The 2024-25 NHL season is absolutely underway, with every staff having performed not less than six video games to this point. There have been many surprises to start the marketing campaign, however none extra bewildering than the beginning the Calgary Flames are experiencing. The staff has begun the season by incomes not less than some extent of their first six video games earlier than their regulation losses towards the Carolina Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets. Nonetheless, pleasure is constructing a bit exterior of the NHL with the league unveiling the nationwide staff jerseys for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off occasion.
The occasion is the primary of its type, and for these unaware, will probably be a four-team worldwide round-robin event between Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the USA. The 2 groups with the very best information after the opening spherical will play within the Last. As a part of the buildup, we’ve created a sequence taking a look at the very best Flames gamers to return from every nation, and we shall be persevering with it right here. Up to now, we’ve lined Finland and Sweden. The nation underneath the highlight for this version is the USA. Listed here are the very best 5 People to go well with up for the Calgary Flames.
5. Matthew Tkachuk, Ahead
Our fifth spot belongs to the just lately departed Matthew Tkachuk. The 26-year-old presently plies his commerce for the Florida Panthers, the place he’s a defending Stanley Cup Champion after profitable it in 2024. For anybody unaware, Tkachuk is the son of former NHL All-Star Keith Tkachuk and brother of Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. The rugged ahead was born in Scottsdale, Arizona however raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and commenced his profession with the Flames after they drafted him sixth general within the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He had simply come off of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Memorial Cup Championships with the London Knights. Tkachuk made the 2016-17 Flames roster out of camp and scored his first NHL purpose on Oct. 18, 2016.
Tkachuk suited up for the subsequent 5 seasons with the staff and endeared himself to the Flames devoted on a nightly foundation together with his entertaining mixture of offensive ability and opponent agitation. The 2021-22 season was his finest; he scored a career-high 42 objectives and 104 factors in 82 video games and had a whopping plus-57 plus/minus score. He additionally helped push the staff to the second spherical of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 4 objectives and 10 factors in 12 video games. As a pending restricted free agent that summer time, Tkachuk let then-general supervisor Brad Treliving know that he wouldn’t re-sign with the franchise and that they need to commerce him. This prompted an enormous stir league-wide and soured many Flames followers. Shortly afterward, Tkachuk was traded to the Panthers in a blockbuster commerce for a bundle that included present Flames Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. All in all, Tkachuk performed 431 video games with the Flames and scored 152 objectives and 382 factors.
4. Joe Mullen, Ahead
Subsequent up is famous American winger Joe Mullen. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York Metropolis, he didn’t start skating till the age of 10. Mullen picked up hockey in a short time, nonetheless, as he dominated his native junior hockey affiliation and earned himself a full trip to play hockey at and attend Boston Faculty. Over 4 seasons there, Mullen racked up then-school information of 110 objectives and 212 factors. Possible as a consequence of his small stature (5-foot-9, 180 kilos) Mullen wasn’t drafted into the NHL. The St. Louis Blues took an opportunity on him and he rewarded them with a number of 40-goal seasons and 20 factors in 19 playoff video games. The Flames wanted a goal-scorer on the time and made the choice to accumulate Mullen in a large six-player commerce.
Associated: Calgary Flames’ Greatest Undrafted Gamers of All-Time
Mullen discovered quick success in Cowtown. He helped the staff get all the way in which to the 1986 Stanley Cup Last, the place they fell to the Montreal Canadiens. With solely 14 penalty minutes in 1985-86, Mullen was voted because the Woman Byng Memorial Trophy winner for the primary time (he gained it once more in 1988-89). The 1988-89 season noticed the diminutive ahead unlock his full potential; he scored a career-high 51 objectives and 110 factors in 79 video games after which adopted up with 16 objectives and 24 factors in 21 playoff contests because the Flames gained their first Stanley Cup in franchise historical past. As a part of one other “rebuild on the fly”, the Flames shipped the veteran Mullen to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990, the place he gained two extra Stanley Cups (1991,1992). He retired from taking part in in 1997, transitioned to teaching, and was elected to the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 2000. As a Flame, Mullen scored 190 objectives and 388 factors in 345 video games.
3. Joel Otto, Ahead
Third is defensive stalwart Joel Otto. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound centreman hails from Elk River, Minnesota, and performed three years of school hockey at Bemidji State. He led his staff to an undefeated document and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 1984, garnering him some NHL curiosity. The Flames signed him to a minor-league contract for the 1984-85 season. He impressed sufficient to get into 17 video games with the large membership and scored 12 factors. The subsequent season, Otto stayed with the Flames and scored a career-high 25 objectives and 59 factors in 79 video games. He added a powerful 5 objectives and 15 factors in 22 playoff contests through the aforementioned run to the 1986 Stanley Cup Last.
