August 4, 2025 • 40 mins
Flames: Epic Individual Seasons – Flames Unfiltered – Episode 253
Hosts- Brad Burud @BradBurud and Kyle Lewis @vanlewis14
--- EPISODE 253 ---
SPECIAL EPISODE
In this engaging off-season special edition of Flames Unfiltered, hosts Brad Burud and Kyle Lewis delve into the vibrant history of the Calgary Flames through a discussion of some of the team's most memorable individual player seasons. As summer unfolds with minimal team activity, the hosts spotlight special episodes that bring historical insight and excitement to Flames fans.In a conversation rich with nostalgia and expertise, Brad and Kyle highlight iconic seasons from players like Mika Kiprusoff, Al MacInnis, and Marc Giordano. Using their in-depth knowledge and an improvisational approach, they explore the significance of these performances and how they elevated the Flames. This episode is perfect for Flames enthusiasts and anyone interested in NHL history, providing a retrospective look at players who played pivotal roles during key seasons.
Website: Flames Unfiltered
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
Watch: YouTUBE
Social Media – X - @FlameUnfiltered |FACEBOOK – Flames Unfiltered |INSTAGRAM – Flames Unfiltered | TikTok – flames.unfiltered
NHL #HockeyX #TalkinHockey #HockeyPodcast #Flames #cofred #nhlflames #calgaryflames #YYC #FireItUp
*Produced by Inside Edge Hockey News Media Group
Hosts- Brad Burud @BradBurud and Kyle Lewis @vanlewis14
--- EPISODE 253 ---
SPECIAL EPISODE
In this engaging off-season special edition of Flames Unfiltered, hosts Brad Burud and Kyle Lewis delve into the vibrant history of the Calgary Flames through a discussion of some of the team's most memorable individual player seasons. As summer unfolds with minimal team activity, the hosts spotlight special episodes that bring historical insight and excitement to Flames fans.In a conversation rich with nostalgia and expertise, Brad and Kyle highlight iconic seasons from players like Mika Kiprusoff, Al MacInnis, and Marc Giordano. Using their in-depth knowledge and an improvisational approach, they explore the significance of these performances and how they elevated the Flames. This episode is perfect for Flames enthusiasts and anyone interested in NHL history, providing a retrospective look at players who played pivotal roles during key seasons.
Website: Flames Unfiltered
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
Watch: YouTUBE
Social Media – X - @FlameUnfiltered |FACEBOOK – Flames Unfiltered |INSTAGRAM – Flames Unfiltered | TikTok – flames.unfiltered
NHL #HockeyX #TalkinHockey #HockeyPodcast #Flames #cofred #nhlflames #calgaryflames #YYC #FireItUp
*Produced by Inside Edge Hockey News Media Group
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Flames Unfiltered and
off season special edition with your house Lewis and as
always Brad Bird. Brad, what is going on in this
slow glasses running type summer that we're expressing, which.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Is probably a good thing that come mid year last
year we decided, hey, let's let's run it through the summer,
but let's have a lot of cool special topics. And
we've come up with a lot, and goodness we did.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
We've had little choice in the matter, very little.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Choice in a savior on this one, so that's good.
And today we got a fun one. This is one
that you brought to me not too long ago. One.
I definitely put it on the Ledger as a special
episode for the summer, and I'm pumped to do it.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
So I got the inspiration a little while ago, and
I don't entirely know where it came from, but somehow,
someway I found myself watching YouTube and watching a clip.
It's a rabbit hole, right, I see anybody watching YouTube
looking on Brad's face like, I.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Gotta talk to you about it when you're you keep
going and then I'm gonna tell you what happened to
with YouTube this year.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
All right, So I'll tell the I'll tell the preface
to have this whole episode first. So the idea of
individual like great seasons came through some link chasing YouTube
reminiscing what a Flames game I was at and then
watching a certain player in the season he had, and
it's like, holy shit, this is a cool idea for
an episode because we all have certain memories of players
who just had monster seasons with their favorite team. So
(01:55):
before I delve into my first flame who had a
monster season, what did I just inspire you to say?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well? When the season ends? Usually I always say to myself, like,
I watch a lot less TV in the summer because
it's late, it's dark. Excuse me, it's light out late
at night, and I mean where I'm living, it doesn't
get dark until about ten o'clock at night. And so
I'm here. You're you're up, I mean, you know, you're
you're just it's hard to go to bed early and
(02:24):
you're so you're up and you're not inside the house
watching TV like you do what you are on the
cold winter nights. So I'm always like, what am I
gonna watch when hockey season ends. In some years I've
picked like Netflix, you know, you know, different serieses or something,
you know. And this year, when then it ended, I
was asking the guys at work. I'm like, hey, you
got any guys any ideas. Nobody said anything. So I
(02:44):
was on YouTube and I don't usually go to YouTube,
but this summer I did. And I have watched so
many unbelievable things and one thing that I'm kind of
stuck on right now, and I kind of got to
get off of it because it's a it's a rabbit hole.
