Arriving in Calgary in 1980 after relocating from Atlanta, the Flames have seen plenty of success, as well as years of abject failure. With three Stanley Cup appearances and one victory, they also have two separate five-year playoff droughts. With that kind of variability, it should be no surprise the Flames have seen their fair share of random players pass through the organization.
Number 5: Chris Drury
Drury is best remembered for stints with three teams, the Avalanche, Sabres and Rangers. But do you remember his one season with the Flames? He was dealt to Calgary from Colorado on the eve of the 2002-03 season in a trade centered around defenseman Derek Morris. He suited up for 80 games scoring 23 goals and 53 points, but the Flames finished last in the Northwest Division. In the summer of 2003 Drury was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Steven Reinprecht. He became a staple in the Sabres lineup serving as an alternate captain.
Number 4: Curtis Joseph
Curtis Joseph is one of the best goaltenders of his era, and established himself on multiple teams throughout his career, most notably the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs. Towards the tail end of his legendary career looking for an opportunity to play, Joseph signed a one year deal with the Flames in January of 2008,18 years and 913 games into his NHL career, coming off a Spengler Cup victory by the time he signed.
He played nine regular season games and nine playoff games in a tandem with Miikka Kiprusoff. His playoff victory on April 13, 2008 made him the first goalie to win a postseason game with five different clubs. He played one more season in a return to Toronto before hanging up the skates in 2009.
Number 3: Martin St. Louis
If you’re unfamiliar with St. Louis’ story before he landed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, let’s just say standing 5’8 in the late 90s in the NHL was a hard mountain to overcome. He went undrafted as a collegiate player and ended up signing a contract with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL where his play caught the attention of the Flames organization. He was signed and sent to the AHL to finish out the 1997-98 season.
St. Louis made the Flames’ opening night roster in 1998-99, but was quickly demoted back to the AHL. He started the 99-00 season in the AHL as well, but was recalled to the NHL yet again and posted 18 points in 56 games. His contract option was picked up for 00-01, but Al Coates, then Flames-GM, was fired and the new management was not interested in keeping him around for another season after the front office shakeup. Calgary left St. Louis exposed during the 2000 expansion draft. he went unclaimed and was later bought out by the Flames after 69 NHL games. He would later sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Number 2: J.S. Giguere
Giguere was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in 1995 and made his debut in the dying days of the 1996-97 season. When the team relocated to Carolina that summer, trading Giguere to Calgary was one of the first moves the new franchise made (technically the fifth trade in Hurricanes’ history to be precise.) Giguere, along with forward Andrew Cassels, were dealt to Calgary for Trevor Kidd and Gary Roberts.
Giguere spent four seasons within the Flames organization with a vast majority of his time in the AHL. He did suit up for 22 NHL games sprinkled over two seasons between 1998 and 2000. He was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in the summer of 2000 and would finally establish himself as an NHL regular.
Number 1: Brett Hull
The Golden Brett may be a hockey legend in the St. Louis area, but his career didn’t start there. He was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round, 117th overall, in 1984. After leaving the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Hull spent most of the 1986-87 season in the AHL, where he tied the rookie goal scoring record, posting 50 goals in 67 games. He started the 1987-88 season with the Flames and scored 50 points in 52 games, but the continued concerns surrounding his skating and conditioning ultimately led to the Flames dealing him to the St. Louis Blues at the 1989 trade deadline.
Honorable Mentions
Niklas Backstrom
No, not the Washington Capitals forward. We’re talking about the goaltender who is best known for his nine seasons playing with the Minnesota Wild. He found himself supplanted by Devan Dubnyk midway through the 2014-15 season, and lost the backup role to Darcy Kuemper late in the season. No longer having a role in Minnesota, he was dealt to the Calgary Flames in February of 2016. Backstrom found himself injected into a goalie carousel that also featured Karri Ramo, Jonas Hiller, and Joni Ortio. All in all, he suited up for four games as a Flame, winning two, before he returned to his naive Finland at the end of the 2015-16 season, putting an end to his 10-year NHL career.
Niklas Grossmann
This one is more so for our Flyers’ contingent, (which if you remember Grossmann you already deserve some kind of award.) He was shipped away from the Flyers organization in the summer of 2015. He played the 2015-16 season with the Arizona Coyotes. Grossmann was offered a PTO with the Calgary Flames for the 2016 preseason, and earned a one-year deal in early October. He suited up for three games, going pointless, and was put on waivers. After refusing to report to the AHL, his contract was terminated and he fled back to his native Sweden to finish out his career.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
brotherlypuck.com 