Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter LXXXIV: 132-129

132. Igor Kravchuk

Kravchuk, a 6’1", 205 lb. defenseman from Ufa, Russia, was born on September 13th, 1966. He played five seasons with Ufa Salavat Yalayev starting in 1982-83, between their top club and the second team. In a total of 123 games, he totaled seven goals and seven assists. He then played five seasons with CSKA Moscow, scoring 14 goals and 28 assists in 188 games. The Chicago Blackhawks selected him in the fourth round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft with the 71st overall pick.

Kravchuk didn’t spend any time in North America’s minor league system, instead joining the Blackhawks soon after signing in late February, 1992. Although he was never considered much of a scorer, he scored the game winner in his NHL debut on the 27th, as Chicago defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2. He scored seven times with 17 helpers in 56 contests. He later played with the Edmonton Oilers (160 games, 27 goals, 61 assists), the St. Louis Blues (122 games, seven goals, 36 assists), and the Ottawa Senators (239 games, 19 goals, 65 assists). Ottawa waived him near the start of the 2000-01 season, and the Flames claimed him on November 10th.

Kravchuk was held off the board while appearing in 37 games for Calgary through the rest of the season, on 54 shots. He earned eight assists, a minus-12 rating, and only four penalty minutes in 23:43 per game. His time on ice was second only to fellow blue-liner Derek Morris, who averaged 25:51 per game. Calgary finished up the season at 27-36-15-4.

In 2001-02, Kravchuck played in a team-fifth 78 contests, skating for 18:32 per appearance. He scored four goals on 135 shots with a team-fifth 22 assists, a minus-8 rating, and 52 penalty minutes. 15 of his assists came on the power play, ranking him third on the team. On October 10th, he scored the game winning goal with an assist in a 4-2 win over the Red Wings. On March 11th, he earned two assists in a 3-3 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flames again missed the playoffs by posting a 32-35-12-3 record.

Kravchuk didn't appear with anyone on the ice until March 11th, 2003, when he signed a free agent contract to finish out the season with the Florida Panthers. He earned one assist in seven games.

All-Time Statline: 115 games, four goals, 30 assists, minus-9 rating, 23 penalty minutes, 6.40 point shares.

131. Jamie Huscroft

Huscroft, born on January 9th, 1967, was a 6’2", 200 lb. defenseman from Creston, British Columbia. He spent four seasons in the WHL, between the Portland Winter Hawks (18 games, zero goals, five assists, 15 PiM), the Seattle Breakers (114 games, three goals, 20 assists, 335 PiM), the Seattle Thunderbirds (87 games, seven goals, 38 assists, 493 PiM), and the Medicine Hat Tigers (14 games, three goals, three assists, 71 PiM). The New Jersey Devils chose him in the ninth round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 171st overall.

Before his time with the Flames, Huscroft appeared with the Utica Devils (243 games, 17 goals, 45 assists, 1,216 PiM), the Flint Spirits (three games, one goal, zero assists, two PiM), the Devils (65 games, two goals, six assists, 227 PiM), the Providence Bruins (101 games, three goals, 25 assists, 414 PiM), Boston Bruins (70 games, zero goals, seven assists, 247 PiM), and the Fresno Falcons (three games, one goal, one assist, 24 PiM).

Huscroft signed with Calgary through free agency during 1995’s training camp. He ended up playing in 70 contests with the Flames and scoring three times on 57 shots in 1995-96. He added nine helpers, a team-third plus-14 rating, and a team-second 162 penalty minutes. On December 26th, he tallied the game winning marker as the Flames downed the Vancouver Canucks, 4-2. The Flames med the playoffs at 34-37-11, but lost four straight to the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round. Huscroft had an assist in four contests.

In 1996-97, Huscroft went scoreless on 33 shots over 39 games for the Flames. He added four assists, a team-second best plus-2 rating, and 117 penalty minutes. Calgary was no great shakes that season, and unloaded Huscroft on March 18th, trading him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Tyler Moss. The Flames went on to post a 32-41-9 record and miss the postseason.

Huscroft played with the Bolts for parts of two seasons (57 games, zero goals, four assists, 156 PiM), later playing with the Vancouver Canucks (33 games, zero goals, two assists, 118 PiM), the Phoenix Coyotes (11 games, zero goals, one assist, 27 PiM), and the Washington Capitals (seven games, zero goals, zero assists, 11 PiM).

All-Time Statline: 109 games, three goals, 13 assists, plus-16 rating, 279 penalty minutes, 6.44 point shares.