I'm never gonna I'm not gaining a whole lot of it.
But some entertainment is a is a series called Chasing
Cardboard where this guy goes around and buys like giant
(03:07):
estates of sports cards collections. It's kind of like American
Pickers slash pond Stars, but with sports cards and sports memorabilia.
And it's been cool. It's been really cool. There's been
some ones and I've been I went down that rabbit hole,
but I've also watched some really good documentaries. I'm drawing
(03:27):
a blank right now. I know you you know you've
read the book, uh Finding Murph for what's is that
do I did it nail the book right? Did I
get it right?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Requested?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I watched that documentary on YouTube, very very good, and
I've watched the Bobby Ryan documentary on YouTube this summer.
There's just a ton and and it's a rabbit hole
that if you go down it. I can see what
you would come up with this great, great topic because
there's a lot of fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Man, yeah, I mean, and that's kind of it. I mean,
every and that's what makes this really interesting, you know.
To pref a little bit further, it's that every single
one of us that watches pro sports, you know, we
all very particular memories of a player and a given
point that stood out to us in a big, big way.
Typically you know, it was a youth as an adolescent
where it's like, man, this guy is it right? And
(04:22):
to be fair to our listeners like you and I,
as we often do, we don't over prepare for our shows.
We we come up with the concept. We might rattle
off one or two ideas and then it's just we
we completely you know, it's totally improv right, So I
don't know what you have in mind. You don't know
what I have in mind. This makes us so fun.
So we get to talk on the show about you know,
those seasons that stood out to us as like, holy shit,
(04:43):
you know this guy is going to be a star,
or this this guy is you know, really going to
be the future of this team, Ruld of the case
would be.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
You know what else was cool when we started liking
the team, and because of our age difference, we through
like influential years I want to call them. Is that
read the right word? I think? So they were at
different time frames absolutely kind of brings a broader picture
picture and in your time frame, I have a much
(05:12):
different perspective of it than you do because of age.
And you in my time frame when I started liking
the team, you were a young kid, so your perspective
is just the fun, right, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah? Well, I mean the team to me was like
the little train that could but really couldn't, right, I mean,
there were nobody, no especially living in the East Coast.
And this is the thing. So where I live, it's Toronto, Montreal,
Boston fans. There's a handful of Senators fans who were
you know, my age or younger. Because the Senators only
became a team in the nineties, there was a few
odd balls like me. Very few are die hard, you know,
Flames fans, a couple Oilers fans like It's just it's
(05:50):
just different, right, no matter where you're depending on where
you grew up and what area grew up in, we
all have different different memories of you know, what made
us a hockey fan when you know our what made
our favorite team our favorite team anyway, So all that said, uh,
I want to rattle off a few of my favorite
individual season in the Flames history. And they're not necessarily
(06:10):
the ones you think it's easy to point to Drum
mcginlae in two thousand and two, Theo Fleuri ninety ninety one,
Al mckinnis of the Conspit, blah blah blah. But for myself,
the one that came to mind that inspired this episode,
and because of that that's where I'll start was Mike
Camillary in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine. So,
as I recall, I was sitting in my basement and
(06:34):
on my wall is hanging Mike Camilary's only red home
playoff jersey that he wore in the series against Chicago
in two thousand and nine, looking at that jersey, I thought, man,
he had such a great year. I want to look
that up. I went on YouTube and I watched I
think most of, if not every single goal Mike Camillary
scored as a Flame in OAITO nine, which was thirty
(06:56):
nine of them. And as we've talked about before, it's
always disappointing when he doesn't I hit forty, hit fifty,
blah blah blah, but rattles off thirty nine goals. And
undoubtedly it might go to back me up on this
because he's mentioned this on X before as well. Undoubtedly
one of the purest snipers the Flames ever had. This
(07:16):
guy was like they called him a mini bread Haul
for a reason, man. And I saw my first Flames
game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the second one
against the Minnesota Wild whenever they were wrong here, but anyway,
and he scored in both those games and was just like,
you know, one knee, half clapper, top of the circle,
like and he did it all season long. And remember
(07:38):
when he did this, this is when the team had
moved on from Alex Tangay and everybody was thinking, oh,
we need we need another score playmaker or somebody on
the wing to help drum againla and Camillaria was that.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Guy so when you you know, and I remember that
season too, I really do. And I remember his scoring
touch in one thing. I got a question about him.