Otto shortly developed right into a premier two-way centreman, tasked with shutting down the opposition’s finest forwards and profitable key faceoffs. Over the subsequent three seasons, Otto scored 50 or extra factors and scored over 20 objectives for a second time in 1988-89. Otto turned it up a notch through the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he scored six objectives and 19 factors in 22 video games en path to his first and solely Stanley Cup victory. After six extra stable seasons with the Flames, the franchise determined that they couldn’t afford to maintain Otto within the fold with new wage guidelines buckling them. He determined to signal with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent in 1995. The hulking ahead suited up for 3 seasons with the Flyers and retired after he began to decelerate in 1998. He too turned a coach, with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen. Otto completed his Flames tenure with 167 objectives and 428 factors over 730 video games.
2. Gary Suter, Protection
Our second-best American can also be the one defender on the record (spoiler alert). Madison, Wisconsin’s Gary Suter performed for his hometown college staff from 1983-85. In 1984, the Flames preferred what they noticed and took a flier on Suter, drafting him within the ninth spherical, one hundred and eightieth general. He made the staff for the 1985-86 season and made a splash immediately; he completed his rookie marketing campaign with 18 objectives and 68 factors in 80 video games to guide all Flames defenders in scoring. For his efforts, he was named an All-Star and gained the Calder Memorial Trophy because the NHL’s finest rookie. After 10 factors in 10 playoff video games, Suter was injured and couldn’t proceed within the staff’s journey to the 1986 Stanley Cup Last.
Suter’s finest common season got here in 1987-88 when he scored 21 objectives and a career-high 91 factors in 75 video games, which led all NHL rearguards. Suter was as soon as once more named an All-Star and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy because the league’s finest defenceman. In 1989, he was sadly knocked out of one other Stanley Cup run as he broke his jaw within the opening spherical towards the Vancouver Canucks. However, his identify was etched on the Stanley Cup for the primary and solely time in his profession. After 5 extra seasons and a lingering knee harm, Suter was dealt to the Hartford Whalers and subsequently flipped to the Chicago Blackhawks. He performed 4 seasons there and 4 with the San Jose Sharks earlier than retiring in 2002. Suter tallied 128 objectives and 564 factors in 617 matches as a Flame.
1. Johnny Gaudreau, Ahead
One of the best American Flame of all time is certainly “Johnny Hockey” himself, Johnny Gaudreau. The winger was born and raised within the state of New Jersey and was drafted by the Flames in spherical 4 of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft earlier than occurring to play for Boston Faculty. Gaudreau completed his three-year school profession with a Nationwide Collegiate Athletic Affiliation (NCAA) championship and a Hobey Baker Award amongst a handful of different accolades. He made his NHL debut with the Flames within the final recreation of the 2013-14 season, scoring his first purpose on his first shot. This translated into his rookie season of 2014-15, the place he totalled 24 objectives and 64 factors in 80 video games, was chosen as an NHL All-Star, and completed third in Calder Trophy voting. Gaudreau helped the Flames attain the second spherical of the playoffs that season with 4 objectives and 9 factors in 11 video games earlier than the staff was defeated by the Anaheim Geese.
Gaudreau acquired higher and higher as time went on, incomes six extra All-Star choices. The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder performed large and all the time wished the puck on his stick. As soon as he had it, magic was prone to occur. A gentleman on and off of the ice, he additionally gained the Woman Byng Trophy in 2017. Gaudreau exploded in 2021-22, scoring a career-high 40 objectives and 115 factors in 82 video games. He and the Flames confronted the Dallas Stars in spherical one of many 2022 playoffs, who defeated them two years earlier. Gaudreau scored the game-winning purpose in Sport 4 and electrified Flames followers with a game-winning extra time purpose in Sport 7, sending the Flames to the subsequent spherical. That summer time, Gaudreau elected to check free company and signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He performed two seasons with them earlier than the hockey world stopped useless in its tracks with the premature deaths of him and his brother Matthew in 2024. They have been struck and killed by a drunk driver in New Jersey whereas biking. The Flames devoted will always remember Gaudreau’s contributions to the franchise. They have been rather more than his 210 objectives and 609 factors in 602 video games.
On a closing observe, a handful of gamers might have arguments to be included on this subjective record. These 5 all had great impacts on the Flames franchise in addition to American hockey. Their names are synonymous with profitable instances in Flames staff historical past which is not any coincidence. Be sure that to tune in to the 4 Nations Face-Off and please bear in mind to report any and all situations of impaired driving to your native authorities.
