*This archive was originally written by Colton Pankiw
The Calgary Flames began as the Atlanta Flames in 1972 and relocated to southern Alberta in 1980. Throughout their 51-year history, including a Stanley Cup championship in 1989, there have been 593 skaters and 58 goalies to don the iconic red jersey.
Related: Calgary Flames Retired Numbers
Rarely in NHL history has a player worn the jersey #0 or #00, and the league retired 99 when Wayne Gretzky hung up his skates in 1999, meaning today’s skaters can pick any number from 1 to 98. If anyone signs in Calgary, there are currently three numbers unavailable that belong to Hall of Famers: Lanny McDonald (#9), Jarome Iginla (#12), and Mike Vernon (#30).
Soon, Miikka Kiprusoff (#34) will join this group with a retirement ceremony planned on Mar. 2, 2024, before the Flames face the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Saddledome. Surprisingly, out of the 98 available numbers, only 15 remain unworn in franchise history, while 17 have been rostered just once. Today, we will examine those unique numbers and the players who donned them.
#64 – Garnet Hathaway (2015 – 2017)
Garnet Hathaway was born in Florida but grew up in New England, where he developed his love for hockey. After playing college hockey at Brown University, the Flames offered him a deal with the Abbotsford Heat in 2014. Eventually, he worked his way into the NHL, debuting on Feb. 29, 2016.
Related: 4 Best Calgary Flames Playoff Runs in Franchise History
During his initial call-up, he became the first, and thus far, only player to wear #64 in team history. When he became an NHL regular in 2017, he switched to #21, the number he’d wear for the remainder of his tenure, which ended in 2019.
#65 – Turner Elson (2015 – 2016)
Turner Elson is one of just 25 players in Flames history to skate one game with the club, joining 20 skaters and five goalies. Additionally, he is the only one ever to wear jersey #65, which he did in a game on Apr. 9, 2016, when he picked up an assist in a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild. Despite playing just three games in the NHL, he’s made a career in professional hockey in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he is currently with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
#66 – T.J. Brodie (2010 – 2011)
T.J. Brodie ranks fifth all-time amongst defensemen in games played (266) in team history. Before becoming an NHL regular in 2011-12, he earned a roster spot at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, skating in the Flames’ first three games while wearing #66.
Although that number is considered one of the game’s most iconic digits, Brodie began his career in the jersey, remaining the only skater to wear it with the Flames. In 2020, after ten seasons with the organization where he wore #7, the former fourth-round pick opted to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent.
#68 – Jaromir Jagr (2017 – 2018)
Jaromir Jagr began his Hall of Fame-worthy career with the Pittsburgh Penguins before moving to the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, departing the NHL to play in the KHL. Upon returning in 2011, he bounced around the leave, playing his last game in North America with the Flames on Dec. 31, 2017.
After successful seasons with the Florida Panthers, Jagr came to Calgary, his ninth NHL team, as a free agent, playing 22 games, tallying one goal and six assists for seven points. Unsurprisingly, at 51 years old, he’s still playing professional hockey in his native Czechia, pushing his eligibility for the Hall of Fame for another season. As one of the most symbolic numbers (68) in NHL history, he remains the only player in team history to wear it.
#70 – Louis Domingue (2020 – 2021)
Louis Domingue is a journeyman NHL goalie, playing 143 games with seven franchises. Interestingly, he’s skated in just one game with three different clubs, the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, and Flames. On May 18, 2023, Domingue played for Calgary against the Canucks, where he was on the hook for a 4-2 loss, giving up three goals on 23 shots for a .870 save percentage. In 2023-24, he’s still skating in the AHL with Elson in Hartford.
#71 – Walker Duehr (2022 – Present)
Walker Duehr made his NHL debut on Nov. 14, 2021, against the Ottawa Senators. Despite only dressing in one game that season, he wore #61, becoming only the third skater to wear that particular jersey for the Flames.
Upon returning to the team in the 2022-23 season, when he played in a career-high 27 games, he opted to switch to his current number, 71, which makes him the only skater to have those digits stitched to his jersey. At 26 years old, Duehr is one of the young kids Calgary plans to build the future around.
#73 – Tyler Toffoli (2021 – 2023)
Tyler Toffoli won the Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings before suiting up with the Canucks and Montreal Canadiens and coming to Calgary at the 2021 NHL trade deadline. Before moving to southern Alberta, he was a five-time 20-goal scorer with a career-best 31 in 2015-16.
Even though he had a solid start to his Flames career with 23 points in 37 games after the trade, he exploded for his best NHL campaign in 2022-23, collecting 34 goals and 73 points matching his jersey number. Despite a career season, the Flames traded away their leading scorer and the only skater to wear #73 to the New Jersey Devils in June 2023.
#76 – Martin Pospisil (2023 – Present)
Martin Pospisil is a 24-year-old who debuted at the start of the 2023-24 season. As a fourth-round pick in 2018, he worked his way up through the AHL, skating the last four seasons with the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers.
At the halfway mark of the season, Pospisil has played in 30 games, collecting four goals and ten points while skating on the Flames’ third line and wearing jersey 74. Like Duehr, he’s one of the building blocks for the team’s future, and fans should expect to see him for years to come.
