Calgary Flames History.

Calgary Flames, professional ice hockey team and one of five teams in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally based in Atlanta, Georgia, the Flames now play at the Canadian Airlines Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and wear uniforms of red, white, and gold. The team’s name was carried over from when it was known as the Atlanta Flames, a name derived from the burning of Atlanta by Union forces during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The Flames have been one of the NHL’s most consistent teams, qualifying for the league playoffs almost every season from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. Calgary reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice during the late 1980s, winning the league championship in 1989.

Atlanta-based businessman Ted Turner founded the Flames in 1972. The club performed well during its eight-year stay in Atlanta, reaching the playoffs six times. The club’s early stars included right wing Bob MacMillan and centers Curt Bennett and Tom Lysiak. In 1980 Turner sold the team to a group of businesspeople from Calgary, and the team moved. In the 1980-81 season, the Flames’ first year in Calgary, center Kent Nilsson collected a franchise-record 131 points, and the club won its first postseason series. The Flames advanced to the Stanley Cup semifinals before losing to the Minnesota North Stars.

In 1986, under head coach Bob Johnson, Calgary upset the defending-champion Edmonton Oilers in the division finals, and the Flames went on to make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Facing the Montréal Canadiens, the Flames won the first game but lost the next four. In 1989, under head coach Terry Crisp, Calgary returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and defeated the Canadiens 4 games to 2. The Flames’ lineup featured several NHL All-Star team members, including wings Hakan Loob and Joe Mullen; defensemen Gary Suter, Al MacInnis, and Brad McCrimmon; center Joe Nieuwendyk; and goalie Mike Vernon. That year Vernon ranked first in the league in wins; MacInnis scored a league-high 31 playoff points and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player (MVP).

In the 1990s the Flames earned several division titles and reached the playoffs numerous times, but they failed to advance far in the postseason. In 1995 the team traded Vernon to the Detroit Red Wings. Outstanding Calgary team members of the 1990s included right wing Theoren Fleury, left wing Gary Roberts, and goaltender Trevor Kidd.

After missing the postseason every year from 1997 to 2003, the team went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. Despite leading the series 3 games to 2, the Flames lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games..