Miikka Kiprusoff already owns the franchise record for most victories.

Three more and the soft-spoken puck-stopper will also celebrate No. 300 in a Calgary Flames uniform.

Not that he cares about personal achievements.

"It will be a tough year if I'm not going to get that (milestone)," Kiprusoff said with a wry grin.

The chatter around the Saddledome this week has been about the Flames' backup goaltending conundrum, arguably the only 'open competition' during a condensed training camp.

Leland Irving edged Henrik Karlsson in the two-man tug-o-war for gate-opening duties, but there's little doubt the crease belongs to Kiprusoff.

"There's rumours that he'll play 48, and I know he's capable of it," Irving said.

No offence to the 24-year-old understudy, but the Flames' playoff aspirations hinge entirely on the performance of their Gumby-like starting goaltender.

Besides the Stampede, the longest-running tradition in Calgary is the annual debate over how many starts Kiprusoff can handle, and new head coach Bob Hartley certainly wasn't willing to put a number on it after Friday's practice, the second-to-last skate before the puck drops on a 48-game sprint.

"The only thing I can tell you about the goaltending is that Kipper is starting on Sunday," Hartley told a throng of reporters. "That's a scoop."