|
The
History of the Calgary Flames
For this year in
Heritage Fair I did my presentation on the history of the Calgary Flames,
professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Northwest Division
of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are a very good team in my opinion
and I like them a lot. They are my favorite NHL team. I was looking forward
to watching them play this year, but I turned very disappointed when I heard
the news that there is going to be a lock out. Well, anyways, here’s my
report. Enjoy!
Questions:
- What team was before the
Calgary Flames, and how long did they play?
- When and how did the
Calgary Flames get formed?
- What arena did the Flames
first play in, and where do they play in now?
- What are some of the
titles they won?
- What jerseys did they
have/use?
The Atlanta
Flames was the original team in the National Hockey League (NHL).
They started in 1972 and
played all the way to 1980. They played mostly in the Omni arena. They never
won the Stanley Cup, or went to the Stanley Cup finals, the Conference
finals, or were the Division Champions. But they did make it to the playoffs
in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980. The club’s early stars included
right wing Bob MacMillan and centers Curt Bennett, and Tom Lysiak. Coaches
include: Boom Boom Geoffrion 1972/73-1974/75, Fred Creighton
1974/75-1978/79, and Al MacNeil 1979/80. The captains of the Atlanta Flames
include: Keith McCreary 1972/73-1974/75, Pat Quinn 1975/76-1976/77, Tom
Lysiak 1977/78-1978/79, and Jean Pronovost 1979/80.
The color of the jerseys that
they wore was red, white, and yellow. The jerseys were kind of similar to
the Flames’ jersey that they wore.
On May 21, 1980,
the Atlanta Flames became the Calgary Flames. The team’s name was carried
over from when it was know as the Atlanta Flames, a name derived from the
burning of Atlanta by Union forces during the American Civil War
(1861-1865).
Atlanta-based businessman Ted
Turner founded the Flames. In 1980 he sold the team to a group of people
from Calgary and the team moved. The team was originally based in Atlanta,
Georgia, but the Flames now play at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The Atlanta Flames
first played in the Omni (capacity 15, 141) in Atlanta, but on May 21, 1980
when the Calgary Flames formed, they moved to the Stampede Corral (capacity
7, 424) in Calgary. The Flames’ first game was in the Corral against the
Quebec Nordiques on October 9, 1980. It ended up in a 5-5 tie. The Flames
played 146 games (league, playoff, and exhibition) in the Corral. They lost
28 regular season and 4 playoff games in the Corral. The Flames now play in
the Saddledome (seats 17, 159). This facility opened on Saturday October 15,
1983.
The Calgary
Flames won many titles and have many records. They have always been one of
the NHL’s most consistent teams. The Flames qualified for the league
playoffs almost every season from the mid- 1970s to the late 1990s. In the
1980-81 season, the Flames’ first year in Calgary, center Kent Nilsson
collected a franchise-record 131 points, and the club won its first
postseason series in 1972. They advanced to the Stanley Cup semi-finals
before losing to the Minnesota North Stars. In 1986, Calgary
upset the Edmonton Oilers in
division finals. They went on to make their first appearance in the Stanley
Cup Finals. Facing-Montréal Canadians, the flames won the first game, and
lost the next four. In 1989, Calgary returned to the Stanley Cup Finals. The
Flames defeated the Canadians 4 games to 2. Flames’ line up had several NHL
All-Star team members, including winger Hakim Loob and Joe Mullen,
defensemen Gary Suter, Al MacInnis, and Brad McCrimmon, center Joe
Nieuwendyk, and goalie Mike Vernon. That year Vernon ranked first in league
in wins. MacInnis scored a league-high 31 playoff points and also earned the
Conn Smythe Trophy-postseason’s MVP. In the 1990s, the Flames earned several
division titles and also reached playoffs numerous times, but failed to do
good in the postseason. In 1995, the team traded Vernon to Detroit Red
Wings. Outstanding Calgary team members of the 1990s was right wing Theoren
Fleury, left wing Gary Roberts, and goaltender Trevor Kidd. After missing
the postseason every year from 1997 to 2003, the team went all the way to
Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. Even though leading the series-3 games to 2, the
Flames lost to Tampa Bay Lightning. In the space of 22 years the Flames
became one of the premier franchises in the NHL on and off the ice. Flames’
forward guy Chouinard scored the first goal in history of the Calgary
Flames. The Flames reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice during the late
1980s, winning league championship in 1989, two Presidents trophies, two
Clarence Campbell Conference titles (1885-86, 1988-89), three season and two
Smythe Division playoff championships, two Pacific Division titles, several
N- individual and team honors, and numerous attendance records.
The Flames
had a few different jerseys that they had/used. On May 21, 1980 the jersey
exchanged their fiery ‘A’ logo to the flaming ‘C’ logo. The uniforms were of
red, white, and gold. Then the Flames unveiled a new third jersey on June
23, 1998. The new Jersey represents horse power with attitude and was worn
at selected games throughout the season. On June 21, 2000, the third jersey
became the official road jersey of the Flames.
In conclusion, the
Calgary Flames are a very good hockey team holding many titles. The team has
a very interesting history that many people admire. Even some of the
Americans admire the Flames, in many ways. Even though Calgary didn’t start
the team from scratch, they are still an amazing team.
|
