Some people bristle when a team’s best player gets thrown under the bus when his team is struggling, especially since hockey is a team sport with more than its fair share of lucky (and unlucky) bounces. My viewpoint, though, is that it’s reasonable to put a little more weight on a big dog’s shoulders. After all, the guy signed the big contract, may have put a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on his sweater and smiled for all the magazine covers. Craig Conroy wishes that people would just leave Jarome Iginla alone as the Flames’ playoff hopes fade off into the distance. Here’s what Conroy had to say to the Vancouver Sun.
“You got to give the guy a break. He’s got enough on his plate. Maybe we just need to back off. Everyone always expects Jarome to be the saviour. But, you know, it’s a team - a team game. I’m sick of everyone on him all the time. He’s doing his best out there.”
After the jump, a rundown of Iginla’s slump and tough questions the Flames need to answer.
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His season totals aren’t fantastic (69 points in 79 games), but his tepid results during this desperate run justify some harsh criticism. He’s only scored 1 goal and 4 assists in his last 13 games. I’m not a huge fan of plus/minus, but going a -7 in that span is awful. He’s been even worse most recently, though, with only 1 assist in the Flames’ last six games. Again, I’m one of the many people who developed a serious man crush on Iginla and one rough run doesn’t mean he’s over the hill. Still, he isn’t getting any younger and considering the fact that I’ve called for the firing of the Sutter brothers it stands to mention that Calgary’s great power forward should also be given some of the blame. This brings me to two tough questions. Should Iginla shoulder the blame for the Flames missing the playoffs? And should the Calgary Flames consider the idea of trading Iginla and starting over?