DALLAS – The Calgary Flames will win the Stanley Cup.

Go ahead and take it to Vegas, the Flames are healthy, rested and a menace to all defense corps.

It’s simple, really. Good defense wins championships and good defenses must be given the space to operate. To get the puck to the forwards, the defensemen must first get to dump-ins, win battles along the boards, and then have the time and space to make good passes. A fast-breaking team in basketball must first get possession in the defensive end before it pushes the ball up court. If you can’t control the defensive boards, you can’t run. The same is true in hockey. Lose the battle of the defensive boards, and you lose the series. Right now, Calgary might be the toughest team in the league to handle when it comes to controlling the defensive boards. The young and scrappy Flames come at you on the forecheck with 100 percent effort on every shift. They are balanced, focused and hungry. And because of that, your defensemen can’t catch a break.

The puck goes in deep, the defenseman goes back and either has to make a rushed decision or has to take a big hit to make a play. The first option leads to mistakes, the second leads to injury or fatigue. The more a defenseman has to take to the body, the more he’ll feel it in his legs as a game or a series wears on.

That’s no big secret – it’s a strategy used by just about every coach in the league. But few teams execute the strategy as well as the Flames. Even fewer do it from the top of the lineup to the bottom. Calgary was sitting at home while the Eastern Conference played a seven-game series. Calgary gets to start the Stanley Cup Finals on the road, where the pressure is on the home team. Calgary gets to force mistakes, just as it did against Vancouver, Detroit and San Jose.

The Flames know what they’re doing, and they have the right people to do it. This is far from the most talented team in the NHL, but it is the hardest working – and that can make things very difficult for the opposition.

World Cup musings

Team USA has a fantastic roster for the World Cup, but it’s weak in goal. Robert Esche is playing well for Philadelphia, but even the pressure of the playoffs doesn’t compare to the pressure of playing in this All-Star tournament. It’s curious why management didn’t include Mike Dunham, just for his veteran presence.

If you’re looking to cheer an underdog, try Slovakia. The Slovaks were treated shabbily at the 2002 Olympics as they were forced to qualify in the preliminary round when few of their NHL players were available. This time, the lineup will be juiced with Marian Hossa, Ziggy Palffy, Marian Gaborik, Miro Satan, Pavol Demitra and Zdeno Chara.

Tuning in

Criticize the NHL’s revenue-sharing deal with NBC, but credit commissioner Gary Bettman with getting anything on network TV. At the very least, NBC provides a fantastic vehicle for promotion.

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(c) 2004, The Dallas Morning News.

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