Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XCIII: 102-100

102. Jean Lemieux

Lemieux was born on May 31st, 1952 in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. The 6’1", 175 lb. defenseman played three seasons at the junior level with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Castors (177 games, 45 goals, 110 assists). The brand new Atlanta Flames chose him in the third round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, with the 34th overall selection.

In 1972-73, Lemieux played in the CHL with the Omaha Knights, scoring 10 goals and 32 assists in 64 contests. The following season would see him spend 24 games with the AHL’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs, scoring three goals and seven assists. He also made his NHL debut with the Flames, scoring three goals on 58 shots with five assists in 32 games. He posted a minus-4 rating and earned six minutes in the penalty box as the Flames finished at 30-34-14. The Flames first trip to the postseason would see them lose four straight to the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round. Lemieux had a goal and an assist in three games.

Lemieux played in a career high and Flames-seventh 75 games in 1974-75. He scored three goals on 140 shots with a team-fifth 24 assists, a minus-3 rating, and 19 penalty minutes. Atlanta finished with a winning record for the first time in their brief history, at 34-31-15.

In 1975-76, Lemieux played 33 games for the Flames, with four goals on 51 shots along with nine assists, a plus-4 rating and 10 penalty minutes. On January 22nd, the Flames traded him with Gerry Meehan and a draft pick (Greg Carroll) to the Washington Capitals for Bill Clement.

Lemieux played the rest of the season with the Caps (33 games, six goals, 14 assists). He played the next three seasons between the Springfield Indians (65 games, 17 goals, 28 assists), the Caps (31 games, seven goals, 11 assists), the Hershey Bears (55 games, seven goals, 25 assists). and the Voyageurs (63 games, six goals, 37 assists).

All-Time Statline: 140 games, 10 goals, 38 assists, minus-3 rating, 35 penalty minutes, 10.13 point shares.

101. Colin Patterson

Patterson, born in Rexdale, Ontario on May 11th, 1960, was a  6'2", 195 lb. forward. After scoring 30 goals with 60 assists in only 41 games for the 1979-80 Royal York Royals, he joined Clarkson University for three seasons. In 100 games for the Golden Knights, he totaled 64 goals and 91 assists. He played in seven games for the Colorado Flames in the CHL near the end of the 1982-83 season, scoring a goal and an assist. He went scoreless in three postseason matchups, earning 15 minutes in the penalty box.

In 1983-84, Patterson played in six games for Colorado in what would be his last minor league appearance, scoring twice with three helpers. He played in 56 contests for Calgary, with a team-ninth 13 markers on 87 shots and 14 assists. He led the team with a plus-17 rating and earned 15 penalty minutes. The Flames closed up shop with a 34-32-14 record, and defeated the Vancouver Canucks in four games to open the postseason. They lost in seven games to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. Patterson appeared in every game, and contributed a goal and an assist.

1984-85 would see Patterson rank sixth on the club with a career-high 22 goals on 104 shots leading the club with a 21.2% shooting success rate (minimum 10 games played). He played in 57 games, earned a career-high 21 assists, a team fourth plus-20 rating, and five penalty minutes. The Flames went 41-27-12, then lost in the first round to the Winnipeg Jets. Patterson went scoreless in the playoffs, with a minus-4 rating and one fighting major.

Patterson played in 61 games for the Flames in the 1985-86 season, He scored 14 times on 84 shots with 13 assists, a plus-8 rating, and 22 penalty minutes. The team went 40-31-9 through the regular season, and defeated the Jets in the first round of the playoffs, three-games-to-none. They went on to eliminate the Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues in seven games each before losing in five to the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. Patterson scored three goals with six assists in 19 postseason games.

In 1986-87, Patterson ranked 10th on the Flames with 68 appearances, one of four Flames to appear in exactly 68 games. He scored 13 times on 78 shots with as many assists, a team-ninth plus-7 rating, and 41 penalty minutes. After posting a 46-31-3 record, the Flames lost in six games to the Jets. Patterson had two assists through the series.

1987-88 would see Patterson play in 39 games for the Flames, with seven goals on 37 shots. He added 11 assists, a plus-7 rating, and 28 penalty minutes. On March 24th, he scored a goal and an assist in a 7-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flames closed up shop on a 48-23-9 season, then defeated the Los Angeles Kings in five games to open the playoffs. They lost in four straight to the Oilers in the second round. Patterson contributed a single goal in his nine appearances.

