Die-hard fans of the Calgary Flames will be familiar with the top scorers in franchise history, with Hall of Famers like Jarome Iginla, Al MacInnis, and Joe Niewendyck ranking among the top five best skaters to ever wear the Flaming C jersey. Additionally, skaters like Theo Fleury, Gary Suter, Johnny Gaudreau, and Kent Nilsson find their names all within the top ten in points in franchise history.
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Historically, the franchise began playing in the NHL in 1972 as the Atlanta Flames before relocating to Calgary in 1980. According to NHL.com, 588 skaters have played for the organization, with 504 of them registering at least one point. Even though several of the club’s scoring records will remain unchallenged for some time, we wanted to take a different approach when discussing point totals by Calgary’s superstars.
As the Flames continue to play through their sixth decade in the league, we broke down each previous decade’s leading scorer in what will be a fun way to look back at the careers of some of the franchise’s best skaters.
Tom Lysiak – 431 Points (1972 – 1980)
Tom Lysiak came to the Atlanta Flames as the second-overall pick in the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft and made his NHL debut as a 20-year-old in 1973-74. After finishing second in the Calder Trophy voting, losing out to Denis Potvin, he would play with the organization for six seasons, compiling 431 points in 445 games. Statistically, his best season came in 1975-76 when he collected a career-high 82 points in 80 games, a mark he would later tie in 1981-82 with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Although he only played six seasons with the Flames, getting traded after 52 games in 1978-79, he was the team’s leading scorer in the decade with 431 points, including a franchise-best 276 assists. Statistically, he had the second most goals during this span, losing out to Eric Vail, who led all Atlanta skaters with 174 goals.
Al MacInnis – 506 Points (1980 – 1990)
During the 1980s, the Flames qualified for the playoffs every year, including appearing in the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, winning their lone championship in the latter. One of the core players of that magical run was Hall of Famer MacInnis, who ended up as the team’s leading scorer in the 1980s with 506 games in 528 games. As a first-round pick (15th overall) in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he would play just 16 games between 1981 and 1983 before becoming a regular in 1983-84.
Eventually, MacInnis would become a three-time All-Star, earning votes for the Norris Trophy in 1987, 1989, and 1990 as the league’s top defenseman while capping off the championship run in 1989 by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Interestingly, just like Lysiak, MacInnis could only claim two out of three scoring categories for the decade, finishing as the leading scorer with 506 points and 380 assists while ranking seventh in goals, which Lanny McDonald led with 215. Eventually, MacInnis became the first inductee of the “Forever a Flame” program, launched in 2012.
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Theo Fleury – 730 Points (1990 – 2000)
One of the most iconic goal celebrations in NHL history is Fleury sliding down the ice after potting the overtime winner of Game 6 of the 1991 Smythe Division series against the rival Edmonton Oilers. Unsurprisingly, the former all-time leading scorer in Flames history became the first skater to lead the team in all statistical categories in a decade, sweeping goals (319), assists (411), and points (730) during the 1990s.
Ultimately, his closest competition during this stretch in franchise history was Gary Roberts (178 goals), MacInnis (229 assists), and Robert Reichel (354 points). Statistically, Fleury had two seasons over 100 points, with 104 in 1990-91 and another 100 points in 1992-93, while coming close for a third time in 1995-96 with 96 points. However, despite his successes, he won no awards but finished fifth in Hart Trophy voting twice. Unfortunately, after 11 seasons and 850 points to become their all-time leading scorer, the Flames traded him to the Colorado Avalanche in February 1999.
Jarome Iginla – 724 Points (2000 – 2010)
Unsurprisingly, the only skater in Flames history with over 1,000 points, Iginla, dominated the scoresheet for an entire decade, actually missing out on a chance to pad his stats with the NHL Lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season. However, the former long-time captain tallied 724 points in 713 games, leading the team with 350 goals and 374 assists while guiding Calgary to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, losing a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As one of the game’s best power forwards, Iginla was never shy to drop the gloves and was the heart and soul of the Flames organization, resulting in a Lester B. Pearson Award win in 2002. Furthermore, the same season, he netted 52 goals and 96 points, earning him his only Art Ross Trophy win and the first of two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy victories. Besides those honors, Iginla also won the King Clancy Trophy in 2004 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2009.
Although he never scored 100 points in a single season, his best years came during this stretch, with 94 points in 2007 and a career-high 98 points in 2008. After 16 years, with the final ten seasons as captain, the Flames moved their all-time leading scorer (1,095 points) to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2003 trade deadline. Shortly after retiring in 2017, the Flames retired Iginla’s #12, becoming only the third player in team history with the honor.
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Johnny Gaudreau – 445 points (2010 – 2020)
Although the Flames were not contenders from 2010 to 2020, they did qualify for the postseason four times, advancing to the second round on one occasion. However, they were able to retool the roster during this decade with prospects like Gaudreau. As a fourth-round pick (104th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he made his debut in 2013-14, appearing in one game before becoming a regular the following season.
Surprisingly, Gaudreau’s best numbers would come later, but he did tally 99 points in 2018-19 to lead the Flames in scoring by 17 that year. Despite only playing 464 games throughout the decade, he led the team with 445 points, edging out Mark Giordano (418 points) and Sean Monahan (411 points). However, Giordano, who served as captain from 2013 to 2021, had the most assists of the decade, 304, while Monahan led all goal scorers with 194 lamplighters.
Elias Lindholm (2020 – Present) – 193 Points*
*Points calculated from 2020-21 to 2022-23
Since coming to Calgary in the Dougie Hamilton trade with the Carolina Hurricanes in June 2018, Elias Lindholm has had some of the best seasons of his career, including 42 goals and 82 points in 2021-22. As a four-time 20-goal scorer, he’s currently the Flames leading scorer this decade with 83 goals, 110 assists, and 193 points. Although many people would think it’s Gaudreau or Matthew Tkachuk, both players only played two seasons in Alberta before leaving in the summer of 2022.
After six seasons, Lindholm’s future with the Flames remains uncertain since he’s a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season. As one of the leaders in the dressing room, there’s hope that he signs an extension and finishes his career in Calgary. However, hockey is a business; money and job security can only do so much for a player who wants to win a Stanley Cup. If Lindholm sticks around, there’s a good chance he will finish the decade as the team’s leading scorer, but if he departs, there’s a chance we will be talking about Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, or someone else in 2030.
Historical Perspective
As mentioned, most of the Flames’ all-time scoring records will be unchallenged for the foreseeable future. Considering any skaters who recently climbed into the top ten, which includes Gaudreau, Monahan, and Giordano, no active player, including the longest-tenured player Mikael Backlund, is anywhere near approaching the totals of Iginla and MacInnis. However, there are plenty of opportunities for a skater to become the Flames’ next leading scorer for the decade while helping the team get back to the Stanley Cup Final.