The knuckles — especially on his right hand — tell quite a tale for Jamal Mayers.

They’re all scraped up and covered with cuts.

Chunks of skin are missing.

The wounds which only come from dropping the gloves and hitting an opponent’s helmet — or melon — are easy to spot.

“Occupational hazard,” Mayers said without even needing to look at his hands.

The Flames lead the NHL in fighting majors this season with 64 — 10 more than the Anaheim Ducks, who were No. 2 on that list prior to Wednesday’s play.

The first thought would be that trading away Brandon Prust would have cut down the club’s fighting majors. Prust, now a member of the New York Rangers, has dropped the gloves 21 times this season.

However, Mayers is keeping the Flames quota of fighting majors alive and well.

In five games since coming west from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Mayers has fought three times. The rash of tussles has him at 11 this season.

Click here to read the full article – By Calgary Sun

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There were some nerves and maybe even a little jet lag. Also a clear lack of chemistry.

But the four newest members of the Calgary Flames, flown in late Sunday after a seven-player swap with the Toronto Maple Leafs, were just as disappointed with the result as the rest of the team following Monday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

“Lots of nerves, actually,” smiled defenceman Ian White, who is now the owner of the No. 3 jersey after trading places with Dion Phaneuf. “It’s the first time I’ve been in this position and obviously first impressions are lasting.

“There was a lot of nervous energy but I think I managed to channel it into a positive.”

White was caught chasing the puck, maybe trying to be a little too aggressive on his first couple of shifts, but settled in as the game went on. As did forwards Niklas Hagman, Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers.

Click here to read the full article – By Calgary Herald

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Almost insulted as the crowd around him grew from a couple of reporters to a handful, Miikka Kiprusoff begged them not to grill him looking for reasons for his spectacular play this season.

“It’s nothing new. All the same,” he said Saturday morning in Columbus as he enjoyed a rare day off while backup Curtis McElhinney prepared for his third start of the season.

But it’s not the same old Miikka tending the twine for the Flames.

He hasn’t had a season this consistent since his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign of 2005-06.

Thankful for a team that is showing a renewed commitment to defence on most nights — Kiprusoff credits the skaters in front of him for the kind of statistics the Finn hasn’t enjoyed since he claimed the title of the NHL’s best goalie four years ago — the 33-year-old gets that same kind of praise from the guys who are tasked with protecting him.

Click here to read the full article – By Calgary Sun

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When Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla both produce, the Calgary Flames can get away with scoring only once.

Kiprusoff earned his first shutout of the season and Iginla extended his goal-scoring streak to four games, leading Calgary to a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.

Kiprusoff made 25 saves and improved to 10-3-1 this season as Calgary won its fourth straight to begin a three-game trip. It was his 31st NHL shutout, his first since Feb. 12, when he turned aside 36 shots in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles.

“It’s always nice. It says a lot about how your team plays in front of you, too,” Kiprusoff said.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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His first career hat-trick didn’t stand up, but Eric Nystrom had a career night anyway.

The last of three goals originally credited to the gritty Calgary Flames centre was finally given to Staffan Kronwall, but there’s no denying Nystrom’s massive role in the 4-3 Flames victory over the Montreal Canadiens last night at the Saddledome.

He spent more time in the penalty box after fighting Kyle Chipchura than he did on the ice, but Nystrom made the most of his minutes.

“I think that was the longest period of play without a whistle,” Nystrom said of waiting for a stoppage in play to exit the box after the scrap in the second period.

“I was sitting in there for 15 minutes.”

Click here to read the full article – By Steve MacFarlane of Calgary Sun

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Tentative. Ineffective. Intimidated. Like the nervous lead singer in an opening-night opera, the Vancouver Canucks had a bad case of the early jitters Thursday.

It was like they had forgotten the words before a sold-out Saddledome audience.

Once they finally recalled the lyrics, the music was sweet, but still not enough to overcome the startling start in a 5-3 setback to the Calgary Flames.

In digging a three-goal hole before their season opener was a dozen minutes old, the Canucks looked like they would go quietly into the night before Mikael Samuelsson and Alex Burrows reduced a three-goal deficit.

Click here to read the full article – By Ben Kuzma of Vancouver Province

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With a quarter-sized gash on the apple of his cheek, David Moss already looks the part of the garbage collector on the Calgary Flames’ No. 1 line.

Maybe his visor clipped him. Maybe he took a high stick or an elbow in front of the net. Whatever. He can’t remember what happened.

Such is life riding shotgun for Olli Jokinen and Jarome Iginla.

“I was kind of shocked at first,” Moss said, of his plum assignment to open the National Hockey League season tonight against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. “But, obviously, they have me there for a reason. Hopefully, I can fill a role playing on that line.”

And the role is clear.

“Obviously, those are the two skilled guys on the line,” he said. “I’m kind of the guy who can hopefully give them some more room, get the pucks in the corners and be a pest in front of the net.”

Click here to read the full article – By Vicki Hall of Calgary Herald

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As far as Hockey Canada is concerned, the whole issue of insurance for the biggest names in the frozen game ranks as an item on the to-do list with a giant check mark beside it.

Even if the National Hockey League and the Players’Association see the degree of insurance coverage–or lack thereof –as a problem with grave potential should a player take a slapshot in the foot, tweak a hamstring or take a stick in the eye at a camp designed to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

“Everything is fine,” soothed Johnny Misley, vice-president of hockey operations for Hockey Canada. “We have secured insurance to help protect the players–given the low risk there is–to give them peace of mind.”

Peace of mind does not exactly describe the mind-set of the NHL or NHLPA –at least judging by public comments in recent weeks regarding financial protection for Olympic prospects and their employers.

Click here to read the full article – By Vicki Hall of Calgary Herald

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