Do you see some likenesses in Matthew Coronado in Michael Kamerler.
Do they remind you of each other? Or am I
(08:08):
kind of a little off on that?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Well, it don't look as similar for starters.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
All they do look actually somewhat similar.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, I just feel like, okay, it was and I
don't remember what goal it was this here, but I
remember Coronado getting a shot coming down the right side,
and just the way he shot it, it reminded me
of Camilary.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
And yeah, despite the fact that once she's left, when
she's right. Yes, yeah, you raise a good point though,
because in hockey nomenclature, a sniper is just a guy
that scores a lot of goals, you know, outside of
the crease, so to speak, right, and both those guys
do that. Camilary has had a wicked, wicked shot typically
(08:52):
is I recalling on you know, the one timer, but
Coronado more on the rister. But I mean, these guys,
these are guys that they're not going to make and
adamos pass every night to set somebody up. They're going
to bury the popet you put on their stick, and
that's that's what you're looking at them for, right, do.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
You find it weird too? Like when people in the
hockey world, and I suppose us included talk about like
hard shots, a lot of us relate to like slap
shots and and and honestly, like a hard shot or
a hard snapshot is so much more effective and so
much rare. It's it's all rare, and it's so it's
(09:26):
such an overlook thing. I know that's a sidetrack on this,
but it is such an overlook thing.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, and it is. And it's funny because when you
look at teams that are successful, and even the Flames
last season as much success as they had. You know,
I was at the game Montreal where Coronado won the
game in overtime right on a on he was on
his off wing three and three overtime, just a beautiful,
just rocket of arisshot. And I remember sitting there and
I was sitting at the end of the ice, you know,
(09:52):
on the offensive zone for the Flames when he released
that puck. It was a probably, god, I don't know,
one and a half to three seconds wherein I realized
he scored. That's how quickly that puck left. His stick
was in the back of the net.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
And for guys to be able to do that, and
to this day, much like it was when Camialary played,
it's so rare that a player can just bury the
puck like that. I mean, you have teams that have
great systems, that have great playmakers, they have guys in
front of the net, you know, screening goaltenders, shots in
the point, blah blah blah blah. But guys who just
score goals. And Camilary, as you'll likely remember as well,
(10:30):
I think it was two years later, had an unreal
playoff round with Montreal. He had like thirteen goals and
you know, twenty games whatever it was. I mean, just
a pure peer peer sniper. And when you have a
guy like that in your lineup, you're never truly out
of a game, right because they have the ability to
shoot a puck in a way that will tie a game,
give you the lead, put you back in the game
just on the turn of a dime. Like and when
(10:53):
I think about the way that he played for Calculay
in that one year, and it's so sad it was
only one year. And he came back later, as we
all know, weren number ninety ra in his return and
was like part of that whole we're gonna try and
make the playoffs thing. A couple years later he just
added an Ellenton this team where you just knew Jerome
mcgilla was not the only Snipper he had to worry about,
because Camilearry buried a lot of pucks that year, a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, no, it's it's it's a it's a Flames player
that Uh shoot, I think I think a lot of
us forget when when he comes to like things like
this and how effective he really was switch I'm gonna
switch gears. And the one that comes to my mind
is such a year where I just thought, this guy
is just dominating in so many ways. And that's the
(11:35):
five O six kippersoft season, a Vezna Trophy. Uh. He
also won the WILLIAMS. Jenning Trophy that year, won forty
two games for the team at two point seven goals
against average and ap point nine two three save percentage.
And I just remember that year and I just remember thinking,
this guy gives us a chance against anybody, and that,
(11:57):
you know, that was such a And I'm I'm not
discounting or discounting Mike Vernon, but I just think when
I think back to Kippersoft, he won so many games
just single handedly.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What I struggle with in hindsight and hindsight being what
it is, it's like it was the team. Was the
team really that good, you know when they want like
the Northwest Division that season? Or was Kippersoft just that good?
