Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter LXVI: 205-201

205. Chris O'Sullivan

O’Sullivan was a 6’2", 200 lb. defenseman from Dorchester, Massachusetts. Born on May 15th, 1974, he played three seasons with Boston University starting in 1992-93 (82 games, 35 goals, 69 assists, 102 PiM). Before suiting up for the Terriers, the Flames chose him in the second round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, 30th overall.

O’Sullivan evenly split his first professional season between the AHL and the NHL level, between the Saint John Flames (29 games, three goals, 11 assists) and Calgary in 1996-97. On October 6th, he scored the game winner in his second NHL appearance, opening the scoring in an eventual 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. On October 11th, he assisted on both of Calgary’s markers in a 2-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings. Overall, he appeared in 27 contests for the Flames, scoring twice on 41 shots and dishing out eight assists with an even rating and a single minor penalty.

In 1997-98, O’Sullivan scored four goals with 10 assists in 32 contests with Saint John. He added two markers and 17 assists in 21 postseason games with the club. He joined Calgary for four weeks starting on November 27th, appearing in 12 contests and failing to score despite averaging a shot per game. He managed to contribute two assists, 10 penalty minutes, and a plus-4 rating.

1998-99 would see O’Sullivan spend 41 games with Saint John, and score seven goals with 29 helpers. He resurfaced with Calgary in February, and ultimately played in 10 games with them, again averaging one shot per game and failing to light the lamp. He made one assist, a minus-1 rating, and earned two minutes in the box in an average of 9:07 per game. The Flames traded him to the New York Rangers for Lee Sorochan on March 23rd.

O’Sullivan never appeared for the Rangers. He later played with the Hartford Wolf Pack (10 games, one goal, four assists), the Vancouver Canucks (11 games, zero goals, five assists), the Syracuse Crunch (59 games, 18 goals, 47 assists), the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (87 games, 11 goals, 53 assists), Kloten (Swiss, 39 games, seven goals, 16 assists), and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (two games, zero goals, one assist). He currently finds employment as a police officer in Boston.

All-Time Statline: 49 games, two goals, 11 assists, plus-5 rating, 14 penalty minutes, 2.90 point shares.

204. Dwight Bialowas

Bialowas was the Atlanta Flames first ever second round selection, 18th overall in 1972. He was a 6’2", 190 lb. defenseman from Regina, Saskatchewan. He played two seasons with the Regina Pats in the WCHL (124 games, 24 goals, 68 assists).

Born on September 8th, 1952, Bialowas made his professional debut with the Flames first minor league affiliate, the Omaha Knights for the 1972-73 season. He spent the entire year in Nebraska and scored 11 goals with 24 assists in 70 contests. The following season would see him play at three levels of the Flames organization, with the Knights in the CHL (30 games, six goals, 12 assists), the Nova Scotia Voyageurs in the AHL (four games, one goal, zero assists), and Atlanta. He took three shots on goal over 11 appearances, registered a minus-6 rating and earned two penalty minutes.

In 1974-75, Bialowas did not make any starts below the NHL level. The first half of the season would see him play in 37 games for the Flames, and score three goals on 42 shots with nine assists, a plus-3 rating, and 20 penalty minutes. Atlanta traded him to the Minnesota North Stars with Dean Talafous for Barry Gibbs on January 3rd.

Bialowas would play also play with the New Haven Nighthawks (56 games, five goals, 26 assists) during his time in the Minnesota organization, also plain 116 games for the North Stars (eight goals, 37 assists). He last appeared on the ice with the CHL’s Fort Worth Texans (62 games, six goals, 21 assists) in 1977-78.

All-Time Statline: 48 games, three goals, nine assists, minus-3 rating, 22 penalty minutes, 2.92 point shares.

203. Scott Hannan

Hannan, a 6’1", 221 lb. defenseman, was born on January 23rd, 1979 in Richmond, British Columbia. He was the first round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 1997, 23rd off the board.

Hannan got his start at the Junior Level in the WHL with the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets, scoring 46 goals with 91 assists in 235 contests over parts of five seasons. Aside from 43 games with the Kentucky Thoroughblades (five goals, 12 assists), he hasn’t appeared in the minor leagues.

Before joining the Flames, Hannan played with the Sharks (508 games, 25 goals, 102 assists, 331 PiM), the Colorado Avalanche (267 games, five goals, 48 assists, 127 PiM), and the Washington Capitals (55 games, one goal, four assists, 28 PiM). On August 13th, 2011, he signed a contract with the Flames through free agency.

