Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter CXV: 44-43

44. Mike Cammalleri

Cammalleri, a 5’9" center from Richmond Hill, Ontario, was born on June 8th, 1982. He started two seasons in juniors with the OPJHL’s Bramalea Blues, totaling 63 goals and 126 assists in just 89 games. After not getting drafted, he decided to try his hand at the collegiate level, joining the Wolverines at the University of Michigan. After scoring 42 goals with 45 assists in 81 games over his first two seasons, he was selected in the second round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He would stay with the Wolverines for one more season, lighting the lamp 23 times with 20 helpers in only 28 games.

Cammalleri’s first six seasons were spent mostly with the Kings. He also appeared with the Manchester Monarchs, Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate for 133 games over three seasons, scoring 71 goals and 97 assists. With the parent club, he scored 93 times with 112 assists in 283 games.

During the 2008 offseason, the Kings traded Cammalleri to the Flames with a second round pick (Mitch Wahl) for a first and second round pick (Jake Gardiner and Brian Dumoulin, respectively). His first season with the Flames would be his best NHL season to date, and saw him average over a point per game. He led all skaters with 9.8 point shares, and averaged 17:33 over his 81 appearances. He scored 39 markers (NHL ninth) on 255 shots for a 15.3% shooting success rate, along with 43 assists for a team-second 82 total points. 34 of his points were with the man-advantage, and he led the club with six game winning shots. He also earned a minus-2 rating and 44 penalty minutes. Over the season, he earned multiple points on two dozen occasions, including eight where he earned at least three points. On November 27th, he earned his first career hat trick in a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. He scored twice with three assists on New Years’ Eve in a 6-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers. He scored his second Flames’ hat trick on January 28th, in a 5-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres. Calgary finished up the season at 46-30-6, but lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round. Cammalleri scored a goal and two assists through the series.

During the offseason, Cammalleri joined the Montreal Canadiens via free agency. Over two and a half years, he totaled 54 goals and 65 assists in 170 games. On January 12th, 2012, the Habs sent him back to the Flames with Karri Ramo and a fifth round pick (Ryan Culkin) for Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland, and a second round pick (Zachary Fucale). I think we got the better of that deal. In 28 games for the Flames to close out the 2011-12 season, Camms scored 11 times on 64 shots with eight helpers, a minus-4 rating and 16 penalty minutes. Two of his markers were game winners, and he averaged 18:30 per game. On March 26th, he scored and added two assists in a 5-4 decision over the Dallas Stars. In a 3-2 win over the Canucks on April 5th, he scored twice, including the game winner. Calgary posted a very respectable 37-29-16 record, but missed the playoffs.

2012-13 would see Cammalleri lead the Flames with 32 points over 44 appearances (the team only played 48 due to the lockout). He scored 13 times on 102 shots with 19 assists, a team-worst minus-15 rating, and 25 penalty minutes. He also led the team with three game winners and with 15 points on the power play over 18:03 per contest. He scored the fifth hat trick of his career on February 13th, adding an assist in a 7-4 win over the Stars. The team went 19-25-4, missing the postseason.

Cammalleri played 63 games for the Flames last season, leading the team with 26 goals on 191 shots. He also earned 19 assists, a minus-13 rating, and 26 penalty minutes in 19:51 per game. He also led the team with an NHL-seventh eight game winning goals.  He had a dozen games where he scored more than one point. On the 26th of October, he scored twice, including the game winner, adding an assist in a 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals. Calgary finished up with a 35-40-7 record. During this past offseason, he signed a five-year, $25 million contract to play with the New Jersey Devils.

All-Time Statline: 216 games, 89 goals, 89 assists, minus-34 rating, 111 penalty minutes, 22.00 point shares.

43. Sergei Makarov

Makarov was born on June 19th, 1958 in Chelyabinsk, USSR. He grew into a 5’11", 185 lb. right winger with CSKA Moscow, starting in 1978-79. The Flames selected him in the 12th round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, with the 231st overall pick, but didn’t join Calgary until the 1989-90 season. Over 11 seasons in the Russian League, he totaled 303 goals and 375 assists.

1989-90 would see Makarov earn first-team all-rookie honors (as a 31-year-old) and win the Calder Trophy. He played in all 80 games, and totaled 86 points. That would lead the team in most seasons, but ranked him fourth on the club that year. He had 24 goals on 118 shots with 62 assists, a team-second plus-33 rating, and 55 minutes in the penalty box. He started out by totaling 16 points in his first seven NHL games (two goals, 14 assists). On February 25th, he scored twice and added five assists in a 10-4 win against the Edmonton Oilers. In his last appearance of the regular season on April 1st, he scored twice with two assists in an 8-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Flames went 42-23-15 on the season, then lost in the first round to the Kings in six. Makarov earned six assists while appearing in each contest.

In 1990-91, Makarov led the NHL with a 32.3% shooting success rate, scoring 30 times on 93 shots. He added 49 assists to rank fifth on the team with 79 points. He finished with a plus-15 rating and 44 penalty minutes. He had 14 multipoint games and scored four on five occasions. On January 5th, he scored his first hat trick and added an assist in a 7-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings. 10 days later, he did it again as the Flames topped the Winnipeg Jets, 7-5. Calgary posted a 46-26-8 record, finishing second in the Smythe Division. They lost in seven games to the Oilers in the first round of the postseason. Makarov scored once, appearing in three games.

Makarov played in 68 games, scoring 22 times on 83 shots with 48 assists, adding a plus-14 rating with 60 penalty minutes in 1991-92. He had 18 occurrences of games over one point, including nine times where he had three or more. On February 21st, he earned four assists in a 9-7 win over the Kings. He closed the season on an eight game point streak, with seven goals and 11 assists. On March 26th, he scored a goal with four assists in a 7-2 win against the Kings. Calgary sank to a 31-37-12 finish, missing the playoffs.

1992-93 would see Makarov score 18 times on 105 shots along with 39 assists in 71 contests. He earned an even rating and 40 penalty minutes. He notched another hat trick on Halloween, scoring three goals in a 5-3 win over the Minnesota North Stars. Calgary finished up at 43-30-11, then lost in the first round to the Kings in six games. Makarov did not appear.

During the 1993 offseason the Flames traded Makarov to the Hartford Whalers for future considerations, which eventually became Jason Smith. Hartford traded him to the San Jose Sharks just six games later. He played 123 games for the Sharks over the next two seasons, scoring 40 times with 52 assists. Later, he appeared in four games for the Dallas Stars.

All-Time Statline: 297 games, 94 goals, 198 assists, plus-62 rating, 199 penalty minutes, 22.07 point shares.