Flames' healthy culture allowing room for growth after tough start

Fighting back tears, Zach Whitecloud stood in front of his Calgary Flames teammates the other night, and told them he’d had the toughest day of his life.

His club had just posted a bounce-back 6-2 win before embarking on a tough three game roadie.

And while the team’s win included a handful of notable performances, Martin Pospisil knew exactly who he had to give the team’s hard hat to. 

“Whitey,” declared Pospisil, eliciting a roar from the Flames’ sweat-soaked dressing room as Zach Whitecloud stepped forward.

No sooner had the 29-year-old defenceman put on the safety gear than he was wiping tears from his eyes.

“Tough one for myself,” said Whitecloud, voice cracking on the video captured by the team’s in-house content guru, Ryan Dittrick.

“My wife and I had to put our dog down today — arguably the hardest day of our lives, so far. Worst day, I think, of my life so far. But coming here and being with you guys, and putting together an effort like that makes it (a little easier). I appreciate you guys, and love you boys.” 

They knew.

Players on tight-knit teams don’t go through life moments like those without word spreading.

They certainly don’t go through them without the support and compassion of the lads. So they did what they could to lift him up.

That’s what close-knit teams do, and this edition of the Flames is the epitome of a team. 

Playing like one gives them their only chance to win.

That tight, cohesive unit was on full display in Seattle Wednesday night when the Flames earned a point in a 2-1 overtime loss in Seattle. As gut-wrenching as it was to see a Matvei Gridin turnover in extra time lead to the loss, the Flames finished a tough roadie at 1-1-1.

It says everything you need to know about the character of this group that it was able to bounce back from being outscored by 19 goals in their first five games, to going 7-3-1 ever since.

A team full of so many young players might have let the season slip away.

But this group dug in. 

And no matter how things unfold the rest of the year, there’s a steadfast belief in a coach and his staff that didn’t panic early on, sticking to the message that if they continued to focus on playing the game the right way things would turn.

Things certainly have. For the team, and for a handful of players.

Dustin Wolf made 27 saves Wednesday to make his third solid start after a horrific start to the year.

Zayne Parekh is running the team’s power play with a creativity and flow that has the group sitting fifth in the league with an efficiency rate only slightly behind perennial league leaders, Edmonton.

Joel Farabee is the surprising scoring leader, Devin Cooley has been allowed to let his personality shine as the game’s most interesting man, and youngsters Aydar Suniev and Gridin have improved their 200-foot game, allowing them to flourish at the other end.

Klapka could run for mayor, Jonathan Castagna is the latest in a string of exciting call-ups to stake his claim on a full-time NHL position, and William Stromgren scored his first NHL goal to win the team’s previous game. 

When overtime began, the Flames started youngsters Simon Nemec, Matt Coronato and Castagna. 

Gridin was next over the boards, and even when his giveaway in the offensive zone sprung Matty Beniers for the game-winning breakaway, you can bet fans loved seeing the youngsters being trusted in these positions.

For locals, this team is easy to cheer for.

And it all starts with a healthy culture, where they feel comfortable as they grow. 

“I wish Backs could play for another 20 years — he just sets a tone, and he's the reason we have such a good culture,” said Parekh, crediting the leadership for creating an environment that helped the team withstand the type of nightmarish start this team endured.

“It's important for us, when we're going through tough stretches that we bounce back, and when we're going through good stretches that we don't get too high on ourselves.”