Road Trip Journal - Part IV

The Flames are embarking on a five-game, cross-continental road trip that sees the club visit Vancouver, the Sunshine State, and Carolina before wrapping up in Nashville Dec. 2. In addition to the goals, the assists, the hits and big saves, CalgaryFlames.com is compiling a Road Trip Journal to give Flames fans a peek behind the curtain into what goes into a National Hockey League road trip.

In Part IV, the Flames face the Panthers in Sunrise, then travel to Raleigh to take on the Hurricanes.

Friday, November 28, 12:30 a.m. – It’s been quiet at the hotel, but all of a sudden, War’s ‘Low Rider’ starts blasting from a stereo system outside. Upon further investigation the next morning, we’re told a patron was parked out front, on the street, and decided to pick that exact moment to vacuum their car.

Friday, November 28, 10:30 a.m. – The game against the Panthers is a 4 p.m. local start, so there’s no morning skate today. At the hotel, the players grab breakfast and hold a team meeting, while the content team shoots a 1-on-1 with General Manager Craig Conroy to discuss his soon-to-be-announced contract extension. Conroy rejoined the team Thursday evening after taking in the CHL-USA prospects games earlier in the week at the Scotiabank Saddledome and in Lethbridge.

Friday, November 28, 12:20 p.m. – One by one, the players make their way to the busses set to take the team to Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise. John Beecher’s only been with the squad for 10 days, but a fan calls him over as he hits the sidewalk, she’s got a Bruins Beecher jersey and asks him to sign it. He gladly does, and later on, during the pre-game warmup, we spy her next to the glass watching Beecher and his new Flames teammates get ready for the game.

Friday, November 28, 1:15 p.m. – The second bus takes off for Sunrise. Traffic in Fort Lauderdale can be dicey, especially by the beach, but the local P.D. has arranged for an escort to get us to the game on time. It’s an efficient operation, with vehicles blocking intersections, lights flashing, as they accompany us from the beach, to the freeway, to the arena loading area.

Friday, November 28, 6: .m. – A remix of Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ blares in the Flames dressing room after a 5-3 win over the Panthers. Rasmus Andersson passes the Red Blazer on to fellow defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, who scored his first goal of the season in the rink he used to call home. After the players start clearing out of the dressing room, Yan Kuznetsov poses for a picture with his first NHL goal puck, while Joel Farabee gets a snap, too, after he reached 100 career tallies. Equipment staff pack up quickly and roll gear cases down the hallway, as we’re flying North in short order.

Friday, November 28, 10:10 p.m. – We land at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and the air is brisk, a stark contrast to the Florida heat. Players and staff quickly load up onto busses to head to the hotel.

Saturday, November 29 – The team has the day off. The hotel is in a quiet, wooded area, with a handful of shops and a couple of coffee bars a short walk down the road. Down the highway, there’s a big football game between North Carolina State and North Carolina, but the kickoff was pushed back to 7:30 p.m. and with the temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, we decide to stay in. Kevin Bahl sought out a movie theatre, taking in Predator: Badlands on his off day, while Conroy got a quick visit in with his father, who lives in nearby Greensboro.

Sunday, November 30, 10:00 a.m. – It’s another early puck drop today, so again, the team doesn’t hold a morning skate. Behind the hotel, there’s a lake with a walking trail, so to get the legs moving – and to get some fresh air – the team takes a quick lap before a meeting inside.

Sunday, November 30, 7:35 p.m. – The Flames drop a tight-checking game to the Hurricanes, falling 1-0 in overtime. Amid the frustration, praise for goaltender Devin Cooley, who turned aside 16 of 17 shots. He’s now earned at least a point in four consecutive starts, going 3-0-1 over that span. The team is staying over in Carolina and will practice at Lenovo Center the next day, so the equipment dries in the stalls as the group heads outside to the busses, returning to the hotel on an inky, rainy Carolina evening.