All-Time Teams: Flames

The first Canadian franchise in the Collector's All-Time Teams series traces its name to the American Civil War. Here's the roster for the Calgary Flames:

Calgary lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1986 Stanley Cup Final. The Flames won the rematch in 1989 and lost to the Lightning in their last finals appearance, in 2004.

1st Line

Left Wing - Johnny Gaudreau In just six full seasons with the Flames, Gaudreau has dished out 294 assists - the team's tenth-highest total. "Johnny Hockey" won the Lady Byng trophy in 2018 and set a career high with 99 points (good for 7th in the NHL) a season later.

Center - Joe Nieuwendyk The NHL's rookie of the year in 1987-88, Nieuwendyk scored 51 goals in his Calder-winning season and another 51 the following year when he helped the Flames win the Cup. The Hall of Famer won a second Stanley Cup (and the Conn Smythe trophy) with Dallas in 1999 and raised the Cup again with the 2003 Devils. His 563 career goals are tied for 23rd on the NHL's all-time list.

Right Wing - Jarome Iginla Calgary's standard-bearer in career games played, goals, and points, Iginla led the Flames to the Stanley Cup final in 2004. A two-time goal-scoring champion and 2020 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, "Iggy" was considered the NHL's first Black team captain although that isn't entirely true.

2nd Line

Left Wing - Gary Roberts The Flames' fourth-leading goal scorer and second-leading penalty minute man, Roberts was a textbook power forward with a nose for the net. He led the NHL in shooting percentage three times including in 1991-92, when he scored 53 goals on a whopping 27% of his shots. Renowned for his conditioning, the veteran of 21 NHL seasons now owns a high performance training center.

Center - Kent Nilsson A legend in his native Sweden, Nilsson entered the North American pro ranks via the more inclusive WHA, then starred for the Flames when the rival league folded. In just six seasons Nilsson totaled 229 goals (fifth in franchise history) and 562 points (sixth in Flames' annals.)

Right Wing - Theoren Fleury The heart and soul of the Flames in the 1990s, Fleury posted two seasons of 100+ points early in the decade and won a Stanley Cup as a rookie with the 1989 Flames. The feisty 5' 6" forward finished his career as the franchise's all-time leading scorer - though he has since been passed by Jarome Iginla.

3rd Line

 

Left Wing - Eric Vail The 1975 Calder winner as NHL Rookie of the Year, Vail is the all-time leading scorer in Atlanta Flames history. He remains in the franchise's top ten in career goals (8th), points (10th) and game-winning goals (tied for 6th.)

Center - Guy Chouinard Call this the "Atlanta Line." Chouinard ranks sixth in franchise history with 336 career assists and seventh with 529 career points. He posted the Flames' first 50-goal season in 1978-79, finishing fourth in the NHL with an even half-hundred.

Right Wing - Lanny McDonald The Flames are another franchise rich in right wings. McDonald, who toiled for Toronto and Colorado before finally winning a Cup in Calgary, scored an even 500 goals in his Hall of Fame career. The six-time 40-goal scorer set a career high with 66 markers in 1982-83.

4th Line

Left Wing - Willi Plett One of two All-Time Flames born in South America, Plett became the second Atlanta Flame to win the Calder trophy in 1977. The two-time 30-gol scorer was one of the franchise's top enforcers, placing seventh in team annals with 1,265 penalty minutes. His 2,570 total PIMs rank 16th in NHL history. The Flames are a little thin on the left side so I'm playing him out of position on this line.

Center - Sean Monahan The Flames' first round pick in 2013, Monahan's last goal of 2020 broke a three-way tie for ninth on the team's all-time list. A three-time 30-goal scorer, Monahan set a career high with 82 points in 2018-19 and his clean play (just 12 PIMs) earned him a third-place finish for the Lady Byng trophy.

Right Wing - Hakan Loob A favorite of ESPN alum John Buccigross, Loob played just six seasons in the NHL - all with Calgary. In that brief time he scored 193 goals (one fewer than Monahan), earned All-Rookie honors in 1984, All-NHL honors in 1988, and a Stanley Cup ring in 1989. Only Kent Nilsson and Tom Lysiak have scored more points for the Flames in fewer games than Hakan has.

 

Spares - Joel Otto, Mikael Backlund

This was a very tough call. Otto earned the 13th forward spot with his decade of defensive excellence. Then it was a toss-up between Backlund and Jim Peplinski to fill out the forward ranks. Backlund is third in Flames' history with 14 short-handed goals and has an active streak of five straight 45+ point seasons. Peplinski is fourth in franchise history with 1,467 penalty minutes. I'm going with Backlund only because he can play in all situations - and because he's able to increase his career totals.

Defense Pair 1

Al MacInnis - Mark Giordano

The Flames' all-time leader in assists and plus/minus, Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP of Calgary's Cup-winning playoff run in 1989. The Hall of Famer is third all-time among defensemen (and 37th overall) with 1,274 career points and boasted one of the hardest shots in hockey history. Giordano won the Norris trophy in 2018-19, setting a career high in points with 74 and a league high in plus minus with +39. Calgary's current captain sits second on the team's all-time games played list.

Defense Pair 2

Gary Suter - Jamie Macoun

From 1986-1993 Gary Suter was one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the NHL, posting six of his seven 60+ point seasons including a career high 91 in 1987-88. The 1986 Calder trophy winner is fourth in Flames' annals with 436 assists and fifth in franchise history with 564 points. His nephew Ryan Suter is on another All-Time team. Macoun, a stay-at-home blueliner, has the third-highest plus/minus in Flames history and the fourth-highest Defensive Point Shares rating.

 

Defense Pair 3

Paul Reinhart - Robyn Regehr

The fourth and final member of this roster that suited up for the Flames in Atlanta, Paul Reinhart was another high-scoring blueliner in Calgary's corral. Averaging nearly a point a game over his eight seasons in Alberta, Reinhart was such an offensive force that I thought Topps had mistakenly labeled him as a defensemen (like they did with Sergio Momesso.) The Brazilian-born Regehr ranks between Giordano and MacInnis for the third-most games played as a Flame and ranks third behind Giordano and MacInnis in DPS with 41.7.

Spare - T.J. Brodie

In ten seasons with the Flames, T.J. Brodie accumulated 218 assists, 266 points, and a DPS of 32.1 - placing him fifth among franchise defensemen in all three categories. He signed a four-year contract with the Maple Leafs in October.

Goalies

Starter - Miikka Kiprusoff

Backup - Mike Vernon

"Kipper" was handed a heavy workload after the Flames acquired him from San Jose in 2004. The Finnish netminder responded by winning a Vezina trophy in 2006, leading the NHL in shutouts with ten and leading the league in lowest goals against average for the second consecutive year. He ranks first among Flames goalies in every major category except era-adjusted goals against average. Vernon played parts of 13 seasons for the Flames, and ranks second to Kiprusoff in goalie games, wins, and saves for the franchise.

 

Head Coach: Bob Johnson  Captain: Jarome Iginla

Calgary's coaching history is not great. For a franchise that entered the NHL in 1972 it's surprising that no one has coached the team for more than five seasons. "Badger Bob" Johnson was behind the bench for the Flames' conference championship in 1986 and leads the franchise with 193 coaching victories.

I hope you'll join us tomorrow for our next All-Time Team, the Carolina Hurricanes

Thanks for reading!

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