About Calgary Flames
The franchise came to life in 1972 when it was established as Atlanta Flames but after having a moderate success in reaching post season and having issues with drawing the fan base the team had relocated to Alberta where it became Calgary Flames and then the franchise went onto 11 consecutive seasons with playoffs, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals twice in that period of time, clinching its only championship in 1988-89 season against the Canadiens.
The team reached the final stage of the playoffs once more in 2004 but they were defeated by the Lightning. The Flames also enjoyed earning the Presidents’ Trophy for scoring the most points in two consecutive seasons 1987-89.
The team has 6 division titles to their name two of which are coming from their current division which is Pacific one in Western Conference. They have been members of it since 1993-94 with a few years gap due to realignments in the league when they came back in 2013.
The team’s colours are red, gold, black and white and their official mascot is Harvey the Hound who was the first mascot in the NHL.
The Flames have been coached by Bob Hartley since 2012. He started his NHL head coaching career with the Avalanches which he led to the Stanley Cup in 2001. After joining the Flames he finally reached with them playoffs in his third season as their coach which helped him to win Jack Adams award for the NHL’s coach of the year.
Karri Ramo is the team first choice as a goalie and he continues to grow despite some up and downs in his career and some struggles the coaches believe he is the best choice for the team. He’s played for the Flames since 2013-14.
Mark Giordano is the team’s captain. Playing on the defence he is praised for his offensive skills and also strong leadership. He spent all his NHL career with the Flames but he had left the franchise for a year to play Russian Super League. His performance in last season earned him a trip to NHL All-Star game in 2015.
Giordano can share his experience and leadership skills with Johnny Gaudreau who was drafted by the franchise and since his first season in 2014-15 he’s made a big impact on the team playing on left wing.
Well decorated NCAA player earned himself a trip to 2014-15 NHL All-Star game as well as being named a finalist for the league’s best rookie.
It seems that with injection of some fresh blood and coaching change which happened few years back the team is on the way to be a regular playoffs contender.