2011-12 would see Hannan become a mainstay on Calgary’s blueline. He averaged 20:21 per game mostly between the first and second pairing over 78 contests. He lit the lamp twice on 49 shots with 10 helpers and a minus-10 rating with 38 penalty minutes. On October 8th, he earned an assist in his first match with the Flames, a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. His first goal happened a week later in a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the season, the Nashville Predators signed him through free agency.

Hannan played a season with Nashville (29 games, zero goals, one assist), later signing on with the San Jose Sharks (60 games, three goals, nine assists).

All-Time Statline: 78 games, two goals, 10 assists, minus-10 rating, 38 penalty minutes, 2.94 point shares.

202. Steve Smith

Smith, born April 30th, 1963 in Glasgow, Scotland, was a 6’3", 215 lb. defenseman. He was chosen in the sixth round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, 111th overall. He played three seasons with the OHL’s London Knights (170 games, 20 goals, 83 assists, 481 PiM).

From 1982-83 through 1985-86, Smith played with the AHL’s Moncton Alpines (66 games, one goal, eight assists, 176 PiM), the AHL’s Nova Scotia Oilers (72 games, two goals, 30 assists, 172 PiM), and Edmonton (57 games, four goals, 20 assists, 168 PiM).

1986-87 would see Smith play his first of five complete seasons with the Oilers (328 games, 42 goals, 146 assists, 912 PiM), and would later play six years with the Chicago Blackhawks (317 games, 25 goals, 111 assists, 920 PiM).

Smith’s most significant contribution to Calgary may have been before he even joined the club:

On August 17th, 1998, Smith signed as a free agent with the Flames. 1998-99 would see Smith play in 69 games for Calgary. He dished out 14 assists (team ninth) in a blueline leading 22:33 per game, also earning a team fourth 80 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating. He scored his only goal with the team on December 14th, in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. On January 28th, he earned two assists in a 6-6 tie with the Chicago Blackhawks. He repeated the accomplishment on February 22nd, when he dished out two assists in a 6-2 victory over the Rangers.

In 1999-00, Smith appeared in 20 games for the Flames, averaging 21:07 per game  and going scoreless with four assists and 10 empty shots on goal. He posted a minus-13 rating and earned 42 penalty minutes before taking a neck injury in a match against the Los Angeles Kings on January 12th. The next season would see him play in 13 contests at a clip of 18 minutes per game. He took three shots on goal, earned two assists, a minus-2 rating, and 17 penalty minutes before announcing his retirement on December 7th. He became an assistant coach with the Oilers in 2010.

All-Time Statline: 102 games, one goal, 20 assists, minus-12 rating, 139 penalty minutes, 2.96 point shares.

201. Richie Dunn

Dunn, born on May 12th, 1957 in Boston, Massachusetts, was a 6’, 195 lb. defenseman. He played three junior seasons between the Kingston Canadians (112 games, seven goals, 19 assists) and the Windsor Spitfires (65 games, five goals, 21 assists, 98 PiM).

Dunn made his professional debut between the Hershey Bears (54 games, seven goals, 22 assists) and the Buffalo Sabres (25 games, zero goals, three assists) in 1977-78. He remained with the Sabres for the four seasons following as well (255 games, 21 goals, 95 assists). On June 9th, 1982, the Sabres traded him with Don Edwards and two draft choices (Richard Kromm and Dan Quinn) to the Flames for four draft choices (Paul Cyr, Jens Johansson, Normand Lacombe, and John Tucker).

1982-83 would be Dunn’s only season with the Flames. He was one of six players to appear in all 80 contests with Calgary. He scored three times (including one game winner) on 88 shots with 11 assists, a minus-4 rating, and 47 penalty minutes. After the season, the Flames traded him with Joel Quenneville to the Hartford Whalers for Mickey Volcan.

Dunn spent two seasons with the Whalers (77 games, six goals, 24 assists), playing most of a year during that time with the Binghampton Whalers (64 games, nine goals, 39 assists). The next five seasons would see him split his time between the Rochester Americans (276 games, 40 goals, 120 assists) and the Sabres (47 games, six goals, seven assists).

All-Time Statline: 80 games, three goals, 11 assists, minus-4 rating, 47 penalty minutes, 3.00 point shares.