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Calgary Flames and the Olympics

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Since we have an off day, and there’s enough analysis of Team Canada to clog the internet, I thought I’d throw out the results of some quick research I did. I looked at the rosters of the various Olympic teams going back to 1980 to see how many Calgary Flames have played in the Olympics. Now, I didn’t spend a great amount of time looking at the rosters so I may have missed a few (especially if they played for Yugoslavia in 1984 – I skipped that one entirely). However, it passed the time and, well, this is a Flames blog so I’m just staying on the keynote.

After the jump, the list (with comments, of course).

2010 – Obviously, just Iggy, Hagman and Kipper.  Almost had the Joker (and should have had JayBo).

2006 – Only current Flames were Iggy, Reggie and Leopold. Conroy was on the US team but was on his LA sabbatical. Of course, Kipper was notable by his “injury” absence. Actually, the silver-winning Finns had a large Flames connection, with Tony Lydman (recently traded to Buffalo), Joker (his 2nd of three straight), Ville Nieminen (also his 2nd games, neither of which were during his notable Flames career) and Hagman. Other Flame connections were Bertuzzi (the catalyst for the Canadian downfall in 2006, in my opinion), Kotalik (as an injury replacement) and, of course, Slovakia’s Ronald Petrovicky!

2002 – I counted only two current (in 2002) Flames – Iggy and Igor Kravchuk (who was in his 4th Games, and in the midst of his short Flame career). However, there were tons of connections, starting with Team Canada – Al MacInnis, Nieuwy and Fleury were/are all Flames in my heart, and Owen Nolan was also on that team. The Czechs had Roman Hamrlik (games #2) and Robert Reichel (more about him later). The Finns had Joker and Nieminen, Russia had Valeri Bure, Sweden had Michael Nylander and the US had Phil Housley, Gary Suter, Tony Amonte, Chris Drury (still an Avalanche) and Brett Hull. Seeing all those former Flames in the Olympics, while the Crimson and Gold was in the midst of the long playoff drought, is a bit depressing.

1998 – Current Flames were Theo on Canada and both Val Bure and German Titov on Russia. Again, some of the same names from 2002 were part of this Games as well, including Nieuwendyk, Macinnis, Amonte, Hull, Suter, Nylander, Kravchuk, Hamrlik and Reichel. Of course Reichel was there. Who can forget that the guy who couldn’t score a big goal if his life depended on it for the Flames (remember 1994, overtime, game 7 against the Canucks, open net…of course not, everyone remembers Pavel Bure in double OT…but I digress). The same Robert Reichel who scored the only shootout goal in the epic Canada-Czech match. Damn, I hate Robert Reichel! Anyway, a couple other former/future Flames were Joel Otto, CuJo, Tommy Albelin and Andrei Trefilov (in his case, both former and future).

1994 – Now we’re getting into the amateur days, so the connections are a little different. But they’re there. For example, Sweden won the gold and one of their top scorers was our very own HÃ¥kan Loob. Team Canada had Todd Hlushko (who was a Flame the next year), Adrian Aucoin and Brad Werenka. The Czechs had Roman Turek. And Flame property (and future short timer, like his brother) Ted Drury was on the US team.

1992 – Tim Sweeney of the US, Trevor Kidd and Kent Manderville of Canada and Andrei Trefilov of the Unified Team were all Flame property at the time of the Games.  So was HÃ¥kan Loob (and always will be).  Other future Flames included Kravchuk (boy, he was around a while) and Marty MacInnis

1988 – This was the Olympics where lines started to blur a bit between professionals and amateurs, and Jim Peplinski was the Flames contribution to the games in Calgary (others included Randy Gregg, Brian Bradley and Andy Moog).  Most of the team were amateurs like Trent Yawney, Zarley Zalapski and Marc Habscheid who all joined the NHL after the Olympics (and all of whom called Calgary home at some point).  Jiri Hrdina was with the Czechs and he joined the Flames right after the Games, and hung around to win a Cup.  Lane (not to be confused with Lanny) McDonald was a Flames draft that played for the US, but he never made the NHL.  Sergei Makarov was still part of the Soviet machine but was soon to call Calgary home.  Corey Millen was with the US, and eventually was part of the dark years in Calgary.  And, of course, Igor Kravchuk…I told you he was around a while.

1984 – Carey Wilson was Flames property and with the team shortly after the games, as was Robin Bartel (come on, you all remember him, don't you?).  James Patrick was on Canada and played for the Flames for a decent amount of time in the '90s.  Only other Flames connection I could find was Corey Millen again.  (Again, I did skip that Yugoslavian team, although in full disclosure I usually skipped Italy, France and Norway too).

1980 – Well, the Flames weren't in Calgary yet, and there wasn't much of a connection anyway.  Except the famous goalie who was to be the savior of the Atlanta Flames.  Oh well, Jim Craig will have to settle for the gold medal.  And of course, leading US scorer Mark Johnson was the son of the greatest coach in Flames history.  Long live Badger Bob.

 

 

 

by Kelly Mamer