Flames never gave Anderson a chance

Count Craig Anderson as another goaltender that got away from the Calgary Flames.
Since grooming Mike Vernon into a Stanley Cup winner two decades ago, the Flames have had a terrible time when it comes to drafting and developing backstoppers within their system.
Anderson, a Flames castoff now in his first season with the Colorado Avalanche, is the hottest goaltender in the NHL right now. He tied a record for victories in October with 10 and played a record 15 to start the season, although he has had better nights than he did in a 3-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Park Ridge, Ill., ranks among the league-leading goaltenders in wins and save percentage, but he never got a shot with Calgary after the Flames chose him in the third round, 77th overall in 1999.
“They had a management changeover,” said Anderson, recalling the firing of then general manager Al Coates and the hiring of Craig Button. “They drafted a (goaltender) first round, Brent Krahn, and no terms were ever negotiated . . . I don’t even remember a contract being offered.”
Calgary chose not to sign him and he went back into the draft two years later in the same round, albeit four places earlier, by Chicago. Watching him Sunday night, you could only wonder what might have been.
The Flames got lucky when general manager Darryl Sutter plucked Mkikka Kiprusoff from the San Jose Sharks, where he was the third-stringer, for a second-rounder in the fall of 2003. Sutter, freshly fired from San Jose and hired by Calgary as coach and GM, was familiar with Kiprusoff, and disgruntled with the likes of Roman Turek, Dany Sabourin and Jamie McLennan.
Kipper merely backstopped the Flames to an unexpected Stanley Cup final berth as they made the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
While he has obviously showed that he is a world-class goaltender, the Flames have struggled to find an adequate backup and an injury to him is akin to an injury to Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
Krahn, a great junior goaltender with the Calgary Hitmen, was a bust with the Flames, and Kiprusoff's other understudies have been equally forgettable. Anderson's case illustrates the need for NHL clubs to show more patience when it comes to developing a goaltender, which in case you haven't heard by now, is the most important position in hockey.
“I had a great two training camps (with the Flames),” said Anderson. “I got to meet Grant Fuhr, my idol (who lest we forget closed out his career with Calgary in 1999-2000). It was just a great experience. Nothing really came out of it. They were rebuilding their goaltending. They went through a bunch of guys before they got Kiprusoff.”
Now, Anderson has a chance to suit up for the U.S. in the Olympics, although probably as a backup to Buffalo's Ryan Miller, after bouncing from the Blackhawks to the Florida Panthers and their farm clubs to Colorado, with whom he signed as a free agent in the summer.
“This team was the one where I knew I could come in and battle for the No. 1 job,” said Anderson. “There was no clear-cut No. 1 guy.”
Peter Budaj, back in the lineup now after battling illness, was the No. 1 netminder at the end of last season. But he likely will have difficulty regaining his place if Anderson stays as hot as he has been. Thanks to him, the underdog Avalanche, who missed the playoffs last season, continue to lead the Northwest Division and sit second overall in the NHL despite Sunday's loss.
Suffice to say he has come a long way from the days when the Flames dumped him.
“I knew if I just stayed the course and showed up every night when I was called upon, there’s 30 teams you’re auditioning for,” said Anderson. “You’re not just auditioning for one team. There’s gonna be change. Guys are gonna retire. A guy’s going to go down with injuries.”
It's an important lesson for the Flames to heed as Miikka Kiprusoff approaches his retirement, although that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
Anderson is not the only goaltender who came back from the scrap heap to star. For details, see Tim Thomas in Boston, Dwayne Roloson during his glory years with Edmonton (although he is another goaltender who rebuilt his career after being dumped by the Flames) and Anaheim's J.S. Giguere. Oops, he's another former Flames draft pick.
The Flames are by no means the only team guilty of failing to develop goaltenders properly. (In fairness, Roloson was never drafted. Calgary gave him his chance in the NHL, but quickly discarded him after his first two seasons.) Vancouver also has a dismal record of developing its drafted goaltenders. Cory Schneider, destined to be dealt now that Luongo has signed a 12-year contract extension, will eventually join a long list of others who got away after little training time. Except for notable cases like Marty Turco of Dallas and retired star Patrick Roy with Montreal, few stars are groomed from within the organizations that drafted them.
As Craig Anderson's case proves, it's time there were more.