60 Fun Facts About Calgary Flames

In which city was the Flames franchise founded in 1972?

The team moved to Calgary in 1980 after owner Tom Cousins faced bankruptcy.

The 'Flames' name refers to a fire set by whose troops during the Civil War?

Atlanta was nearly destroyed; Skalbania kept the name as a fit for an oil town.

Which Canadian entrepreneur bought the Flames in 1980 and moved them to Calgary?

He sold his interest a year later, and the club has been locally owned since.

Which 7,000-seat building hosted the Flames' first three Calgary seasons?

They sold 10,000 season-ticket packages for a rink that held 7,000.

Which CSKA Moscow star did Cliff Fletcher draft in 1983, years before Soviets could join the NHL?

Makarov finally arrived in 1989 and won the Calder at 31, prompting an age limit.

Whose errant clearing attempt went in off Grant Fuhr to give Calgary the 1986 series win over Edmonton?

The Flames reached their first Final, losing to Montreal in five.

Which 1986 first-round pick was killed in a car accident before the following season?

The Flames had just gone to their first Final.

Which rookie scored 50 goals for Calgary in 1987-88, only the second freshman ever to do so?

He won the Calder; the Flames also won their first Presidents' Trophy that year.

Whom did the Flames send to St. Louis in 1988 for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley?

Ramage helped win the 1989 Cup; Hull scored 86 goals for the Blues in 1990-91.

How many points did the 1988-89 Flames record, a franchise record?

It was their second straight Presidents' Trophy and ended with the Cup.

Whom did the Flames beat in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final?

Calgary avenged the 1986 loss to the same team; Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe.

Which co-owner became the first Canadian woman to have her name engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1989?

Long-time captain Lanny McDonald retired after the win.

Which defenceman won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1989?

Doug Gilmour had arrived in a six-player deadline deal.

Which former 50-goal scorer came from Toronto in the 1992 ten-player trade that sent Doug Gilmour away?

Leeman scored 11 goals for Calgary; Gilmour became a Leafs icon.

Which trade in 1995-96 brought Jarome Iginla to Calgary?

Iginla debuted in the 1996 playoffs; the Flames were swept by Chicago.

Which team acquired Theoren Fleury from Calgary in 1999?

He was due to hit free agency and the Flames feared losing him for nothing.

In 1999, Flames owners issued fans an ultimatum: buy more season tickets or what?

Sales had fallen to a franchise-low 8,700; a 2000 drive aimed for 14,000.

Which two trophies did Jarome Iginla win in 2001-02 with 52 goals and 96 points?

Robyn Regehr became the youngest Masterton nominee the same year.

Which goalie did Darryl Sutter acquire early in 2003-04, having coached him in San Jose?

Kiprusoff has the most wins by a goalie in a Flames uniform.

In 2004 the Flames became the first team to reach a Final by beating how many division champions?

Vancouver, Presidents' Trophy winner Detroit and San Jose.

Whose possible go-ahead goal in Game 6 of the 2004 Final went unsignalled after inconclusive replays?

It would have made him the only player to score the series winner in every round; Tampa Bay won in seven.

Which street became known as the 'Red Mile' during the 2004 playoff run?

Crowds topped 60,000 during the Final.

Which two trophies did the Flames' goaltender win in 2005-06?

Rookie Dion Phaneuf scored 20 goals that season.

Which backup goalie was suspended five games in 2007 for slashing Detroit's Johan Franzen?

The Flames were also fined for stick-related penalties in that Game 5.

Whose franchise mark of 803 games did Iginla pass in 2007-08?

He passed Fleury's 364 goals the same season.

Where did the Flames beat Montreal 4-0 in the 2011 Heritage Classic?

Kiprusoff posted the first shutout in an NHL outdoor game.

Which team acquired Iginla in March 2013 for Kenny Agostino, Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick?

Calgary was left without a captain for the first time.

Which college honour had Johnny Gaudreau collected the day before his NHL debut in 2014?

He scored Calgary's only goal in a 5-1 loss that night.

Which coach won the 2015 Jack Adams Award after Calgary's first playoff series win since 2004?

The Flames beat Vancouver before falling to Anaheim.

Which trio made up Calgary's '3M Line'?

They powered a 2017 wild-card berth before Anaheim swept the Flames.