And I'm not sure we'll ever really know the answer,
because Kippersoft was so good that he he covered up
warts on that team much the same way Dustin Wolf
(12:32):
did in this past twenty four to twenty five season,
right for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And it's funny how we relaid all these players to
players now and that's a good thing. But I'm hoping
that we see that like when there was a lot
of games this year once once Wolf took over right
and took that spot as the starter, and in what
in credit to Dan Vilott r. Two, there wasn't any
(12:56):
night this year where I was just like, oh no, yeah, right.
Was there nights where you were just like, oh no,
what our Golden I didn't at all worry about our goldending.
Ever this year I didn't.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
No, I don't. I don't think that I did either.
The only time I felt kind of shaken I was
at that game as well, was the Saint Patty's Day
gave against the Leafs, where Wolf was not at his best.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
To say, but he did have a night that night.
He did.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
He did. But in his defense, to say that Wolf
wasn't Wolf in the game means he didn't make every
other worldly save he could possibly make. An off night
for Dustin Wolfe is a lot of gold Thunder's best nights.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I honestly believe that was the best thing that could
have happened to him this.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Year though, for his development.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
You mean, yes, those nights mentally gears for you, right,
I mean it just does. Like he he had to
learn that night that hey, it's not gonna this isn't
a cakewalk, and like he just I think that helped.
Those Those help, Those really really help.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Oh, I think they do too. And it's funny to
try and think back to a five oh six. You know,
any nights Kippersoft wasn't as his best. I struggle mightily
to remember any of them. Well, and even you know that.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
YouTube rabbit hole pull up that highlight to him that season.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Oh yeah, I'm sure it isn't. I mean, And I
think about my conversation with Darren McCarty back in May
about how that Flame team should have beat the Ducks
in the first round that year, like you know, how
just how good that team was, and a lot of it,
well I don't say most of it, but because they
had to shut down Defender and rigear again, that was
still a superstar. But ultimately Mika Kippersov was on a
(14:39):
completely other just a different another planet, a different level.
Nobody could touch him. I don't I don't care if
people want to talk about you know, Mark tamper To
even Domin Hasseck at the time, like you know, these
players that were, you know, era defining Hall of Fame
goaltenders in the five o six season, Mika Kippersoft was
completely and utterly untiped And there's no arguing to be
(15:01):
otherwise that I'm aware of anyway, So good calling him.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I want to go again if I can, and then
we're gonna switch gears and you can do a couple
You mentioned this one earlier, and this kind of brings
us back to another era. That al Mcinness season was
the first time that I remember like, see, I'm too young.
I can't believe said I I've never said that on
(15:26):
the podcast. I'm too young, but I'm too young to
remember like the Bobby or you know, his defensive like,
you know, take control like, but this was the first
time that I was like a defenseman was controlling situations
and controlling games and not only putting up you know,
(15:47):
crazy points. I believe that year you put up one
hundred and three points.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, but he.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Was not just he he also was one hundred three
points good on the defense side of the puck too, right,
And he was that dominated on both sides because too
many times now we look at defensemen it's like, well
how many points did he have? Yeah? But did he
did he get walked all the time? Did he? You know,
was pizzas up in the middle. You didn't get that
(16:16):
from mckinnis. And he also put the puck in the
net and and what he did to lift this team
in the Stanley Cup finals and was rewarded with a
const mic Thrilly was crazy, right, I mean, it's just crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Sure, While to think about mm hmm, so the pride
of Internation Nova Scotia kpe Breton. It's funny. I gotta
mention this because it's so funny. This has been stuck
in my head for years. I think I want to
say it was Darren the Tisan God Rest his soul
FTSN and the ninety nine two thousand Playoffs was doing
(16:52):
the highlights of a Saint Louis San Jose playoff game,
and mckenness for the Blues at the time, of course,
wound up, took a slap shot and scored, of course,
and in the highlight clip, the Titian said, Okay, everybody
duck and you can see when McKenna shoots the puck,
everybody is just getting the hell out of the way,
right Well.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
You know, yeah, it's a scary part of this. He
did it with a woodstick.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah, oh yeah. And now you know, in his age
now like he's had some you know, well documented back
issues from just ripping pocks for so many years. That's
a you know, it's like a picture thrown a baseball.
