Road Trip Journal - Part V

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 V, the Flames wrap up their five-game tip in the Music City before returning home to Calgary.

Monday, December 1, 12:15 p.m. ET – One by one, the team files off the ice at Lenovo Center in Raleigh after practice. The session concluded with a raucous shootout competition, but as practice ends, everyone gets ready post-haste, with a 1:30 flight to Nashville on deck.

Monday, December 1, 2:20 a.m. CT – Air Flames touches down at Nashville International Airport. It’s a mild day, but the evening calls for a chilly mix of rain and sleet. The busses pull onto Interstate 40 (the same highway that passes next to the airport in Raleigh, just about eight hours West) and we head to the hotel. It feels like we were just in Nashville, which is somewhat accurate, given the Flames and Predators played here exactly one month ago.

Tuesday, December 2, 10:30 a.m. CT – It’s a big day around Bridgestone Arena, and not just because of tonight’s game. It’s Craig ‘Partner’ Baugh’s 61st birthday. He’s been with the organization since its inception in 1998 as a jack of all trades (and a HUGE Vanderbilt football fan) but over the years, he’s become beloved by Predators players and staff, and road teams alike. Last year, the Flames presented Baugh with a team-signed jersey for his 60th birthday, and he happily roams the hallways around event level taking calls from contacts from around the NHL. ‘Partner’ is also a cancer survivor, but what really resonates is his affable, talkative personality. During this evening’s game, a member of the Nashville media shares that ‘Partner’ personally delivered a cake to his office for his 50th birthday, even though he gets around town on public transit.

Tuesday, December 2, 9:55 p.m. CT – It’s a chilly walk back to the hotel after a setback to the Predators. On the way, we spot Senior Director of Team Operations Sean O’Brien, he’s heading back ahead of the group to ensure the post-game meal at the hotel is ready to go when the players arrive. The team will stay in Nashville overnight, and fly back to Calgary in the morning.

Wednesday, December 3, 9:50 a.m. CT – The staff/media bus is on the way to the airport. As we leave downtown Nashville and cross the Cumberland River, the bus takes us past Nissan Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Like Calgary and Scotia Place, there’s a considerable stadium project well underway in Nashville, too. Right next door to the Titans’ home, the New Nissan Stadium is under construction. It’s a massive undertaking – a $2.1 billion U.S. project – and the frame of the new facility dwarfs the existing stadium, which opened in 1999 and hosted a Stadium Series game between the Predators and Lightning three years ago. The new football stadium is slated to open in 2027.

Wednesday, December 3, 2:05 p.m. MT – We step off the plane at YYC after a four-hour flight North from Nashville. It’s a crisp, sunny day, and as the team clears Canadian customs, everyone grabs their bags and walks over to their waiting vehicles, which have been started and warmed up just prior to our arrival. After an 11-day voyage, it’s good to be home. And it will be even better to play at home, which the Flames will do Thursday, when they play the first of nine December home games against the Wild at the Scotiabank Saddledome.