Liquid encouragement.
Perhaps, that’s been the secret ingredient to the Calgary Flames’ turnaround.
It was one month ago, on Nov. 15, that netminder Chad Johnson pitched a 27-save shutout to backstop his squad to a 1-0 road victory in Minnesota, the starting point of what was a superb run for the Saddledome-dwellers.
To celebrate his first goose-egg in Flames silks, the 30-year-old goalie soon after showed up at the rink with a bottle of wine for each of his defencemen.
Two more shutouts later, every member of his skating staff — and some of the supporting cast, too — have enjoyed a few gulps of gratitude.