FF80F Podcast: Episode 18 - Flames vs. Oilers, Vital Players, Camp Storylines, Alternate Lines

It's always enjoyable spending some time with the big man, TSN's Jermain Franklin. He recently joined me in-studio to talk Calgary Flames and look ahead to the 2017-18 season. After all, four weeks away is the start of the NHL pre-season.

Hope you enjoy the off-season listen. Hockey talk doesn't stop. Not in August. Not ever.


Episode 18 - August 20, 2017  (1:30:15 running time)

A segment-by-segment breakdown:

0:00 - Introduction

• Recalling the uh-oh from the last Haynes-Franklin podcast
• Parts of Las Vegas that thankfully stay in Las Vegas

12:57 - Segment 1 - Battle of Alberta

• Can Calgary finish ahead of the Oilers?
• The $21 million 'would-you-rather' question

Here's one interesting way to view it. For 2018-19 and 2019-20:
- McDavid + Draisaitl = $21M
- Giordano + Hamilton + Brodie + Hamonic = $21M

— Darren Haynes (@DarrenWHaynes) August 16, 2017

25:00 - Segment 2 - Three Vital Players

• Which players could play the biggest role in team's success or failure

43:16 - Segment 3 - Training Camp Lookahead

• Three storylines that we'll each be watching for 

57:00 - Segment 4 - Plan 'B' Line Combinations

• What if all four lines had to be different? We get out our line blender.

1:08:41 - Segment 5 - Listener Q&A

• Answering these questions submitted to Facebook or Twitter

Options to Download/Listen

You are now able to listen to or download Flames at 80 Decibels from all your favourite podcast locations, as well as through your regular podcast player or app. Here are a few of the more popular spots where you can track down the latest episode:

• iTunes 
• SoundCloud 
• Stitcher 
• Tune-In 
• Overcast
• Google Play

One popular question I get from newbies in the podcast world is when do people listen to podcasts? Well, if you have BlueTooth in your car as I do, I'll stream them from my phone onto my car stereo and listen as a I run around town doing errands, etc.

If you're travelling, download it to your iPod and listen on the flight. Or take it with you while you go and walk the dogs. I have heard from people who listen to them at work -- a great way to pass the time! There are endless possibilities.


Did You Miss It?

Here are the podcasts from earlier this summer. Run them one after another as a great way to pass the time the next time you're driving from Calgary to Regina. You can only play roadkill travel bingo for so long.

• Episode 17 (August 6, 2017) - Unveiling the top 20 prospects with Aaron Vickers
• Episode 16 (July 29, 2017) - Looking ahead to training camp with Kristen Odland
• Episode 15 (July 16, 2017) - Reflections on development camp with Rob Kerr
• Episode 14 (June 19, 2017) - 2017 NHL draft edition with Aaron Vickers

Rate the Podcast on iTunes

Have you enjoyed the podcasts so far? I would be grateful if you take a couple minutes and stop by iTunes and rate the podcast. From what I've learned, the more reviews, the easier it becomes to find for hockey fans browsing for something to listen to. So far, there's been 13 reviews. I'd love to see that number doubled.

If you have any other comments or questions, let me know directly, I'd love to get an email from you.

Thanks for listening!



By the way, have you liked Flames From 80 Feet on Facebook yet? Do so now! It's another way to be alerted to new stories I've written, other articles from my colleagues that I've enjoyed and I'll occasionally use that space to weigh in on the news of the day.

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Recent Flames Reading:

• Diary of a Harvard Kid: Eight Things to Consider Before Fretting Over Fox's Future - Three years away from when NCAA hotshot defenceman Adam Fox could be become a UFA, I provide some additional perspective on why it's way too early for paranoia. (August 13, 2017)
• Ranking the Calgary Flames Top 20 Prospects (August 2017 Edition) - The print version of the prospect rankings. At a glance, see which players rising, falling, what their projected ETA is. It's also fun to get in the time machine and re-visit old rankings. (August 7, 2017)
• From Nice-to-Have to Need-to-Have: My Take on Extending Backlund - Mikael Backlund is going to get paid and that new contract should be issued by the Flames. My take on why he's become a critical piece on the club and someone they cannot afford to lose. (August 2, 2017)
• World Junior Summer Showcase: Six Flames Prospects Ready to Strut Their Stuff - Many of the world's best 18 and 19-year-olds are in Plymouth, Michigan, to begin their quest to make their country's U20 national team for the WJC. Here's my primer. (July 27, 2017)
• Eight From 80 Feet: Eight Thoughts on Recent Happenings in a Busy Off-Season - Lots to talk about including how Giordano and Valimaki contracts perfectly align, Gaudreau's future in Calgary, Hathaway haters, Backlund extension and the 411 on Ollas-Mattsson. (July 22, 2017)