CALGARY NIGHTLIFE AND ATTRACTIONS

Sports:
The Calgary Flames:

The Calgary Flames will mark their 27th NHL season and their 28th year in Calgary.  Since their arrival in 1980, the team has captivated hockey fans with their on-ice success, including a Stanley Cup victory in 1989.

The current group of eight Flames’ owners include: N. Murray Edwards, Harley N. Hotchkiss, Alvin G. Libin, Allan P. Markin, the estate of J.R. McCaig, Daryl K. Seaman, Byron J. Seaman, and Clayton B. Riddell, who jointly control operations for the Calgary Flames, the Pengrowth Saddledome, and the WHL Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club.

On October 9, 1980 in their inaugural game at the Stampede Corral, the Flames battled the Quebec Nordiques to a 5-5 tie. The team played a total of 146 league, playoff, and exhibition games at the Corral, losing only 28 regular season and four playoff games in three seasons, before moving across the street into the Saddledome in October, 1983. Today, the Pengrowth Saddledome is recognized as one of the pre-eminent entertainment facilities in North America.

The 2003-04 season saw the launch of an exciting new red jersey as the Flames’ home sweater, while the traditional whites were worn strictly for road games. The ‘C of Red’ was revived during the NHL playoffs, and the red Flames jersey became one of the top-selling jersey launches in NHL history. With the start of the 2007-08 season, the NHL will introduce the Reebok Edge uniform system which will result in minor striping changes to the Flames jersey. The alternate black jersey will be officially retired.

In their 27-year history, the Flames have become a premier franchise in the NHL. They have captured two President’s Trophies for finishing first overall (1987-88, 1988-89), three Clarence Campbell Conference titles (1985-86, 1988-89, 2003-04), two Smythe Division playoff championships (1985-86, 1988-89), two Pacific Division titles (1993-94, 1994-95), and a Northwest Division title (2005-06), plus several NHL individual and team honours and numerous attendance records.

The pinnacle of the team’s history was being crowned Stanley Cup champions for the 1988-89 season when they defeated the Montréal Canadiens. The Flames’ first appearance in the finals was in 1986, and their most recent in 2004, when they electrified not only the city of Calgary but captivated all of Canada with the inspirational playoff run.

The 2007-08 season sees the team with a new head coach, Mike Keenan. Keenan joins general manager Darryl Sutter once again after having coached him and later hired him as the bench boss in Chicago.