Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XC: 111-109

111. Anton Babchuk

Babchuk, a 6'5", 200 lb. defenseman, was born on May 6th, 1984 in Kiev, Ukraine. The Chicago Blackhawks chose him in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, with the 21st overall selection. After getting picked, he split the 2002-03 campaign between the Kazan Ak-Bars (10 games, zero points) and St. Petersburg SKA (20 games, three goals).

In 2003-04, Babchuk made the jump to North America, spending the majority of the season with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals (73 games, eight goals, 14 assists), also getting a five game look with Chicago (zero goals, two assists). He played in 90 more games with the Admirals over the next two campaigns (13 goals, 23 assists), joining the Blackhawks for 17 more games in 2005-06 (two goals, three assists).

Babchuk was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the middle of the 2005-06 season. He played with the Canes for parts of four seasons (163 games, 24 goals, 38 assists), also appearing with the Lowell Lock Monsters (five games, one goal, three assists), the Albany River Rats (nine games, one goal, six assists), and Omsk Avangard (106 games, 18 goals, 28 assists).

Babchuk was traded from the Canes to the Flames on November 17th, 2010 with Tom Kostopoulos for Ian White and Brett Sutter. Despite not joining the Flames until the second month of the season, 2010-11 would be Babchuk’s most complete season with Calgary. He played in 65 games, skating for 15:37 per appearance and scoring eight markers on 87 shots. He also tallied a team-ninth 19 assists, a team-best plus-18 rating, and 20 penalty minutes. On February 9th, he scored a goal with two assists in a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators. Valentine’s Day would see him score the eventual game winning marker in a 9-1 lambasting of the Colorado Avalanche. The Flames completed the season with a 41-29-12 record, ending up just three points shy of the eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks.

2011-12 would see Babchuk average 14:29 in 32 games for the Flames. He lit the lamp twice on 48 shots with eight assists, a plus-2 rating, and six penalty minutes. He netted the game winner on April 7th as the Flames set down the Anaheim Ducks, 5-2. Calgary went 37-29-16, falling five points short of the playoffs.

In 2012-13, Babchuk played the first part of the season with Donbass HC (31 games, one goal, two assists), as the NHL had locked out the players through late January. When play resumed, he totaled one assist in seven games for Calgary, with a minus-1 rating in 11:51 per contest. It was his last NHL appearance to date.

Babchuk spent 2013-14 with Ufa Salavat Yalayev (54 games, three goals, nine assists).

All-Time Statline: 104 games, 10 goals, 28 assists, plus-19 rating, 26 penalty minutes, 8.59 point shares.

110. Charlie Bourgeois

Bourgeois was a 6'4", 223 lb. defenseman. Born in Moncton, New Brunswick on November 19th, 1959, he found himself playing at the college level with the University of Moncton in 1980-81, where he scored eight goals with 23 assists in 24 games. He signed a free agent contract with the Flames in April, 1981.

Bourgeois would never appear in more games for the Flames than he did in 1981-82, playing 54 times. He scored two goals on 33 shots with a career high 13 assists, a team-fourth plus-5 rating, and a team-third 112 penalty minutes. Calgary finished at 29-34-17, but lost three straight to the Vancouver Canucks to open the playoffs with a series loss. Bourgeois earned seven penalty minutes without making a point. He also scored two goals and two assists in 13 games with the CHL’s Oklahoma City Stars.

In 1982-83, Bourgeois played most of the season with the Flames’ new CHL affiliate, the Colorado Flames (51 games, 10 goals, 18 assists, 128 PiM). In 15 appearances north of the border, he totaled two goals on 11 shots, with three assists, a minus-4 rating and 21 penalty minutes. The Flames finished below .500, at 32-34-14, but parlayed their low seed into a second round appointment after dispatching the Canucks in four. They lost in five to the Edmonton Oilers.

1983-84 would see Bourgeois again spend the majority of the playing season in the CHL with Colorado (54 games, 12 goals, 32 assists). He appeared with Calgary for 17 contests, scoring a single goal on 20 shots with three assists, an even rating, and 35 penalty minutes. The club closed their 34-32-14 season with a first round victory over the Canucks, three-games-to-one. The Oilers took the full seven to eradicate the Flames in round two. Bourgeois earned one assist with 27 penalty minutes while appearing in eight of Calgary’s 11 contests.

For the first time, Bourgeois spent the entire season at the NHL level with the Flames in 1984-85. He appeared 47 times, and totaled two markers on 38 shots with 10 assists, a team-sixth plus-14 rating, and a Flames-second 134 penalty minutes. For the fourth time in four seasons, the Flames improved on their regular season record, pushing the tally to 41-27-12 and a third place finish in the Smythe Division. Calgary lost in four games to the Winnipeg Jets. Bourgeois spent 17 minutes in the penalty box, appearing in each of the playoff matchups.

In 1985-86, Bourgeois scored five goals on only 30 shots for Calgary in 29 games. He added five assists, a plus-9 rating, and a team-eighth 128 penalty minutes. On February 1st, the Flames traded him to the St. Louis Blues with Eddy Beers and Gino Cavallini for Joe Mullen, Terry Johnson and Rik Wilson.

Bourgeois played parts of three seasons with the Blues (127 games, four goals, 20 assists), also appearing with the Hartford Whalers (one game), their AHL affiliate in Binghampton (76 games, nine goals, 35 assists, 239 PiM), Paris AV (France, 36 gaems, 17 goals, 21 assists), and the Moncton Hawks (three games, one assist). He currently operates a summer hockey school in his hometown of Moncton.

All-Time Statline: 162 games, 12 goals, 34 assists, plus-24 rating, 430 penalty minutes, 8.73 point shares.

109. Roger Johansson

Johansson, a native of Ljungby, Sweden, was born on April 17th, 1967. The 6’1", 190 lb. defenseman was chosen in the fourth round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by Calgary, 80th overall. He then played three seasons in the Swedish Elite League with Farjestads BK Karlstad (95 games, 14 goals, 37 assists), ending in 1988-89.

1989-90 would see Johansson play 35 games in his first taste of NHL action. He went scoreless on 23 shots with five assists, a plus-9 rating, and 48 penalty minutes. He helped the Flames go 42-23-15 and earn the Smythe Division title, their third in a row. They lost the Division Semi-Finals in six games to the Los Angeles Kings.

In 1990-91, Johansson appeared in 38 Calgary contests, and score four times on 41 shots with 13 assists, a plus-9 rating and 47 penalty minutes. On October 21st, he scored his first NHL goal in a 6-4 loss to the Kings. On January 22nd, he scored a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The very next night, he dished out two assists in another loss, a 5-4 affair to the Hartford Whalers. The Flames posted a 46-26-8 record before dropping the opening round of the postseason to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games. He spent the following season with Leksands IF in Sweden (22 games, three goals, nine assists).

Johansson played in a career high and team-seventh 77 games in 1992-93. He scored four goals on 101 shots, with a team-10th 16 assists, a team-sixth plus-13 rating, and 62 penalty minutes. He tabbed two assists in a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota North Stars on October 13th, duplicating the trick on October 28th in a 7-5 win against the Winnipeg Jets. Calgary finished the season with a 43-30-11 record, then lost in the opening round of the playoffs in six games to the Kings. Johansson had one assist in five appearances.

Johansson spent the next season and a half back in Leksands (45 games, six goals, 15 assists). He scored one goal in 11 games for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1994-95 before playing another six seasons with Farjestads (239 games, 42 goals, 76 assists).

All-Time Statline: 150 games, eight goals, 34 assists, plus-31 rating, 157 penalty minutes, 9.15 point shares.