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Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XXI: 430-426

Today, we review the Flames careers of Robin Bartel, Rick Mrozik, Bill Hogaboam, Tony Curtale, and the immortal Kris Chucko.

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430. Robin Bartel

Bartel was a 6′, 200 lb. defenseman from Drake, Saskatchewan. Born on May 16th, 1961, he played three seasons in the SJHL with the Prince Albert Raiders starting in 1979-80, collecting 146 points in 180 games (29 goals, 117 assists). After one season at the University of Saskatchewan (24 games, four goals, 14 assists) and a year spent on the Canadian National team (57 games, four goals, seven assists), he joined the Flames minor league system.

As a Moncton Golden Flame in 1984-85, Bartel had four goals and 11 assists in 41 games, also collecting 66 penalty minutes. During the 1985 offseason, he signed his first NHL level contract with the Flames.

1985-86 would see Bartel score four times with 21 assists in 75 contests with Moncton. His stay-at-home style was required for one contest in Calgary, where he recorded a minus-1 rating. After the regular season, he appeared in six postseason contests with the Flames, earning 16 penalty minutes. After the season, he signed on with the Vancouver Canucks.

Bartel played 40 games for the 1986-87 Canucks, making one assist, his only career NHL point, along with 14 penalty minutes. Through the rest of his playing career, he also made appearances with the Fredericton Express (47 games, one goal, 12 assists), the Moncton Hawks (23 games, four assists), the Milwaukee Admirals (26 games, one goal, five assists), the Medway Bears (16 games, eight goals, 19 assists), and after retiring in 1990, the St. Johns Maple Leafs for two games in 1993-94.

All-Time Statline: One game, zero goals, zero assists, minus-1 rating, zero penalty minutes, 0.00 point shares.

429. Rick Mrozik

Mrozik, a 6’2″, 218 lb. defenseman from Duluth, Minnesota, was born on January 2nd, 1975. After he scored nine goals and 38 assists in only 28 high school games his senior season, the Dallas Stars made him a sixth round draft selection, 136th overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Instead of turning pro, Mrozik decided to pursue a degree. He played four seasons of collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota at Duluth. He scored 16 goals and 51 assists for the Bulldogs over 112 contests before graduating with the Class of 1997.

Beginning in 1997-98, Mrozik played with the Portland Pirates, at the time the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. He scored six goals with 23 assists in 145 games over two seasons with the club. He later played with the Pee Dee Pride (60 games, nine goals, 19 assists), the Worchester IceCats (three games) and the Syracuse Crunch (one game).

In 2000-01, Mrozik joined the Saint John Flames, and scored five goals with 11 assists in 76 games. He also made a goal and an assist in 19 postseason contests, helping Saint John to the Calder Cup. After the season, Calgary inked him to a contract. He had two more goals with five assists in 55 games for them in 2001-02.

2002-03 would see Mrozik continue to play with Saint John (68 games, two goals, 10 assists). On April 4th, he made his NHL debut with Calgary, playing 11 minutes in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. He took two shots on goal. The next night would see him play in his last NHL game, a 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Mrozik played nine minutes and did not figure onto the scoresheet.

Mrozik played two more seasons of professional hockey after his brief NHL career, with the Rochester Americans (72 games, four goals, 10 assists), and the Edmonton Roadrunners (68 games, three goals, 18 assists).

All-Time Statline: Two games, zero goals, zero assists, even rating, zero penalty minutes, 0.00 point shares.

428. Bill Hogaboam

Hogaboam was a 5’11”, 170 lb. center from Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Born on May 9th, 1949, he played 53 games in the WCHL with the Saskatoon Blades, scoring 27 goals with 42 assists. After two seasons in the CHL with the Omaha Knights (133 games, 42 goals, 70 assists), he made his NHL debut with the then-Atlanta Flames. After just two games, the Flames traded him to the Detroit Red Wings for Leon Rochefort.

Hogaboam scored a goal in four games that season with the Detroit Red Wings, and spent most of the year with the AHL's Virginia Red Wings (50 games, 16 goals, 28 assists). In two stints with Detroit, he played 221 regular season games and scored 61 goals and 84 assists. He also played with the Minnesota North Stars (109 games, 19 goals, 25 assists).

All-Time Statline: Two games, zero goals, zero assists, even rating, zero penalty minutes, 0.00 point shares.

427. Tony Curtale

Curtaile, a 6', 185 lb. defenseman from Detroit, Michigan, was born on January 29th, 1963. In 1979-80, he played 59 games for the Brantford Alexanders in the OHA, scoring 10 goals with 35 assists. The Flames selected him in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft in the second round, with the 31st overall pick.

1980-81 would see Curtale play in 59 games with the Alexanders, ramping up his production to 14 goals and 71 helpers. He also joined the Flames for two contests, failing to impact the scoresheet other than finishing with a minus-1 rating.

Curtale played another season with the Alexanders (36 games, 17 goals, 32 assists), later playing with the Colorado Flames (128 games, 10 goals, 42 assists) and the IHL's Peoria Rivermen (192 games, 20 goals, 103 assists).

Curtale later resurfaced as the head coach of the Windsor Spitfires for two seasons in the late 1990's.

All-Time Statline: Two games, zero goals, zero assists, minus-1 rating, zero penalty minutes, 0.00 point shares.

426. Kris Chucko

On March 13th, 1986, Kris Chucko was born in Burnaby, British Columbia. He would eventually grow into a 6’2″, 198 lb. right winger with a made-for-hockey name. He played two seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks starting in 2002-03, lighting the lamp 46 times with 74 helpers over 112 contests. The Flames would select him in the first round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, with the 24th overall pick.

Instead of joining the Flames right away, Chucko played two seasons of collegiate hockey with the University of Minnesota. He had 14 goals and 20 assists in 76 games for the Golden Gophers before leaving after his sophomore season. He spent the entire 2006-07 season with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, playing in 80 games and scoring 14 goals with as many assists.

In 2007-08, Chucko had 15 goals and 15 assists with the Quad City Flames in 80 games. In 74 games with Quad City the following season, he jacked up his output to 28 goals with 23 assists. His increase in production warranted a look at the NHL level with Calgary. He played 6:39 on March 5th in his debut, earning two penalty minutes for holding as the Flames earned a 5-1 decision over the Philadelphia Flyers. He spent 7:24 on the ice the following night, in a 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

His two games at the NHL level were to be the first of many, but concussions seriously derailed Chucko's career soon thereafter. He played in a total of 43 games for the Abbotsford Heat over the next two seasons, scoring nine times with nine assists. He officially retired following the 2010-11 season.

All-Time Statline: Two games, zero goals, zero assists, even rating, two penalty minutes, 0.00 point shares.

From the forgotten to the near misses, we've got them all at Matchsticks and Gasoline. Keep on tuning in as the names gradually get more recognizable, including tomorrow's story, which includes five more bit-players on the Flames all-time stage.

by Kevin Kraczkowski