Over and out.
Game Four spelled the end of this year’s playoff hopes for the Calgary Flames, thanks to a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the unquackable Ducks.
Fans across the city held their collective breath throughout the tense Anaheim series, keeping hope alive for the C of Red as the losses kept stacking up.
While die-hard Flames fan Chad Hurlbut is packing away his hockey sweater a little earlier than he’d hoped, he’s sure the season will turn out to be a learning point for the team.
“I guess the curse was real,” he said of Wednesday’s loss.
“They really deserved a better fate, but they’re a young team — so they’ll learn and do better going forward in the future.”
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Wednesday’s game started low and only got lower for the Flames, who despite netting a lone goal in the second never recovered from Anaheim’s twin goals in the first period.
Turning around a 3-0 playoff deficit is indeed a rare feat in professional hockey — accomplished only by a handful of teams in the National Hockey League.
Overcoming both the physical and psychological roadblocks seemed to have proved too much for the Flames, especially in a series that started bad and only got worse.
Calgary gathered momentum in the latter half of the regular season, overcoming injuries and struggles to achieve a 10-game win streak — a new team record.
Seeing her team earn an early out is a bitter pill for fan Jamie Hickey, who was expecting to see the Flames advance a little further.
“The Flames had a tough playoff run and some bad luck,” she said.
“This past season they showed that they could put up a really strong performance, so it’s too bad they couldn’t quite rally what they needed to for the playoffs.”
Hickey’s confident that, no matter the result, Calgary will always have a soft spot for their Flames.
“Calgary’s a city that loves their team, so watching excitement ramp up in the city during the playoffs is always a great time,” she said.
“It’s a shame to see that end so early.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
Twitter/bryanpassifiume
