Calgary Flames Top 10 Moments from 2017

2017 has come and gone, and while it wasn’t a great year for the Calgary Flames, we will look back on the top ten moments from the calendar year. These are sorted in chronological order.

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1. The Train Ride (January 24)

It was unquestionably the turning point during the 2016-17 season. After three straight four goal losses and losing six of seven overall, things were looking bleak for the Flames. They boarded a train for Ottawa following a 5-1 loss to Montreal in a rather sour mood.

Soon the Flames veterans and Glen Gulutzan allowed the beer into the car and the mood changed as the team were able to solve some issues. It lightened the mood and changed the tone of the team moving forward. The Flames were 24-24-3 on that day. After that day the Flames went 21-9-1 to make the playoffs.

2. Sean Monahan’s 100th Goal (February 23)

The goal itself wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was an overall indication of the superb 2017 calendar year that Sean Monahan had. He really took off during the year, even with a bit of a slump towards the end of December.

In 86 games, Monahan had 39 goals and 38 assists for 77 points. Not bad at all.

3. Johnny Gaudreau’s Goal vs Pittsburgh (March 13)

It was beautiful. That’s all that can really be said.

4. Ten Game Winning Streak (March 13)

On the very same night Gaudreau scored his goal against Pittsburgh, the Flames won 4-3 in a shootout to win their tenth straight game. The streak tied a franchise record and lasted from Feburary 21 to March 15.

During the streak the Flames knocked off Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York Islanders, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Pittsburgh.

5. Flames Clinch 2nd Playoff Spot in 3 Years (March 31)

The Flames were able to clinch their second playoff spot in three seasons with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on March 31. It was a fun night that featured a beautiful passing play between Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau that led to a Flames goal. The win got Calgary back into the playoffs, let’s just not talk about what happened when they got there.

6. Flames Trade for Mike Smith (June 17)

I’ll admit at the time I wasn’t thrilled about the Flames choice to get Mike Smith but he’s solid most of this season. The Flames knew they needed to find two new goaltenders after the debacle that was the end of last season, so in came Mike Smith. Calgary sent prospect Brandon Hickey, pending UFA Chad Johnson, and a third round pick to Arizona for Smith, which has ended up looking like a really good deal for Calgary.

7. Drafting Juuso Valimaki (June 23)

Heading into the draft, it seemed like the Flames would be drafting a forward with a plethora of defensive prospects already in the Flames system. However the Flames chose to go with Valimaki who was the best player left on the board and so far it’s looked like a great decision. He’s currently captaining Finland at the World Juniors in Buffalo.

8. Mark Giordano wins Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award (July 12)

The Flames organization has done a lot of charity work over the last year and Mark Giordano is a direct representative of the impact that can be achieved by sport within a community. At the third annual ESPY’s Giordano may have been a lesser known name, but his efforts have been tremendous and while he isn’t in it for the recognition, it was nice to see him honoured.

9. Flames Finally Win in Anaheim (October 9)

It was a long time coming when the Flames finally ended their 29 game losing streak in Anaheim, dating back over 13 years. The 2-0 victory came with Mike Smith earning a 48 save shutout which was a franchise record for saves in a shutout. Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund both scored in the win.

10. Jaromir Jagr’s First Goal as a Flame (November 9)

The first month of the season or so was a lot of fun after the Jagr signing as the Saddledome would jump every time he touched the puck. His first goal of the season led to an eruption by the Flames faithful but unfortunately he hasn’t lit the lamp since.

That’s it for the Top 10 Flames moments of 2017, hopefully 2018 can bring a few better moments and more success for the Flames. What was your favorite moment of 2017?

by Michael MacGillivray