All-Time Calgary Flames Team

[ScottM]

 

The Flames were admitted to the NHL along with the Islanders in 1972, and for a similar reason: the NHL wanted to keep the WHA out of the Omni Coliseum. The Flames would prove to be the first of two failed attempts to bring hockey to Atlanta, but would find success in Calgary in later years. As one of the strongest teams of the 1980s, the Flames have had a lot of historic talent.

 

First Line: Gary Roberts, Kent Nilsson, Jarome Iginla

Second Line: Eric Vail, Joe Nieuwendyk, Theo Fleury

Third Line: Curt Bennett, Doug Gilmour, Joe Mullen

Fourth Line: Alex Tanguay, Guy Chouinard, Lanny McDonald

 

First Defensive Pair: Al MacInnis, Gary Suter

Second Defensive Pair: Dion Phaneuf, Mark Giordano

Third Defensive Pair: Phil Housley, Paul Reinhart

 

Goaltenders: Miikka Kiprusoff, Mike Vernon, Reggie Lemelin

 

Coach: Terry Crisp

 

Some of the players on the list may seem a little low, but guys like McDonald and Housley rank lower because they were with the team at the tail end of their career. It may seem strange seeing Kiprusoff above Vernon, but Kiprusoff's stats were really quite impressive. I believe that Kiprusoff made a bigger individual contribution to the Stanley Cup Finals run.

[yave1964]

Very impressive bunch. I guess I hadn't realized that unlike some teams, the Flames have quite a few players who have spent the bulk of their career in Flame jerseys.

I may have went with Otto over Chouinard although Chouinard helps represent the early era of the team, and Robyn Regher would have most certainly made my list over Phil Housley. I kept looking at Gary Suter trying to figure out how to fit him in and could not (and he was a hell of a player) which proves the depth of this teams history.

One who I would have certainly chosen if you are including the Atlanta Flames as well as Calgary would have Been Dan Bouchard over Lemelin. A technical goalie who Dryden mentions in The Game as being a goalie who 'looks' like a goalie should, Patrick Roy mentions Bouchard as his first idol and studied goaltending by studying Bouchard, his stats look like those of a long lasting goalie but nothing special until you look a bit closer and look at the quality (or lack thereof) of the teams that he played for. Overall as the first goalie in Flame history (he and fellow tender Phil Myre played every minute in net for the Flames for the first 7 years) if he had been with Boston or Montreal of one of the super teams of the era I truly believe he would have been a Hall of Famer instead he toiled for the mediocre expansion Flames, and carried them to the postseason nearly every year, granted with little if any success but again, look at the roster filled with retreads, has beens and never weres. Bouchard, again, if you are adding the Atlanta contingent would look very nice upon this pantheon.

[ruxpin]

Nice list.

 

I have to say, though, when I first read the thread title my immediate thought was, "Calgary has an all-time team?"   The folks on your list are warranted, though.

[Poulin20]

What no love for Hakan Loob?? For shame!!    (J/K...his name of course just sticks out in my mind).

[ScottM]

Very impressive bunch. I guess I hadn't realized that unlike some teams, the Flames have quite a few players who have spent the bulk of their career in Flame jerseys.

I may have went with Otto over Chouinard although Chouinard helps represent the early era of the team, and Robyn Regher would have most certainly made my list over Phil Housley. I kept looking at Gary Suter trying to figure out how to fit him in and could not (and he was a hell of a player) which proves the depth of this teams history.

One who I would have certainly chosen if you are including the Atlanta Flames as well as Calgary would have Been Dan Bouchard over Lemelin. A technical goalie who Dryden mentions in The Game as being a goalie who 'looks' like a goalie should, Patrick Roy mentions Bouchard as his first idol and studied goaltending by studying Bouchard, his stats look like those of a long lasting goalie but nothing special until you look a bit closer and look at the quality (or lack thereof) of the teams that he played for. Overall as the first goalie in Flame history (he and fellow tender Phil Myre played every minute in net for the Flames for the first 7 years) if he had been with Boston or Montreal of one of the super teams of the era I truly believe he would have been a Hall of Famer instead he toiled for the mediocre expansion Flames, and carried them to the postseason nearly every year, granted with little if any success but again, look at the roster filled with retreads, has beens and never weres. Bouchard, again, if you are adding the Atlanta contingent would look very nice upon this pantheon.

 

I am including the Atlanta Flames history, because I intend for these to be a franchise thing. Curt Bennett made the list based on his play in Atlanta. I looked at Dan Bouchard before choosing Lemelin, but I didn't know the things that you said regarding Dryden and Roy. Had I known all of that, I probably would've given Bouchard that third spot. (Like I've said before, I'm still learning the history. I think I've come a long way in the last several months, but I still have a long way to go. I certainly want to go a lot further with it.)

[WordsOfWisdom]

Macgyver wore a Calgary Flames hat.