130. Dennis Wideman

Wideman is a 6’, 200 lb. defenseman from Kitchener, Ontario. Born on the 20th of March, 1983, he played five full seasons in the OHL, between the Sudbury Wolves (88 games, 17 goals, 37 assists, 101 PiM) and the London Knights (204 games, 79 goals, 118 assists, 347 PiM). The Buffalo Sabres selected him in the eighth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 241st overall.

Wideman made the jump to the pros in 2004-05, but with the NHL season cancelled, he spent the entire season with the Peoria Rivermen in the AHL, scoring 13 goals and 30 assists. He later played with the St. Louis Blues (122 games, 13 goals, 33 assists, 127 PiM), the Boston Bruins (256 games, 33 goals, 86 assists, 165 PiM), the Florida Panthers (61 games, nine goals, 24 assists, 33 PiM), and the Washington Capitals (96 games, 12 goals, 41 assists, 52 PiM).

When the 2011-12 season came to an end, Wideman was traded by the Caps to the Flames for Jordan Henry and a fifth round pick (Tucker Poolman). 2012-13 would see him rank fourth on the club with 46 appearances, skating for a team second-highest 25:01 per game (Jay Bouwmeester played 25:10 per night). He ranked ninth on the club with six markers, scored on 94 shots. He had a team-fifth 16 assists, a minus-9 rating, and 12 penalty minutes. On February 5th, he scored a goal with an assist in a 4-1 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings. He tallied the game winner on April 13th, as the Flames dropped the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1. Calgary finished at 19-25-4.

In 2013-14, Wideman again appeared in 46 contests. He scored four times on 102 shots, with a team-ninth 17 assists, a minus-15 rating and 18 penalty minutes. On October 26th, he earned two assists and finished at a nearly impossible plus-5 in a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals. On February 6th, he scored a goal with an assist in a 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. Wideman spent December, April, and most of March on the injured list, as the Flames finished 35-40-7. He is entering the third-year of a five-year, $26,250,000 contract with Calgary.

All-Time Statline: 92 games, 10 goals, 33 assists, minus-24 rating, 30 penalty minutes, 6.53 point shares.

129. Rob Ramage

Ramage, born on January 11th, 1959, was a 6’2", 210 lb. defenseman from Byron, Ontario. He first gained notice with the OHA’s London Knights, playing three seasons with them starting in 1975-76. He scored 44 goals and 136 assists with 452 penalty minutes in 189 games. In 1978-79, he joined the WHA’s Birmingham Bulls for 80 games, and scored 12 goals with 36 assists in his first "professional" season. After the WHA folded and the Bulls became the Atlanta Flames’ CHL affiliate, the Colorado Rockies (later the New Jersey Devils) selected him with the first selection in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft.

Ramage played three seasons with Colorado (234 games, 41 goals, 91 assists, 529 PiM), later spending five and a half seasons with the St. Louis Blues (441 games, 67 goals, 229 assists, 898 PiM). On March 7th, the Blues traded him with Rick Wamsley for Brett Hull and Steve Bozek. He was a four-time all-star the day he joined Calgary.

Ramage played 12 games with the Flames to close out the 1987-88 season. He scored one time on 12 shots with six assists, a team-ninth plus-16 rating and 37 penalty minutes. On March 9th, he had two assists in a 6-6 tie with the Winnipeg Jets. The Flames finished first in the Smythe Division with a 48-23-9 record. Calgary defeated the Edmonton Oilers in four games before losing in five to the Los Angeles Kings. Ramage appeared in each game, scoring a goal with three assists.

In 1988-89, Ramage played in 68 games. He scored three goals on 91 shots with 13 assists, a team-ninth plus-26 rating, and a team-sixth 156 penalty minutes. On November 5th, he dished out three assists and finished the game with a plus-4 rating as Calgary defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 9-0. The Flames closed the season with a 54-17-9 record, and defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven, the Los Angeles Kings in four, the Chicago Blackhawks in five, and the Montreal Canadiens in six to take the franchises’ first ever Stanley Cup. Ramage appeared in 20 of Calgary’s 22 postseason contests, scoring once and dishing out a team-third tying 11 assists.

After winning the cup, the Flames traded Ramage to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second round pick (Kent Manderville). He played with the Leafs (160 games, 18 goals, 66 assists, 375 PiM), the Minnesota North Stars (34 gmaes, four goals, five assists, 69 PiM), the Tampa Bay Lightning (66 games, five goals, 12 assists, 138 PiM), the Montreal Canadiens (14 games, zero goals, two assists, 10 PiM), and the Philadelphia Flyers (15 games, zero goals, one assist, 14 PiM).

Ramage is currently finishing up a four-year prison sentence for a drunk driving incident which killed former Chicago Blackhawk Keith Magnuson.

All-Time Statline: 80 games, four goals, 19 assists, plus-42 rating, 193 penalty minutes, 6.62 point shares.