Let's see SOME fight

If there was ever a kryptonite to the Calgary Flames' Superman (in the last 3-4 years anyway), it has to be the Nashville Predators. Whenever the two teams play, the Flames seem to let Nashville get the best of them. Outshot, outchanced, outscored.

But one fateful game three years ago (one day off of three years EXACTLY) today, the Flames won in one aspect of the game. After conceding to being outscored, (and outshot) the Flames decided they would not be outmuscled and they decided to send a message for the coming game. Not the coming game against the Preds specifically mind you, but the coming game against every team in the NHL.

On that game against the Preds, three years ago, with three seconds left in the game, then Coach Darryl Sutter sent out a foursome (the Flames already had one man in the back) of Robyn Regehr (to take the draw of course), Rhett Warrener and Mike Commodore on defence, and Krzysztof Oliwa on LW. That is, until his man tried to line up on RW, so Oliwa moved over.

A brawl ensued that included goaltenders Tomas Vokoun and Miikka Kiprusoff.

Sutter was suspended for two games and Oliwa for three.

By the time the league returned to play in September 2005, a rule was instated to prevent this from happening again. Automatic suspension for fighting with under 5 minutes left. I call it the Sutter Clause.

The Flames may not win tonight. They may be outchanced, outshot, outscored and outplayed. But let's not be outmuscled. Like three years ago, let's see some fight.

Flames forward Craig Conroy said Sutter didn't send his players out with the instructions to fight. "If anything, Darryl's point after the game was we have to show that kind of emotion before the game is over," Conroy explained. "We gotta bring that emotion every time we play."

What was said three years ago is still relevant today.