Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter CXXV: 24-23

24. Randy Manery

Randy Manery was a 6’, 180 lb. defenseman from Leamington, Ontario. Born on January 10th, 1949, He played three seasons in the WHA with the Hamilton Red Wings, totaling nine goals and 48 assists in 155 games, earning 193 penalty minutes. Starting with the 1969-70 season, he played most of three seasons with the CHL’s Fort Worth Wings (211 games, 23 goals, 82 assists). He also appeared with the Detroit Red Wings for three games. The Flames claimed him in the Expansion Draft on June 6th, 1972.

In 1972-73, Manery was one of five Flames to play in all 78 games for Atlanta. He led the blue line and ranked sixth on the club with 35 total points, with 30 assists and five goals on 159 shots to his credit. He also earned a minus-2 rating and 44 penalty minutes. His 6.9 point shares ranked him behind only goaltender Phil Myre. The Flames went 25-38-15 on the season.

1973-74 would see Manery again appear in all 78 games for the Flames. He again led the blue line and again ranked sixth on the team, this time with 37 points. He scored eight times on 189 shots with a team second 29 assists. He led the club with a plus-15 rating and was third on the team with 75 penalty minutes. He set a career high and again led the team with point shares, with his 8.3 falling behind only goaltender Dan Bouchard. Atlanta went 30-34-14 on the season, then lost in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four straight games to the Philadelphia Flyers. Manery earned two assists and four penalty minutes over the short series.

Manery led the blue line and ranked eighth on the team with 32 points in 1974-75. He played in 68 games, according five goals on 118 shots with 27 assists, a team-second plus-18 rating, and 48 penalty minutes. He tied for the team lead amongst all skaters with 6.8 point shares. The club earned a 34-31-15 record but missed the playoffs.

In 1975-76, Manery was eighth on the Flames with 39 points. He played in all 80 games, scoring seven goals on 139 shots with 32 assists. He earned a plus-2 rating and 42 penalty minutes. He earned 7.1 point shares, finishing second on the club and on the blue line. The Flames closed shop on the season at 35-33-12, good enough for third place in the Patrick Division. They lost in two straight contests in the opening round of the postseason to the Los Angeles Kings.

1976-77 would be Manery’s last season with the Flames. He appeared 73 times and scored five times on 108 shots. He would add 24 assists, a minus-2 rating, and 33 penalty minutes. The Flames finished at the definition of average, with a 34-34-12 record. They lost to the Kings in the first round, in three games. Manery went scoreless.

After the season, the Flames traded Manery to the Kings for Abe DeMarco Jr. He played three seasons with the Kings (202 games, 20 goals, 64 assists) before retiring.

All-Time Statline: 377 games, 30 goals, 142 assists, plus-31 rating, 242 penalty minutes, 33.47 point shares.

23. Phil Myre

Myre was a 6’1", 185 lb. goaltender from Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was born on November 1st, 1948. He was selected in the first round of the 1966 NHL Amateur Draft with the fifth overall selection by the Montreal Canadiens. He played 49 games for the Habs over three seasons, going 21-19-6. The Flames chose him in the Expansion Draft on June 6th, 1972.

Myre got the bulk of the starts in the first season for the Flames in 1972-73, getting 46 appearances to 34 for Dan Bouchard. He posted a 16-23-5 record, and gave up 138 goals in 2736 minutes, his 3.03 goals against average just a bit better than his counterpart. They both had two shutouts on the season. Atlanta went 25-38-15, and Myre earned a club high 8.3 point shares.

In 1973-74, Myre switched roles with Bouchard, playing in 36 contests as the number two guy. He went 11-16-6, and allowed 112 markers in 2020 minutes on the ice, a 3.33 goals against average. The team went 30-34-14 to finish fourth in the NHL West Division. They lost in four straight to the Philadelphia Flyers. Myre played three of them, allowing 13 goals in 186 minutes for a 4.19 goals against average.

1974-75 would see Myre and Bouchard play exactly 2400 minutes each, with 40 starts to each of their credit. Myre was the less effective of the two, finishing just under .500 with a 14-16-10 record. and a 2.85 goals against average. He did edge Bouchard out in shutouts, however, five shutouts to three. The Flames went 34-31-15 and didn’t make the playoffs.

Myre was clearly the backup to Bouchard in 1975-76, going 16-16-4 with one shutout. He allowed 123 goals in 2129 minutes on the ice for a 3.47 goals against average and 5.5 point shares. The team finished at 35-33-12 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Kings in two games.

In 1976-77, Myre and Bouchard were neck and neck all season in playing time, but Myre had 43 appearances and 2422 minutes overall to 42 and 2378 for Bouchard, and went 17-17-5 for his troubles. He allowed 124 goals for a goals against average of 3.07, and pitched three shutouts overall. The Flames went 34-34-12 on the season, but lost in three games in the first round to the Kings. Myre went 1-1-0 to earn Atlanta’s first ever playoff win, and allowed five goals in the process.

1977-78 would see Myre start the season with the Flames again co-manning the lead goalie slot with Bouchard. He went 2-7-0 with a 4.93 goals against average through December 12th, when Atlanta sent him to the St. Louis Blues with Curt Bennett and Barry Gibbs for Yves Belanger, Dick Redmond, Bob MacMillan and a second round pick (Mike Perovich).

Myre spent parts of two seasons with the Blues (20-47-16, 3.96), later playing for the Flyers (24-12-19, 3.71), the Colorado Rockies (5-23-3, 4.74), and the Buffalo Sabres (3-2-0, 4.20).

All-Time Statline: 211 games, 76-95-32, 654 goals allowed, 11 shutouts, 3.21 goals against average, 34.05 point shares.