Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XXXVII: 350-346

350. Ron Sutter

Sutter was a 6', 180 lb. center from Viking, Alberta. Born on December 2nd, 1963, he played three seasons of junior hockey with the WHL's Lethridge Broncos, scoring 86 goals and 134 assists with 457 penalty minutes in 189 games. He was selected in the first round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, fourth overall.

Sutter, one of six brothers to have played in the NHL, spent his first nine professional seasons with the Flyers (555 games, 137 goals, 222 assists, 854 PiM). He would later make appearances with the St. Louis Blues (163 games, 37 goals, 54 assists, 236 PiM), the Quebec Nordiques (37 games, nine goals, 13 assists, 44 PiM), the New York Islanders (27 games, one goal, four assists, 21 PiM), the Boston Bruins (18 games, five goals, seven assists, 24 PiM), and the San Jose Sharks (272 games, 15 goals, 26 assists, 161 PiM).

On February 16th, 2001, the Flames signed Sutter to a free agent contract. He played 21 games with Calgary to close out the 2000-01 season, averaging almost 12 minutes per appearance. He would light the lamp once on 16 shots with three assists and 12 penalty minutes. On March 22nd, he scored a goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory over the Flyers. He retired following the season, and spent the next few years working as a scout in Calgary's system.

All-Time Statline: 21 games, one goal, three assists, plus-4 rating, 12 penalty minutes, 0.31 point shares.

349. Shane O'Brien

O'Brien is a 6'3", 230 lb. defenseman from Port Hope, Ontario. Born on the 9th of August, 1983, he played three OHL seasons between the Kingston Frontenacs and the Toronto St. Michael's Majors, totaling 190 games with 28 goals and 61 assists with 429 minutes in the box. After his time there, he was selected in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, with the 250th overall pick.

O'Brien played three full AHL seasons before making his debut at North American Hockey's top level, between the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (137 games, seven goals, 28 assists, 482 PiM) and the Portland Pirates (77 games, eight goals, 33 assists, 287 PiM).

After scoring two goals with 12 assists and 140 penalty minutes in 62 games for Anaheim, O'Brien later played with the Tampa Bay Lightning (96 games, four goals, 19 assists, 190 PiM), the Vancouver Canucks (141 games, two goals, 16 assists, 275 PiM), the Nashville Predators (80 games, two goals, seven assists, 83 PiM), and the Colorado Avalanche (104 games, three goals, 21 assists, 165 PiM). He signed with the Flames prior to the 2013-14 season.

O'Brien played 45 games with the Flames from the start of the season until late January. He didn't score any goals, taking 16 shots and earning 58 penalty minutes. His first point with the team, an assist, came in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on October 17th. He would total three assists with a minus-8 rating while playing a career low 11:16 per game. He suited up with the Abbotsford Heat afterward, for his first AHL appearance since 2006, scoring three times with five assists in 31 games. He is signed through next season with the club with a $2,200,000 cap hit.

All-Time Statline: 45 games, zero goals, three assists, minus-8 rating, 58 penalty minutes, 0.31 point shares.

348. Mike Leclerc

Leclerc was a 6'1", 205 lb. left winger from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Born on November 10th, 1976, he earned his chops at the junior level in the WHL, playing with the Victoria/FPrince George Cougars and the Brandon Wheat Kings. He totaled 58 goals and 66 assists in 206 games through his first four seasons in the league. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks selected him in the third round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft with the 55th overall pick. He would play one more season with the Wheat Kings, increasing his numbers to 58 goals and 53 assists with 161 penalty minutes in 71 games.

Leclerc's first three professional seasons were spent mostly in the AHL, between the Baltimore Bandits (71 games, 29 goals, 27 assists, 134 PiM) and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (113 games, 43 goals, 50 assists, 236 PiM). He also scored a goal and an assist in 19 games with Anaheim during that time. He joined the Ducks' NHL roster for good starting in 1999-00, and would play in 272 more games for the team over the next five seasons, with 53 markers and 77 helpers. This includes a 20 goal campaign in 2001-02.

