaching staff), The Flames made a big trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, and the GM says they aren’t done making changes yet.

We’ll recap all the happenings since the season ended, and look ahead to July 1 when Free Agency opens. Who do we expect the Flames to sign? Who are we sad to see go? What will it cost to sign the players the Flames need? These questions and more are answered here.

Posted on April 12, 2018 (Season 6)

The disappointing Flames season is over, and this week we break it all down and try to figure out what the heck happened. We look closely at many areas of the team to determine where the Flames went wrong and what needs to be improved.  This week we’ll play “stay or go” with each of the Flames Unrestricted Free Agents, and discuss how different the roster may look next season. Dan poses a “crazy” theory – that the Flames should consider moving Johnny Gaudreau in the next few seasons – and what they’d need to get back for him.

Posted on April 5, 2018 (Season 6)

This week is a join episode with Agree or Disagree: The Podcast we look at the final week of the Flames season, and what to expect in the last three games, as well as discuss which of the Flames Restricted Free Agents should be re-signed in the off season, and discuss the job performance of the coaching staff and General Manager. The question “Are the Flames missing strong, outspoken leaders?” is debated, and we talk about if leadership needs to be added next year.

Posted on March 27, 2018 (Season 6)

Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Matthew Tkachuk are all out as the Flames start to wind down the season. We discuss what the Flames new look lineup looks like, and Jon Gillies being recalled from the AHL.

The main discussion of the week revolves around the question everyone has been asking…who will the next Head Coach be? Dan and Matt break down the options who might be available, and what we think we need in the next head coach. Both of our hosts make their top 3 lists and justify why.

We want your Flames questions and comments. Send us a text message or leave a voicemail at 587-200-7176 and we’ll play the best on the show over the next few weeks.

Posted on March 21, 2018 (Season 6)

The Flames had a terrible week, and weren’t able to win their “must win” games, so it looks like this season is realistically over. We recap the week that was, and look at what AHL players the Flames should call up to get a look this year, and at some of the Flames prospects who might turn pro next year.

Posted on March 13, 2018 (Season 6)

We’re getting down to crunch time for the Flames, where every game is a must win. After a disappointing loss to the Islanders, Glen Gulutzen calls out the Flames at practice, and stresses how much better they need to be. We talk about these issues and more to try and figure out why the Flames have been so inconsistent since the CBA mandated bye week.

Our main discussion topic of the week is trying to figure out who will be the Flames backup goalie next season. Jon Gillies? David Rittich? Tyler Parsons? Someone else? We talk about your thoughts and chime in with what we think.