Badger Bob Johnson, arguably the most famous coach in Calgary Flames history, used to make all of his goaltending decisions in the sauna. Something about the heat and humidity helped Johnson determine who to start during an era – the early to mid-1980s – when the Flames didn't have a defined No. 1 netminder.
Bob Hartley, the current Flames coach, doesn't sweat those decisions. He relies on instinct and usually falls back on a tried-and-true method: Play the guy with the hot hand until he loses, or gives you a reason to make the switch.
Thus far this season, Hartley has done a masterful job of pushing the correct goaltending buttons, getting good work out of the two he describes as his co-number-ones, Jonas Hiller and Karri Ramo, as well as minor-leaguer Joni Ortio, who played well during a brief call-up and may well be the team's goaltender of the future.
But there are no tough decisions as the Flames head into the final week of the regular season, with a Western Conference playoff berth hanging in the balance.
Of the three, only Hiller is healthy enough to play. Ortio is out indefinitely, recovering from a high ankle sprain. Ramo started Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, but lasted only 59 seconds before suffering an undisclosed injury to his left leg.
Hiller replaced him and stopped all 27 shots he faced, setting an obscure NHL record in the process – for the longest relief appearance in a shared shutout in league history.
Hiller will get the call against the visiting Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, and if the Flames happen to get past the Western Conference cellar-dwellers, they will have two chances later in the week – home against the Los Angeles Kings Thursday and away to the Winnipeg Jets Saturday – to secure the franchise's first playoff spot since the 2009-10 season.
"It's a great schedule – I don't know who made it, but this guy has a flair for drama," Hartley said following Monday's practice at the Scotiabank Saddledome. "But we're not getting too far ahead of ourselves. We're focused. We're on the job. Our players allowed us all year to put us in this situation … they have been unbelievable. You guys just saw practice. They were flying out there."
That's a good thing, too, because the Flames can't look past the Coyotes, a team capable of stealing a game. And the one thing Calgary hasn't done this season is start games well, so an early jump will be the priority against Arizona – that and making sure Hiller survives the contest unscathed. Brad Thiessen, a 29-year-old from Aldergrove, B.C., with five career NHL appearances, is the backup in goal. Thiessen spent most of the year as Ortio's backup in the minors.
Hiller says he is ready for a bigger workload. Ramo had started 13 of the previous 20 games, though it was Hiller who registered two important victories the previous week – on the road in Nashville and Dallas – to keep the Flames' playoff hopes alive.
"It's been like that the whole year," Hiller said. "You get stretches where I've played a lot and stretches where I've played a little less. I take it game by game. In the end, we've got to win our fair share – and I really hope I can help the team do that. It's definitely fun."
Over all, Hiller has a respectable 24-19-4 record, with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He signed with Calgary originally to get a chance to be a starter again, and for the most part, he has accomplished that, making 50 appearances in all. As recently as the 2011-12 season, Hiller led the league in appearances (73) and minutes played (4,253), so he has proven he can handle a heavy workload.
Depending on how the final week unfolds, there is a chance the Flames could play Hiller's former team, the Anaheim Ducks, in the first round of the playoffs. And wouldn't that make for a compelling backstory?
"I feel good about my game right now," he said, "but I've got to prove it every night again. The big goal is to make the playoffs, and if you want to do that, I have to play at my best. Everybody has to."
In the meantime, Hartley says he's trying to keep his team as loose as possible.
"We challenged ourselves at training camp," said Hartley. "We wanted to play those final games so that they would mean something – and here we are."