The Calgary Flames have been a franchise in the National Hockey League since 1980. However, the franchise was established in 1972 as an expansion team in Atlanta. Still known as the Flames, the team was wholly unsuccessful during their time in Georgia. Once moving to Calgary, the Flames became one of seven Canadian teams and joined the Western Conference. The team has been home to many notable players including Jarome Iginla, Mark Giordano and more recently Matthew Tkachuk. In their relatively short tenure in the NHL, how many Stanley Cups have the Calgary Flames won?
The Calgary Flames have won just one Stanley Cup in 1989. The Flames were able to defeat the Montreal Canadiens in 6 games, securing the first and only Stanley Cup in franchise history. With Head Coach Terry Crisp at the helm, the Flames were victorious over their Canadian adversaries.
Stanley Cup Finals 1989: Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens
The Flames were boosted by the play of their superb defenseman Al MacInnis, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his performance in the playoffs. He led all players in points (31) and assists (24) and even added 7 goals throughout the playoffs. The 25-year-old was outstanding in the Finals as well, notching 4 goals and 5 assists in the 6 game series. In fact, MacInnis scored two game-winners in the series in Game 4 and Game 5. However, right winger Joe Mullen led the team in goals with 5, and center Doug Gilmour tied MacInnis with 4 goals. Center Joel Otto led the Flames in assists with 6.
The series was a test for both starting goalies, as both Montreal’s Patrick Roy and Calgary’s Mike Vernon played all 6 games. A young Roy played well but was unable to stop the scoring onslaught from Calgary. He allowed 17 goals on 184 shots for a .908 save percentage. On the other end of the ice, Vernon was just good enough in shutting down Montreal to win the series. He allowed 16 goals on 158 shots against for a .899 save percentage. The biggest test for both goalies was a pivotal Game 3 that went to double overtime. The Canadiens ended up winning Game 3 4-3, but Calgary was able to rebound from the crushing loss to win 3 in a row to win the series.
The Canadiens were able to spread their offensive production amongst the team, as no one player stood out in the series stat line. However, some notable performances came from defenseman Chris Chelios who scored 1 goal and a team-high 6 assists. Center Bobby Smith also had a solid series, scoring a team-high 3 goals and adding 2 assists.
Watch: Game 6 highlights of the Calgary Flames winning the Stanley Cup.
The Flames have not been able to repeat the magic they found in 1989. However, Jarome Iginla did lead them to the Western Conference Championship in 2004. They ended up losing to Brad Richards and the Tampa Bay Lightning in a seven-game Stanley Cup Finals.
Check out other NHL teams total Stanley Cup wins below:
Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.
