Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XCVIII: 87-85

87. Ric Nattress

Nattress was a 6’3″, 210 lb. defenseman from Hamilton, Ontario. Born on May 25th, 1962, he was selected in the second round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, 27th overall.

Nattress got his start in the OHA (and later the OHL) with the Brantford Alexanders in 1979-80. He played in 175 games, and scored 22 goals and 105 assists with 326 penalty minutes. Before making his way to Calgary, he played with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs (nine games, zero goals, four assists), the Habs (79 games, one goal, 16 assists, 36 PiM), the Sherbrooke Canadiens (72 games, eight goals, 40 assists), and the St. Louis Blues (151 games, 10 goals, 42 assists). During the 1987 offseason, the Blues traded him to Calgary for two draft choices (Andy Rymsha and Dave Lacouture).

Nattress scored twice on 48 shots for Calgary in 1987-88, with 13 assists in 63 games. He also earned a plus-14 rating and 37 penalty minutes for the 48-23-9 Flames. The team defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games then lost to the Edmonton Oilers in four in the playoffs. Nattress scored a goal with three assists.

1988-89 would see Nattress appear in 38 games for Calgary, and score a single goal on 28 shots with eight assists, a plus-12 rating and 47 penalty minutes. On March 9th, he earned two assists and finished with a season-best plus-3 rating in a 10-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames went 54-17-9, then defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven, the Kings in four, the Chicago Blackhawks in five, and the Habs in six to take their first and only Stanley Cup. Nattress earned three assists and 20 penalty minutes, appearing in every game.

In 1989-90, Nattress had another single-goal season, this time taking 65 shots. He added another 14 assists over the 49 games he played, along with a plus-14 rating and 26 penalty minutes. The Flames went 42-23-15 that season, clinching first place in the Smythe division, but fell in six games to the Los Angeles Kings. Nattress played all six games, scoring two goals on 11 shots and registered a plus-2 rating.

1990-91 was Nattress’ final season with just the Flames. He scored five goals on 81 shots over 58 games, as well as 13 assists and 63 penalty minutes. His minus-1 was the first minus rating he earned with the Flames. They went 46-28-2 that season, but fell in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. Nattress once again played all the games, scoring a goal in the loss.

1991-92 was Nattress’ final year with the Flames. He finished even, putting up five assists and 31 penalty minutes over 18 games before getting traded to the Leafs in a massive 10-player trade that saw the Flames give up Nattress, Rick Wamsley, Kent Manderville, Jamie Macoun, and Doug Gilmour for Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, Jeff Reese, and former 50-goal scorer Gary Leeman.

Nattress finished the year with the Leafs, scoring two goals, 14 assists, and 32 penalty minutes before he joined the Flyers for his final season in 1992-93. In Philadelphia he put up seven goals, 17 assists, 29 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating over 44 games before retiring.

All-Time Statline: 226 games, nine goals, 53 assists, plus-39 rating, 204 penalty minutes, 11.93 point shares.

86. Dave Moss

Moss is a 6'4", 210 lb. left winger from Livonia, Michigan. Born on December 28th, 1981, he was Calgary's seventh round selection in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, coming off the board 220th.

Moss started in the 2000-01 season, playing nine games for the NAHL's St. Louis Sting before graduating to the USHL's Cedar Rapids Roughriders. With the Roughriders he put up 20 goals and 38 points over 51 games, as well as appearing in four playoff games, registering an assist. Moss then went on to play four seasons at the University of Michigan, totalling 36 goals, 94 points, and 91 penalty minutes over 162 college games. He then spent a year in the AHL, playing for the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in 2005-06, scoring 21 goals, 48 points, 28 penalty minutes, and finishing even over 63 games.

The 2006-07 season saw Moss start back with the Knights, where he played 28 games, scoring nine goals, 21 points, and 22 penalty minutes. He got called up for his first NHL game on December 19, 2006, and never looked back. Moss scored his first goal in that game, a 5-3 victory over the LA Kings. He would total 10 goals over 70 shots that season, adding eight assists for a total of 18 points, as well as 12 penalty minutes. He finished a plus-5 over the 41 games he played, averaging 11:13 of ice time. The Flames finished with a 43-29-10 record, but fell in just six playoff games to the Detroit Red Wings. Moss played all six games, registering an assist.

2007-08 saw Moss’ scoring decline, as he only scored four goals on 60 shots, putting up a total of 11 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-4 rating over 41 games, averaging 12:24 of ice time The Flames went 42-30-10 that year before falling to the Sharks in seven playoff games, during which Moss played five, scoring a goal and an assist.

