Welcome to The Win Column’s Flames Fit Check, your monthly destination for Calgary Flames pregame fashion. Now, not by any means am I really qualified to give any opinions on fashion, but that’s the best part about the internet—I don’t have to be qualified. That being said, throughout the season you’ll be seeing my top five pregame fits and an unfashionable mention that turned some heads for the wrong reasons.
December was quite a tumultuous month for the Calgary Flames. After a string of injuries to start the month, a quick but rough road trip, and a three-game winning streak, the team sits at 4–6–2 on the month with one game remaining on New Year’s Eve.
Although the team’s play has been up and down to start the season, the warm El Niño winter Alberta has allowed the boys to keep their short hemmed pants and dress shoes at the front of the closet. December this year had us feeling more Feliz Navidad, than Merry Christmas.
Without further ado, let’s kick off this month’s edition of the Flames Fit Check.
5. A Pickle, a shark and a rose
Kicking off this month we have a trio of fits from Adam Ruzicka, Yegor Sharengovich and Blake Coleman. Ruzicka sports his usual all-black look with a short hem and some nice Louis V sneakers. Nothing crazy from Ruzicka but we have to spread the love sometimes.
Sharangovich on the other hand has taken the TWC Fit Check’s “look good, feel good, play good” motto to heart in the month of December. The sniper has been showing off his shot that everyone talked about when Sharengovich first broke into the league as a first-rounder. A clean off-white jacket compliments a white button-up, and elevates some nice loafers to a business casual look. The toque and pants match to bring both contrast and unity to the overall look. The simplicity of the fit emphasizes the paper weight of a watch Yegor chose as the cherry on top. Overall, great job from the hottest player on the roster.
Coleman never disappoints. Scarf, turtleneck, beautiful hat, and a double-breasted brown suit that makes our unfashionable mention of the month’s brown suit look like a junior B healthy scratch. Although, I can’t help but notice some interesting details in Pickles’ ensemble. The Texan’s ankle looks as big as the Lone Star State. I’d assume with the bulk in the sock that Coleman was sporting an ankle brace ahead of this matchup. Beyond the elephantiasis, Blake is rocking two watches. I’ve heard that Kevin Gates song “Two Phones” before but I didn’t know two watches were a thing as well—one smartwatch for the plug, one for the load.
4. Mikael Backlund
Oh captain, my captain. Backlund brought a different feel with this one and something we don’t see often from the veteran Swede. The star of the show, a pair of dark red pants we saw last month in combination with its partnered suit jacket. This styling arguably edges out the full suit in my opinion.
The pants set the tone and offer a nice splash of colour to a neutral accompanying act. Backs embraces the Dad title with a black quarter zip sweater. The black peacoat keeps it simple and casual on the top half, while a white shirt keeps the fit out of Ruzicka noir territory.
Black shoes and the much-anticipated return of black crew-length dress socks round out the fit. Way to keep it classy Backlund, have yourself a day.
3. Daniel Vladar
Vladar has earned himself a lot of trade talk this season and has also earned himself a return to Fit Check this month with a flashy suit. With Nikita Zadorov on the Pacific coast, it looks like Vladar took some inspiration from his old teammate.
The backup tender sported a great navy blue, double-breasted suit with brown buttons and a simple white shirt. The supporting act is a tie that would blind you in traffic. Although neckties are a dying breed, we still see a simple neutral colour here and there.
Vladar breaks the mould and brings some spring colours to the oddly warm winter we’ve been having. The purple patterned tie brings this whole fit together and distracts us from Vladar’s expression that looks as though he just remembered he left the stove on after his pregame meal and no one’s home.
2. Chris Tanev
What more can you say about Chris Tanev. He’s the toughest player in the NHL, the definition of a team player, a master shot blocker, and gosh darn it can this guy rock a dog tie.
This fit really just sums up the person that’s behind all those missing incisors. The green jacket is dressy but it’s got some flavour. The dog tie is a staple of the Tanev wardrobe and when inevitably combined with a driftwood beaded bracelet expresses the same vibe as his flowing locks.
Finally, the pièce de résistance, a custom Yeti wine glass, and a half-eaten square.
The photo on the Yeti is tough to make out but I’d imagine a family photo. And then there’s the square. Why not just finish it in the car, Tanev? Were you eating it in the hallway and saw the camera guy wave down the hallway mid-bite? At the same time, maybe he’s just sharing the last bite with his D partner. Like I said, an all around team guy.
1. Dustin Wolf
Jacob Markstrom’s fractured finger at the start of December meant Dustin Wolf got a solid stint in between the pipes for the Flames. Wolf looked good for the most part and showed he can compete at the next level. In his short time back in the NHL, the kid made a return to Fit-Check in the number one spot.
The rust-coloured suit is unique and not overdone. A simple two-tone look with the grey and red really complement each other and a pinch of a pocket square adds a little flavour.
The watch looks good, the shirt cuffs are out and as always, a bottle of “Michael’s Secret Stuff” from Space Jam is in hand. Overall, really well done.
Unfashionable Mention – Jonathan Huberdeau
The aforementioned Junior B healthy scratch of brown suits. Can’t say it’s the worst I’ve seen, it just hasn’t been working. Nothing’s been working for Jonathan Huberdeau since he came to Calgary.
As an incredibly underqualified person to be giving fashion advice, I figured a logical approach this month would be to reverse engineer the “look good, feel good, play good” motto.
So logically, the worst player on the team is the worst feeling, and the worst looking.
Although, I made an exception and chose Huberdeau because I already wrote a separate article highlighting how underwhelming Dillon Dube has been thus far.
Sure, you could argue Huberdeau hasn’t been the second worst player on the Flames this season, or even the third worst. He isn’t. But when we’re talking hockey and we’re talking clothes, money matters and right now we’re paying GUCCI prices for Wal-Mart quality.
You can tell me all you want about flashes of good play and line combinations but at the end of the day, this team’s highest-paid player has 15 points through 35 games after talking in the offseason about a bounce-back year.
The fit is blah—it’s not bad, it’s just bland. A lot like his play. Cool pockets on the jacket and the gold Rolex his signing bonus contributed to is nice but Jordan Oesterle is virtually wearing the exact same fit directly behind him.
I, like all Flames fans, hope things finally turn a corner for Jonathan Huberdeau but with each game and each fit I get more and more worried we’re destined for one of the worst player declines in NHL history.
On that note, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you.
All photos courtesy of @NHLFlames.
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