#77 – Mark Jankowski (2016 – 2020)
Mark Jankowski entered the Flames organization as a first-round pick (21st overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Although he developed in the minors for a few seasons, he made his NHL debut on Nov. 28, 2016, before becoming a regular the following year.
After four seasons in Calgary, where he played 208 games while wearing #77, Jankowski departed the franchise as a free agent in 2020 to move to the Pittsburgh Penguins and currently plays with the Nashville Predators. Overall, he hasn’t cracked 100 points yet despite playing in over 300 NHL games.
#79 – Micheal Ferland (2014 – 2018)
Michael Ferland was a Flames’ fifth-round pick (133rd overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. After finishing his Western Hockey League career, where he starred with the Brandon Wheat Kings, he would eventually make his NHL debut in 2014-15, where he got assigned number 79.
The fan-favorite who wore #79 had a 21-goal season in 2017-18 and was soon traded with prospect Adam Fox to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Elias Lindholm. Although he almost duplicated his best season while skating 71 games with the Hurricanes, he came back to Western Canada to play 14 games with the Canucks before unofficially retiring after the 2022-23 campaign.
#80 – Dan Vladar (2021 – Present)
Dan Vladar was a Boston Bruins prospect who rose through the team’s goalie ranks after being selected in the third round (75th overall) in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Considering that Tuukka Rask was still in his prime, Vladar spent one season as his understudy for five games in 2020-21 before a trade brought him to Calgary in the summer of 2021.
During the past three seasons, he’s shared the crease with Jacob Markstrom, wearing jersey #80 and compiling a 33-17-9 record after 63 games. Considering his partner has suffered some injuries and needs the occasional night off, Vladar has played over 20 games in the previous two seasons and is on pace to achieve that total again.
#81 – Dominik Simon (2020 – 2021)
Dominik Simon debuted with the Penguins, making it into the NHL as a fifth-round draft pick (137th overall) from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. After 228 games in black and gold, he signed with the Flames to start the 2020-21 season, where he skated in only 11 games.
Related: Do You Know Your Calgary Flames Trivia?
While averaging just 9:36 a game, he went pointless with four shots on goal. Interestingly, the Czechia native returned to the Penguins in 2021-22 but was traded to the Anaheim Ducks that year, opting to return home to skate in his native land, where he still plays in 2023-24.
#82 – Jordan Oesterle (2023 – Present)
Jordan Oesterle is a well-traveled undrafted defenseman who became the first skater in Flames history to wear #82 when he joined the team as a free agent in July 2023. Furthermore, he’s among the few players to skate with both Alberta teams, making his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers.
Although Oesterle is not a regular in the 2023-24 lineup, he’s earned a couple of assists in just 15 games of action. Historically, he’s the first player to wear #82 with the Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, and Flames, following Tomas Kopecky when he played with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
#86 – Josh Jooris (2014 – 2015)
Josh Jooris was an undrafted center who joined the Flames in 2014, skating in 60 games while wearing #86. During that first season, he had 24 points with 12 goals before switching his sweater number to 16, totaling just 13 points in his second year in Calgary. Although the club didn’t renew his contract, Jooris went on to play for four other NHL teams before heading to Switzerland in 2019, where he was still playing in 2023-24.
#88 – Andrew Mangiapane (2018 – Present)
Andrew Mangiapane is one of the Flames’ best sixth-round draft picks, coming into the organization as a prospect from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2021-22 season, he had his best season in professional hockey, netting 35 goals and finishing the campaign with 55 points in 82 games.
Despite never scoring more than 20 goals outside of that magical season, Mangiapane hasn’t missed a game since the start of 2021-22, running his iron man streak to over 260 games at the midway point this year.
#92 – Michael Nylander (1993 – 1998)
Michael Nylander played in the NHL for 15 seasons, skating with seven teams and spending five seasons with the Flames from 1994 to 1998. At the beginning of his tenure, he wore #92, the same digits he had with the Hartford Whalers before a March 1994 trade.
Related: 5 Fascinating Facts Regarding Flames’ All-Time Trade History
As the only player to wear that number, once the highest-worn digit in team history, he switched to #26 in 1996 before a 1998 trade sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite his longevity, he did not reach 1,000 games but scored 679 points. His sons are current NHLers William and Alex.
#98 – Ilya Solovyov (2023 – Present)
Ilya Solovyov is a Belarus-born prospect who made his NHL debut on Oct. 26, 2023, against the St. Louis Blues wearing #98. As a seventh-round draft pick (205th) from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, he is just 23 years old, and if he continues to be a contributor at the AHL level, there’s a chance he will earn a regular shift at the NHL level in the future. After six games, he’s collected two assists and is minus-three.
Historical Perspective
For those who would love a deeper analysis of jersey numbers in Flames history, the most popular numbers are 15, 18, and 22, which 25 players have worn. Outside of the one-time numbers, the least popular digits include 52, 54, 59, 60, 67, 89, 91, and 93, worn twice.
Moreover, the only sweater numbers yet to be worn by a Flames player include 69, 72, 74, 75, 78, 83, 84, 85, 87, 90, 94, 95, 96, 97, and 99. Out of the 27 players who have skated a game with Calgary in 2023-24, only four have switched jerseys during their tenure with the club, including Duehr (61 to 71), Matthew Coronato (39 to 27), Rasmus Andersson (54 to 4), and captain Mikael Backlund (60 to 11).