The 2008-09 season was Moss' first full one in the NHL, and his best season to date. He scored 20 goals on 194 shots, averaging 13:36 in ice time. An additional 19 assists put him at 39 points over 81 games. He also registered 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-5 rating as the Flames finished with a 46-30-6 record. Still, they were only good for six playoff games against the Blackhawks, in which Moss played all six games and scord three goals.

2009-10 once again saw Moss take a step back offensively. His 10.3% shooting percentage from the previous season dropped to 6.0%, with eight goals on 133 shots. Moss scored a total of 17 points and 20 penalty minutes with a minus-9 rating over 64 games, averaging 13:43 in ice time, and the Flames finished with a 40-32-10 record and out of the playoffs.

In 2010-11, Moss picked it back up as his shooting percentage fluctuated up to 13.4%. He scored 17 goals over 127 shots, and another 13 assists gave him 30 points over the 58 games he played that season. He averaged 13:41 in ice time, and finished with a positive rating for the first time since his rookie season at plus-9. He also had 18 penalty minutes over the year. The Flames finished with a 41-29-12 record, and once again were out of the playoffs.

The 2011-12 season was Moss’ final one with the Flames. His shooting percentage plummeted to just 2.4% as he only scored two goals on 82 shots. He finished the year playing just 32 games, putting up nine points, 12 penalty minutes, and a minus-3 rating over an average of 14:01 in ice time. The Flames ended the year with a 37-29-16 record and Moss, a free agent, was not brought back. He signed with the Phoenix Coyotes and over the last two seasons has scored 13 goals and 42 points for them over 124 games.

All-Time Statline: 317 games, 61 goals, 63 assists, minus-7 rating, 94 penalty minutes, 12.20 point shares.

85. Rey Comeau

Comeau, born on October 25th, 1948, was a 5'8", 170 lb. center from Montreal, Quebec. He spent two seasons in the Quebec Junior Hockey League, scoring 151 points, and played a game in the CHL before joining the AHL's Cleveland Barons. He spent three seasons with the Barons, putting up 147 points over 183 games before joining the Montreal, and then Nova Scotia, Voyageurs. Over that time he played another 97 games, putting up another 87 points. He finished the 1971-72 season by playing four games for the Montreal Canadiens.

In 1972, Comeau, alongside Lynn Powis, was traded to the Atlanta Flames for a 1973 second round pick and cash. Comeau played 77 games for the 1972-73 Flames, scoring 21 goals on 146 shots, and adding another 21 assists for 42 points over 77 games. He amassed 19 penalty minutes as well. The Flames finished the year with a 25-38-15 record.

Comeau's shooting percentage fell the following year, as in the 1973-74 season he only scored 11 goals off of 130 shots. He amassed 34 points over 78 games, helping the Flames to a 30-34-17 record and into the playoffs, where they lost four straight to the Philadelphia Flyers. Comeau played in all four playoff games, scoring two goals and an assist.

The 1974-75 season saw an uptick for Comeau, scoring 14 goals over 116 shots. An additional 20 assists put him up at 34 points over 75 games, and his 40 penalty minutes were the most he'd recorded yet. The Flames, however, were once again out of the playoffs, only managing a 34-31-15 record.

1975-76 was Comeau's best season since his rookie year with the Flames. He scored 17 goals on 124 shots, and finished with 39 points over 79 games. He also set a career high in penalty minutes with 42. The Flames finished with a 35-33-12 record and played two playoff games against the LA Kings, both of which they lost. Comeau did not play in either game.

The 1976-77 season saw Comeau reach a career high in games played with 80. Over those 80 games he scored 15 goals over 133 shots. He finished the season with 15 goals, 33 points, and 16 penalty minutes, helping the Flames to a 34-34-12 record. The Flames played three playoff games that season, eventually falling 2-1 to the Kings once again. Comeau played in all three games, but only registered two penalty minutes.

The 1977-78 season was Comeau's final with the Flames. He played 79 games, scoring just 10 goals on 114 shots. His 22 assists brought him up to 32 points on the season, and he amassed 20 penalty minutes. The Flames finished that year with 34-27-19 record, and fell to the Red Wings in two playoff games, during which Comeau did not register anything on the scoresheet.

In the 1978 off-season Comeau joined the Colorado Rockies as a free agent. He played two more seasons in the NHL, scoring 25 points over 92 games with the Rockies, before closing out his hockey career with the CHL's Fort Worth Texans over the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.

All-Time Statline: 468 games, 88 goals, 126 assists, plus-10 rating, 153 penalty minutes, 12.22 point shares.

by Kevin Kraczkowski