Four Q-C Flames get Stanley Cup exposure

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By Craig DeVrieze | Wednesday, April 16, 2008 | No comments posted

Curtis McElhinney, Brandon Prust, Grant Stevenson and David Van der Gulik could be in for the ride of the lives.

The four Quad-City Flames players were summoned this week to the parent Calgary Flames to provide depth for a possible run to the Stanley Cup.

“First and foremost, it is about having some depth,”

Q-C Flames coach Ryan McGill said of the callups, which came two days after the conclusion of the Flames’ inaugural American Hockey League season here. “Really and truly, it is about getting experience for these guys and being involved in the best time they will ever have in their lives — the Stanley Cup playoffs.”

The San Jose Sharks tied their first-round Western Conference playoff series with the big-league Flames at 2-2 Tuesday, scoring the winning goal inside the final 10 seconds of regulation.

Although the four recalled players are expected to see action only in an emergency, McGill said they will be around the big-league club and will participate in optional skates.

The important thing for their potential NHL futures, he said, is “getting the experience of what (the playoffs) are all about.”

Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com