For many residing in southern Alberta, the 2004 Stanley Cup Final was fairly traumatic. The Calgary Flames came within a single goal of winning the championship, only to lose in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
If you think it’s haunted you, just think of how it’s lingered with new Flames head coach Darryl Sutter. Speaking with the media on Friday morning, he made it abundantly clear why he’s been lured back to coaching from his Viking, Alberta farm.
“It’s unfinished business,” said Sutter. “It’s still really clear in my mind. Losing in the Stanley Cup Final with the team and thinking about it on the flight home from Tampa, about the players and the owners and how much that resonated with me, how much it’s in my mindset.