FLAMES SIGN MCLENNAN

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE OFFY FLAMES WEBSITE FULL CREDIT GOES TO THEM
AND NOT TO ME:

17/02/05

The Guildford Flames Ice Hockey Club are pleased to announce their
newest signing just in time for their run at defending their playoff
championship title. Canadian netminder Jamie McLennan has put pen to
paper allowing him to finish the season with the Spectrum side during
the labour dispute that has forced many players from the top league in
the world to find employment elsewhere. McLennan has iced in 228 NHL
games, spanning 9 seasons, posting a 2.62 goals against average and a
90 save percentage. Last season, he played in 30 games with the
Calgary Flames and New York Rangers, collecting 13 wins against 12
losses, while recording 4 shutouts. His additional pro experience is
made up of nearly 200 games in the top minor professional outfits in
North America. His NHL career began in 1993-94 when he made his debut
with the New York Islanders who drafted him from the Lethbridge
Hurricanes Jr. side. His first pro experience came in 1991-92 when he
played 32 games in the East Coast Hockey League before advancing to the
American Hockey League and finally to the NHL with the Islanders. His
NHL tour has also included stops with the St Louis Blues and Minnesota
Wild.

McLennan appears in the Flames roster as an addition to the club as
opposed to a replacement. Miroslav Bielik, who has carried the brunt
of the netminding workload so far this season, will remain with the
club for the remainder of the league season and throughout the Playoff
competition facing off in March.



Flames Head Coach Stan Marple commented:

This is a case of seeing an opportunity to bring in a very experienced
player to the club just in time for the playoffs which is when you need
it most. Despite just being 20 years old, extremely young for a
starting netminder at the pro level, Miroslav has had an outstanding
season for us and this addition is unrelated to his performance. We
believe the addition of Jamie will be a benefit to the club but also to
Miroslav as he continues to develop his enormous talent and mature into
his unlimited potential. Jamie has played in the top professional
league in the world and the pressure of the playoffs can be a difficult
thing for any netminder, and we believe his experience will give us the
little extra edge that may help us to retain our playoff crown.