A return to the Calgary Flames for future Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Phil Housley paid dividends for both him and the club. A look at Housley's impact during his second stint.
Tommy Albelin played against Phil Housley for more than a decade; he was once traded for Housley; and for much of the current season, he has played alongside Housley.
So Albelin was asked: How has Housley’s game changed and evolved over the years?
“He’s better defensively than people give him credit for,” Albelin answered. “In the old days, he was pretty much all offense, but he’s changed his game, so he’s more of a complete player these days.”
Housley is in his second stay with the Flames, rejoining them in the summer of 1998 when Calgary claimed him off waivers from the Washington Capitals. Essentially, the Flames grabbed him after falling short in the Jyrki Lumme unrestricted free agent sweepstakes. They desperately needed a power play quarterback and Housley looked to be a cost-effective solution.
Indeed, Housley has kept the Flames’ power play in the top half of the league for much of the past two years and continues to pile up the points.
Toward the end of January, he recorded his 800th NHL assist. In addition, he scored his 309th career goal, which left him one shy of Denis Potvin for third place on the all-time defensemen scoring list.
Additionally, Housley has been among the scoring leaders for defensemen all season (seven goals, 36 points in 49 games), which prompted his addition to the NHL All-Star Game. Indeed, Housley’s selection meant that he will be one of a handful of players to appear in the game in three different decades.
On the day of his selection, Housley told reporters that he was “thrilled” by the chance to go. He said, “You’re a little nervous because there are so many great players, but after a shift or two, everybody relaxes and has fun.”
Some thought Housley would have a difficult time playing for demanding coach Brian Sutter. Instead, the two have co-existed exceptionally well. Indeed, it was partly his satisfaction at playing for Sutter that convinced Housley to sign a two-year contract extension just before Christmas to remain in Calgary.
“I laugh when people say I don’t like skill players,” Sutter said. “The truth is, I’d like to have more like Howie and Vai (Bure).”
NOTEBOOK: Goalie Grant Fuhr, out since Dec. 18 recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, was assigned to Saint John of the American League for a conditioning stint. It is Fuhr’s first minor pro appearance since he played five games for Rochester on a conditioning duty in 1993-94. At one stage, goalie Fred Brathwaite started 11 games in a row and 16 of 17 with Jean-SebastienGiguere serving as backup and playing occasionally in Saint John. Fuhr, who struggled in the first six weeks of the season, was hoping to salvage his year in the final third, just as he did with the St. Louis Blues last season…Defenseman Tommy Albelin was scheduled for exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder, an injury that first occurred two years ago and has been troubling him ever since. “Best-case scenario is there’s nothing (substantially) wrong, so they clean it out and I rehab and I’ll be ready to play in two weeks,” Albelin said. “The worst-case scenario is out for the season.”
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