Calgary Flames are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL) . Calgary competes in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays in the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta.
Calgary entered the NHL for the 1980-1981 season as a transfer from Atlanta. The franchise originated as the Atlanta Flames for the 1972-1973 season. Atlanta had made the playoffs six times during its eight-year history but had won only two playoff games. The Flames first became successful in the middle and late 1980’s. Calgary reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1986, losing to the Montreal Canadiens . The Flames won their division three straight seasons from 1987-1988 through 1989-1990 and won the Stanley Cup in 1989.
The Flames won division championships in the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons and then went into a decline. The team failed to make the playoffs from 1997 through 2003 but then reached the Stanley Cup finals in 2004, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
Many NHL stars have played for Calgary. They include left winger Michael Cammalleri; right wingers Theoren Fleury, Jarome Iginla , Hakan Loob, Lanny McDonald, and Joe Mullen; center Joe Nieuwendyk; defensemen Mark Giordano, Al MacInnis, Brad McCrimmon, and Gary Suter; and goalies Miikka Kiprusoff and Mike Vernon.