After a trade to the Phoenix Coyotes prior to the 2005-06 season, Leclerc scored nine times with 12 assists in 35 games in the desert. On Groundhog's Day, 2006, Phoenix traded him with Brian Boucher to the Flames for Steve Reinprecht and Philippe Suave. In 15 games, he scored once on 21 shots with four assists and an even rating. On March 2nd, he had two assists in a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. He tallied his lone goal on March 16th, in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

All-Time Statline: 15 games, one goal, four assists, even rating, eight penalty minutes, 0.32 point shares.

347. Mike Commodore

Commodore was a 6'4", 227 lb. defenseman from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Born on November 7th, 1979, he played with the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux for three seasons beginning in 1997-98. He had 10 goals and 20 assists with 382 penalty minutes in 106 contests. The New Jersey Devils drafted him in the second round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft with the 42nd overall pick.

Commodore spent two seasons in the Devils' organization with the Albany River Rats (55 games, two goals, eight assists, 90 PiM) and the Devils (57 games, one goal, five assists, 44 PiM). He played 61 games for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in 2002-03, scoring twice with nine assists. The Ducks traded him to the Flames with Jean-Francois Damphousse for Rob Niedermayer on March 11th.

Commodore had three assists and 18 penalty minutes in seven games for the Saint John Flames to close the 2002-03 season. He also appeared in six games for Calgary. He took five shots on goal, earned 19 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating. He scored his only point that season on April 4th, an assist in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

In 2003-04, Commodore appeared in 37 games for the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters, scoring five times with 11 assists. Once February started, he joined the Flames for 12 regular season games. He took 10 shots on goal, but didn't earn any points, with 25 penalty minutes and a minus-4 rating in just over 15 minutes per match. He would also play in 20 of Calgary's 26 playoff contests that season, dishing out two helpers in the Flames opening round victory over the Vancouver Canucks, but not figuring into the scoring afterward.

During the 2005 offseason, the Flames traded Commodore to the Carolina Hurricanes for a third round pick. After his time with the 'canes (195 games, 13 goals, 41 assists, 325 PiM), he would also play with the Ottawa Senators (26 games, two assists, 26 PiM), the Columbus Blue Jackets (158 games, nine goals, 32 assists, 206 PiM), the Detroit Red Wings (17 games, two assists, 21 PiM), and the Tampa Bay Lightning (13 games, 17 PiM). He spent last season with the Vladivostok Admiral in the KHL (27 games, two goals, two assists).

All-Time Statline: 18 games, zero goals, one assist, minus-2 rating, 44 penalty minutes, 0.34 point shares.

346. Claude Lapointe

Lapointe, a native of Lachine, Quebec, was born on October 11th, 1968. He grew into a 5'9", 188 lb. QMJHL center beginning in 1985-86, between the Trois Rivieres Draveurs (142 games, 66 goals, 95 assists 197 PiM) and Laval Titan (132 games, 69 goals, 155 assists, 301 PiM). The Quebec Nordiques selected him in the 12th round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, with the 234th overall pick.

Lapointe played the next season and a half with the Halifax Citadels (106 games, 35 goals, 36 assists, 97 PiM). He then joined the Quebec Nordiques for the rest of the 1990-91 season as well as the next four. He scored 40 times with 73 assists in 253 games for the club, with 299 penalty minutes. After three games in 1995-96 with the "new" Colorado Avalanche, they sent him on to the Flames for a seventh round pick.

Lapointe had five goals and three assists in 12 games for the Saint John Flames. More importantly for Calgary, he played in 32 games for the parent club. He scored four times on 44 shots with five helpers, a plus-2 rating, and 20 penalty minutes. He scored a goal in his first game, a 4-4 tie with the Vancouver Canucks on November 4th. On December 13th, he tallied two assists in an 8-2 blowout over the Dallas Stars. He had a goal and an assist on April 12th in a 6-0 blanking of the San Jose Sharks.

During the 1996 offseason, the New York Islanders signed Lapointe to a free agent contract. He would play seven seasons with the club, playing in 535 games and scoring 76 goals with 95 assists and 354 penalty minutes, along with a very suspicious minus-76 rating. He would appear in parts of two seasons for the Philadelphia Flyers to close out his NHL career (56 games, seven goals, five assists 48 PiM).

All-Time Statline: 32 games, four goals, five assists, plus-2 rating, 20 penalty minutes, 0.38 point shares.