The Calgary Flames joined the NHL as the Atlanta Flames in 1972-73. Along with the New York Islanders, they became the league’s ninth and tenth expansion team; however, financial troubles forced owner Tom Cousins to sell the team in 1980. That summer, Daryl and Byron Seaman paid $16 million for the franchise and relocated the team to Calgary, Alberta.
The Atlanta Flames qualified for the playoffs in six of their eight seasons, including the last five seasons before relocating. Once north of the border, the team continued to make the playoffs, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 1986 and capturing the Cup in 1989.
As the team celebrates its 50th season, let’s stroll down memory lane and revisit the franchise’s first season (1980-81) in their new home in southern Alberta.
A Rocky Start in Calgary
The Flames opened their new residency with a 5-5 tie against the Quebec Nordiques at the Stampede Corral. The visitors jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before Guy Chouinard scored their first goal in Calgary at 8:45 of the first period. Meanwhile, Paul Reinhart and Eric Vail earned assists on the milestone goal. Chouinard scored again, with Kent Nilsson adding two goals.
The first power-play goal belonged to Willi Plett, and the first penalty went to Bill Clement (tripping). Moreover, Dan Bouchard started between the pipes and made 24 saves, earning the team’s first point.
After losing to the Colorado Rockies 6-2, the Flames tied the Chicago Blackhawks 3-3. In that game, Clement scored the first shorthanded goal of the season, and Brad Marsh had the first fighting major after squaring up with Grant Mulvey. A few nights later, on October 14, Kevin LaVallee was credited with the first game-winner of the campaign as the Flames defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. It was the team’s first win on home ice and the first one since the relocation. Pat Riggin was the netminder credited with the win, making 25 saves.
Calgary’s Streaky Campaign
The season’s first victory sparked a mini three-game win streak, helping the Flames finish October with a 5-4-2 record. They leveled out in November with a 5-5-3 record before finishing the calendar year on a winning streak that lasted four games (Dec. 30 to Jan. 4). It was the team’s first extended win streak, but it wouldn’t be the last. On Feb. 2, the Flames beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 and then defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, and Nordiques to string together another four-game winning streak.
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They only appeared to be heating up because the Flames won six straight games from Feb. 19 to Mar. 3. Moreover, it continued because the team had one final win streak from Mar. 7 to Mar. 12. Only a 4-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres (Mar. 4) and a 3-3 tie against the Oilers (Mar. 15) prevented them from reaching a 13-game winning streak.
Related: Flames Have a History of 10-Game Winning Streaks.
After all those wins, the team suffered their only extended losing streak, dropping five straight games from March 21 to March 28. Overall, the Flames finished their 80-game schedule with a win over the Rockies and Vancouver Canucks.
The Flames finished third in the division, which earned them a date in the preliminary round against the Blackhawks. They rolled through the five-game matchup, winning 3-0, advancing to play the Philadelphia Flyers in the quarter-finals. After a 4-1 win in Game 7, the Flames found themselves in the semi-finals for the first time in franchise history. In a hard-fought series, Calgary’s season ended in six games at the hands of the Minnesota North Stars.
Inside the Flames Season Statistics
The Flames were an above-average team in several categories, earning more wins and points while losing and tying fewer games. Their power play had a 27.24% success rate, and they killed 80.77% of their penalties, both better than the average NHL team. They scored 329 goals and gave up 298, compared to the average of 307.
Nilsson led the team in scoring, setting the franchise record with 131 points. He was the only player to surpass 100 points, with Chouinard finishing in a distant second with 83. Meanwhile, three players scored more than 30 goals, with Nilsson leading the way with 49, while Plett (38), and Chouinard finished with 31.
Thirty-three players played at least one game with the team, and 12 reached double digits in goals. Only four players (Dan Bouchard, Steve Konroyd, Bobby Gould, and Tony Curtale) failed to register a point. Twenty-two players registered a positive plus/minus rating, with Bob Murdoch finishing plus-22 and Clement having the worst with a minus-16 rating. Plett was the only player to collect more than 200 penalty minutes, finishing the year with 239. Additionally, Randy Holt (165), Jim Peplinski (108), and Phil Russell (104) all reached triple digits.
In goal, 21-year-old Riggin played in 42 games, producing a 21-16-4 record with a 3.84 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .833 save percentage (SV%). Reggie Lemelin was his platoon partner, appearing in 29 games and having a 14-6-7 record. His numbers were slightly better, with a .901 SV% and 3.24 GAA. Meanwhile, Bouchard was the odd man out, appearing in only 14 games and having a 4-5-3 record for his efforts. He finished the year with a .884 SV% and 4.04 GAA. The trio surrendered 293 goals, made 2,355 saves, and registered two shutouts.
In the playoffs, Chouinard led the team in scoring with 17 points in 16 games. Moreover, Ben Houston and Reinhart each had 15 points, and Nilsson finished with 12. Meanwhile, Riggin led the goalie statistics again, going 6-4 in 11 games, while Lemelin finished 3-3 in six appearances.
The Flames scored eight hat tricks during the season, with Nilsson registering three on his own. Chouinard, Houston, Plett, Dan Labraaten, and Bob MacMillan collected the others. Additionally, Nilsson and MacMillian missed their penalty shots, the only two the team had.
Breaking Down Calgary’s Opponents
The Flames played four games against every opponent they faced. They went 3-1 against the Bruins, Kings, Canucks, and Hartford Whalers, yet they failed to win a single game against the Blackhawks, going 0-1-3. Their best offensive numbers came against the Canucks, scoring 24 goals and giving up 16. The fire didn’t burn as bright against the Flyers, where they only scored nine goals and gave up 19.
The team’s biggest nights came against the New York Islanders and Canucks (11 goals scored) and the Detroit Red Wings and Oilers (10 goals). In 31 contests, Calgary scored five or more goals and failed to score four times against the Flyers, Islanders, Sabres, and Montreal Canadiens.
The goalies were no exception to high-scoring numbers, giving up a season-high nine goals against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 29 and Toronto Maple Leafs on Mar. 28. They also had three games in which they surrendered eight goals, those being against the Flyers, North Stars, and Canadiens. Together, the tandem had 33 games in which they gave up three or fewer, earning shutouts against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 8 and Red Wings on Jan. 15.
The Flames’ Rare Success Story
Very few teams have found success in their first season. The rare exceptions are teams like the Vegas Golden Knights losing in the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season or the Colorado Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup after relocating from Quebec City. The Flames went from a playoff team in Atlanta to a semi-finalist in their first season in Calgary. Fans could say that the team was on the verge of success and building towards a deep playoff drive, but things just clicked when they reached Alberta.
Related: Flames’ Relocation to Calgary a Blueprint for Teams That Followed
Within six seasons, the Flames were in the Stanley Cup Final and hoisting the silver chalice three years later. The team’s first season in Calgary laid the groundwork for those teams to be a success throughout the 1980s. They didn’t stumble out of the gate and gave their new fans plenty to cheer about, leaving them wanting more. Those expectations never died after that first-season playoff run, as it took a decade for the Flames to finally have a losing season.