'THEY NAILED IT'

Who wore it best?
Was it the perennial Halloween all-stars, Blake and Jordan Coleman, who absolutely crushed the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland ensemble?
How about Milan Lucic and Andrew Mangiapane, who did their best dim-witted, head-bobbin' rendition of Doug and Steve from A Night at the Roxbury (complete with an RGB boombox blasting Haddaway's 1993 smash-hit).
What IS Love, anyway?
Or maybe it was one of Saturday's goal-scorers - cult hero Brett Ritchie and his unvarnished, yet somehow hilarious take on a ... stick of butter.
Whatever the flavour, it's clear that Sunday's Flames Halloween party truly captured the spirit of the season.

"I think it's obvious," Dillon Dube said of who had the best costume. "Looch and Mang really nailed it. They had the real sideburns going, too. I was bugging them both to keep it for a game, but I couldn't convince them."
It's true. Both Lucic and Mangiapane needed no fur fakery. Those extra-long whiskers were the real deal, meticulously shaped for this event only, before being lopped off like Don Mattingly's later in the evening.
It's called commitment.
"I've got to give Mang all the credit," Lucic said. "It was all his idea. During the COVID season when we spent a lot of nights home and in hotels, A Night at the Roxburywas on Netflix. It was a movie that me and him watched a lot together, probably 15-20 times during that season.
"As for the sideburns … Yeah, I didn't feel like rocking them further than last night."
Pity.

As for Dube, his wardrobe was no slouch, either. He dressed up as Rod Kimble from Andy Samberg's 2007 comedy Hot Rod, complete with his stuntman sidekick Dave (played by Chris Kobelka - son of Flames Head Sports Physiotherapist, Kent Kobelka).
"He even had the bandage on his head, over his eye," Dube said of Dave's unfortunate run-in with a bench grinder. "It was awesome."
Attention to detail is typically what sets a good costume apart. So, give Jonathan Huberdeau credit. His crack at The Joker was an absolute show-stopper, prompting many to wonder who was even behind all that makeup and bushy, emerald-green hair.

Fellow Floridian transplant MacKenzie Weegar also had the flow going. His 'chesty' Elvis costume came with a wig, but he thought his natural wane would invoke more immaculate vibes.
"It was a great costume," he said. "I mean, it was a little cold - a bit thin in some places, but I think I pulled it off well."
The same can be said of Rasmus Andersson's vampire look, or Nikita Zadorov and his wife Aleksandra, whose neon outfits were the perfect tribute to the upcoming Ken and Barbiefilm.
"There were some really good ones," said Coleman, who credited Jordan for doing all the "heavy lifting" in designing his outfit. "She's usually the inspo and I've just got to show up," he laughed.
"One of my favourites was Roons (Kevin Rooney). He was Tommy Lee with Pam. He had all the fake tattoos going and everything.
"Classic."
In a way, they were all winners.
But in another more accurate way, Tyler Toffoli was the winner.
'Teapot' earned the most votes with his hilariously outlandish Britney Spears costume, featuring the famous pigtails and plaid miniskirt from the popstar's Baby One More Time video.
"I mean, he looked good in that skirt," Coleman said. "Hard to argue too much."
Indeed.

Ultimately, it was great to see the team together, bonding and having fun as a family. The fast-paced NHL season rarely offers players and their families the time to have moments like these. So, when the calendar allows, it's crucial to make the most of it.
"Just makes you more comfortable and confident around the guys," Weegar said, seven games into his Flames career. "We have stories now together. We've laughed together.
"That's how you become one."
We've heard so much over the past few years about how tight of a group this is.
Nights like these are proof of how true that really is, and how fostering relationships away from the rink can have an equal impact on the ice.
"That what it's about," Coleman said. "It's a long season and if it's all work and no play, it can really drain your battery. Just to have that time together…We've been home a lot, so it's not the usual road trips where you can get dinner and all that, so you've got to find ways to get the group together.
"It's good to spend some time, get to know their family, wives and girlfriends and become more of one big family.
"We've had a couple opportunities to do that and now, it's back to business."