Patterson appeared in a career high and team-seventh 74 games for the eventual World Champion Flames in 1988-89. The club went 54-17-9, earning a team-record 117 points. Patterson scored a team-10th 14 goals on 103 shots with a team-10th 24 assists, a team-third plus-44 rating, and 56 penalty minutes. He had multiple points nine times through the season, and finished second in the season ending voting for the Frank J. Selke Award. On November 3rd, he scored two goals in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. On January 17th, he had a goal and two assists in a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. He scored the game winner on February 20th, in a 6-2 win over the Washington Capitals. Patterson added three goals and 10 assists through the postseason for the Flames, appearing in all 22 contests and helping the team to their first Stanley Cup (of many, hopefully).

Patterson also started a little bit of history with the Cup:

In 1989-90, Patterson played in 61 games for the Flames, and scored five goals on 56 shots with three helpers, a minus-4 rating, and 20 penalty minutes. On March 9th, he scored a goal and an assist, doing his part to help the Flames tie the Canucks, 4-4. Calgary posted a 42-23-15 record, but lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Kings in six games.

After missing the 1990-91 season due to knee surgery, the Flames traded Patterson to the Buffalo Sabres for "future considerations." He would play for two seasons in Buffalo, scoring eight goals and 10 assists in 88 games.

All-Time Statline: 416 games, 88 goals, 99 assists, plus-99 rating, 187 penalty minutes, 10.15 point shares.

100. Matt Stajan

Stajan is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, born on December 19th,1983. He’s a 6’1", 192 lb. center, and he played three seasons of OHL hockey with the Belleville Bulls. His first two seasons would see him score 42 goals and 70 assists in 125 games, and would culminate in him being selected in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, 57th overall.

Stajan played most of the next season back in Belleville, where he compiled a 94-point season in only 57 games (34 goals, 60 assists). He then made his professional debut with the St. John’s Maple Leafs, earning one assist in one game. His NHL debut came soon thereafter, when he also appeared in a single game for Toronto, collecting the Leafs’ only goal of the contest in a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Stajan followed his debut by playing for the next five and a half seasons in Toronto (445 games, 87 goals, 136 assists). When the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled, he elected to stay in the organization, and scored 23 goals and 43 assists in 80 games for St. Johns. On January 31st, 2010, the Leafs traded him to Calgary with Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Keith Aulie.

Stajan scored his first Calgary goal in his second game with the club, the game winner in a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on February 3rd. He earned multiple points in four of his 27 appearances, including a goal and an assist on February 9th, in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. He totaled three goals on 33 shots, with a team-10th 13 assists in 19:11 per game. He earned a minus-3 rating and only two penalty minutes while totaling 518 minutes on the ice. The Flames finished at 40-32-10.

2010-11 would see Stajan play in a team-10th 76 contests, and average 14:14 per night, mostly on Calgary’s second or third line. He scored six goals on 81 shots with a Flames-sixth 25 assists, a plus-1 rating, and 32 penalty minutes. On October 16th, he earned a season high three assists in a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. On January 24th, he earned two assists in a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The Flames posted a 41-29-12 record, but missed the playoffs.

In 2011-12, Stajan appeared in 61 Calgary games, playing for an average of 13:01 per contest. He scored a team-ninth eight goals on 77 shots with a team-10th 10 assists, a minus-3 rating and 29 penalty minutes. On March 9th, he tallied a goal and an assist in a 5-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Four days later, he scored the overtime game winner with just 40 seconds left in the extra frame as the Flames took home a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. The team closed out at 37-29-16, and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Stajan played 17:10 per game over his 43 appearances in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He lit the lamp five times on 44 shots, with a team-third 18 assists, a team-best plus-7 rating, and 26 penalty minutes. He had six games where he had more than one point, including a two goal performance on February 23rd, in a 3-1 win against the Minnesota Wild. On March 15th, he earned three assists in a 6-3 victory over the Predators. The Flames finished with a 19-25-4 record.

2013-14 would see Stajan play 18:22 per game in 63 contests. He ranked fifth on the club with 14 goals on 70 shots with a team-sixth 19 assists, a minus-13 rating, and 42 penalty minutes. He scored two goals on November 14th, in a 7-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. He earned a career high four points on March 22nd, with a goal and three assists in an 8-1 victory over Edmonton. The Flames started badly, and even though they played better in the second half, still finished at 35-40-7. The Flames haven’t made a postseason appearance since Stajan arrived. He will be entering the first season of a four-year, $12,500,000 contract when 2014-15 gets underway.

All-Time Statline: 270 games, 36 goals, 85 assists,  minus-11 rating, 131 penalty minutes, 10.28 point shares.