Which future Norris winner went to Carolina with Dougie Hamilton in the 2018 draft-day trade?

Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm came back to Calgary.

Which Flames captain won the Norris Trophy in 2019?

Seattle later took him in the 2021 expansion draft.

Which former Flames prospect's accusations of racism forced coach Bill Peters to resign in 2019?

Interim replacement Geoff Ward opened with a franchise-record seven straight wins.

Whom did the Flames beat in seven games in 2022 before losing the Battle of Alberta to Edmonton?

It was the first playoff meeting with the Oilers since 1991.

Which two players came from Florida in the July 2022 trade of Matthew Tkachuk?

Prospect Cole Schwindt and a conditional first came too; Nazem Kadri signed weeks later.

Which longtime assistant became Flames general manager in May 2023?

His first trade sent Tyler Toffoli to New Jersey.

Which fan tradition began in the 1986 playoffs as a response to Oilers 'Hat Trick Fever' hats?

Winnipeg answered with its own Whiteout a year later.

Which WHL junior team, bought by the Flames in 1997, led North America in attendance during the 2004-05 lockout?

They average over 10,000 fans a game in the Saddledome that year.

Which Oilers coach ripped out Harvey the Hound's tongue in January 2003?

Harvey, created in 1983, was the NHL's first mascot; other mascots wore hanging tongues at the All-Star Game.

What is the nickname of the flaming-horse logo that returned as a third-jersey crest in 2022?

It debuted in 1998 for the 'Year of the Cowboy'.

Which 1920s club, the city's first pro team, inspired the 2011 Heritage Classic uniforms?

The Tigers played for the Stanley Cup in 1924.

Which country singer has sung the anthems at most Flames home games since 2014?

Organist Willy Joosen accompanied him until his death in 2022.

Which sponsor name did the arena carry from its 1983 opening until the 1994-95 renovation?

It was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics and will be replaced by Scotia Place in 2027-28.

Which 2013 natural disaster damaged the Saddledome before it was repaired for the next season?

It reopened in time for 2013-14.

Iginla's surname means what in his father's native Yoruba?

Born in Edmonton and raised in St. Albert, he credits his grandfather for his career.

With which WHL club did Iginla win two Memorial Cups?

Dallas drafted him 11th overall in 1995 before trading him to Calgary.

Which Hall of Fame goal-scorer was the Atlanta Flames' first head coach?

'Boom Boom' was followed in Atlanta by Fred Creighton and Al MacNeil; the team won only two playoff games there.

How many playoff games did the Flames win during their eight seasons in Atlanta?

They reached the postseason six times but never got past the early rounds.

How many full- and half-season ticket packages did the Flames sell for the 7,000-seat Corral in 1980?

The city embraced the team instantly, and it reached the semifinals in its first Calgary season.

Which team eliminated the Flames in the 1981 semifinals in their first Calgary season?

Calgary had beaten Chicago and Philadelphia in its first two series.

Which Flames record does 'Badger' Bob Johnson still hold?

He coached five seasons from 1982 to 1987 and entered the Hall of Fame as a builder in 1992.

How many goals did Lanny McDonald score in 1982–83, still a single-season team record?

He was the first Flames player inducted into the Hall of Fame, in 1992.

How old was Sergei Makarov when he won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year with Calgary?

The Soviet star had been drafted 231st overall in 1983 and finally arrived in 1989.

Grant Fuhr's 400th career win came in a Flames uniform in 1999 against which team?

Fuhr spent only one season in Calgary but was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Which Flames goaltender's No. 34 was retired in 2024?

He guarded the Calgary net for 11 seasons from 2003 to 2013.

Joe Nieuwendyk's 2014 banner-raising at the Saddledome was promoted under what tagline?

The number nodded both to his jersey and to the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Cup win.

Which Flames radio voice received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2006?

Long-time trainer Bearcat Murray earned his own hall-of-fame nod from the trainers' society in 2009.

Which star signed a seven-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets to leave Calgary in 2022?

Weeks later Sean Monahan was dealt to Montreal to make room for Nazem Kadri's seven-year contract.

Which longest-serving Flame was named team captain in September 2023?

Backlund took the C weeks after Ryan Huska was named head coach.

The Flames' 2023 Heritage Classic uniforms were inspired by which earlier local hockey team?

The cream design carried a red roundel with the full team name around the flaming C.