It’s got all the makings of a pretty fun little Tuesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
An evening starring the 3-0 Flames, as well as a generational hockey talent, as Calgary goes in search of a fourth straight win to kick off the new campaign when they host Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. GET TICKETS
The new-look locals have already provided a mittful of memories over the first three games of the season: Connor Zary’s incredible overtime goal to cap that wild comeback in Vancouver, Jonathan Huberdeau’s four-point night in the home opener, and Justin Kirkland’s first NHL goal in Sunday’s 4-1 win in the Battle of Alberta, just to name a few.
The team has played with pace, they’ve punished opponents physically, and through 181 minutes and 33 seconds of hockey to begin the regular season, the Flames have lit the lamp a league-leading 16 times.
A total of eight Calgary skaters have started the year on a point-per-game average including defenceman Rasmus Andersson, who begins the week in a share of the NHL lead among blueliners with five points.
Andersson and Martin Pospisil are both tied for second in the league in even-strength points, while Pospisil sits inside the top 10 in hits.
Not bad numbers for a week’s work.
Next up, the Blackhawks.
And Bedard’s first visit to Calgary in an NHL uniform.
The 19-year-old phenom missed Chicago’s lone trip here in 2023-24 due to injury.
This time around, the reigning Calder Trophy winner lands in town on the heels of a three-point effort Saturday night in Edmonton, and through three games, Bedard is on pace to shatter the 61-point personal best he accrued during his rookie NHL campaign.
He’s put on a show here before.
Bedard scored one of the most jaw-dropping WHL goals of the century at the ‘Dome in 2022, and he was the shootout hero in his last trip to Calgary in 2023, in a game that drew more than 17,000 fans and was broadcast on national TV.
As a college student on the West Coast, I remember the hype around town when Sidney Crosby’s Penguins made their first visit to Vancouver. It was the event in the city.
Tuesday’s fixture strikes a similar chord.
Not only that, it’s also the first Scratchy Tuesday of the new season, too, with plenty of prizing and fan giveaways to go around.
All the trappings of a memorable night in the C of Red.
The only thing missing is you.