It It strains a lot of muscles to follow through
and get that power of basically your entire body behind
the Puck and you know, he did it better than anybody,
and it's a it's kind of funny now that we're
(17:40):
talking about it, Brad, I'm kind of reminded how from
about eighty nine, you know, mckinnisi coons, my season ninety
one ish ninety two two, that five o six season
with kippersoft talking about there are very few seasons in
between we talk about because we didn't have a lot
of star power. We didn't have any really success full
seasons to speak of. Apart from you know, two thousand
(18:03):
and four. There was like a ten year period, but
there weren't really a lot of memorable things going on
with the Flames. I mean, you know, if you look
at you know, teams like even the Atlanta Thrashers and
the Kobalchak and heat Lee and like guys like tearing
it up. It's not often a franchise you could point
to the modern day Buffalo Sabers, but not often a
franchise will have such a streaky futility where you can't
(18:23):
even find an individual season two, you know, cling to.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Right exactly, Yeah, fire one at me.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, it's gonna seem kind of redundant, but I mean
we're gonna talk about the same season that you alluded
to with five or six the Kippers off, and I'm
gonna go on that same season and mention Dion f Enough.
So for me at that time, fresh out of high school,
first university, Dion f Enough twenty goals, twenty nine assists,
forty nine points, the clear favorite for the Calder had
(18:56):
it not been for the emergence that same season a
City crasby Alxavechkin. I'm not gonna sider and tell you
he was a defensive stalwart, but the guy ripped home
clapper goals and blew up countless players.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
But you know what, I almost thought that year he
was better defensively than he was in any other year
in his career. Call me crazy, but I I do.
I do believe that. And my first time I ever
saw Diane Enough play was at the World Juniors in
Grand Forks, North Dakota, and he was part of that
dominating team from Team Canada. And the double d on here,
what's that?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
The double d on your pearr McGuire, the double d
on colle.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
I to know that I didn't, I didn't, you know,
and back then I couldn't, uh I couldn't salvage the
Canadian broadcasts, but I was there a lot. I know
that you do say that it does come to me
in and seeing some highlights of of that, but I just.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Was.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I remember that year just thinking what do we have
in this guy and what can he do ours?
Speaker 1 (20:01):
You know why in my opinion, well let's go a
little bit off the board here in terms of you
know what made these seasons so successful? The reason I
think that you think Dion Phano was so successful that
rookie season. I got two words for you, Roman hammerlick.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yeah, yeah, you're right. You brought that up on the
show before.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
The guy was just an anchor for him. But but
ultimately it's like, man, it's you know, I I had
I had lunch today with one of our head estimators
at work, and it's the same thing. I'm in a
sales role. I can't do my job as effectively as
possible without a good staff behind me. That was Dion
pough Man. He had in total anchor in Roman hammerlick.
(20:39):
You gotta have that d partner, that backup goal turnder
that pushes you, that winger who digs the pucks out
for you, whatever, it is and and I I'll you know,
for all the years if Enough played in the league,
and you know before he was eventually traded to a
very I feel like he was traded for a kind
of inflated price to Toronto. He never ever recapture that
(21:01):
magic of five six and six oh seven.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
No, he didn't, and which is still kind of surprises me.
But you're right, he didn't. And but but.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Well you say that, and I agree with you because
it is kind of surprising. But ultimately, how sustainable is
That's how the play ripping posam, throwing the body, constantly fighting,
constantly like man he man, he came in hot hot hoh.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Man. I just remember as a fan though, just like whoa, wow,
we're gonna get to watch this for years. I didn't.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I remember where I was today I get traded.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I believe my driveway had like a foot of snow
shoveling my driveway. I felt my phone buzzing and I
looked and I just remember standing in the freezing cold
looking at it and just being like, oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
I was at a girlfriend's place at the time, and
I remember thinking like her parents place, I should say,
And I was like, man, what the.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It was like a Sunday at like one o'clock. I like,
I remember it like it was.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
It was dead of January, and I remember Brian Brooks
comment saying, you know, like this is going to make
our team better for the future. We got like our
leader and the Flames will make the playoffs now and
we didn't. Ultimately. It is January twenty ten.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Was that what it was?
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah? And you know what I mean, in a lot
of ways, it was reminiscent of the Gilmore trade.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
It was.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
It was a star player at the time for a lot,
a lot, a lot of spare parts and to say
nothing of you know, to say nothing bad of those players.
Matt Stage became a very important piece of the Flames
was you know, developing their youth and his contributions in
the twenty fifteen playoff run, but ultimately a budding star
traded for what ultimately amounted to very very little right parts. Yeah,
(22:40):
so back to you, what do you got?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I mean, I'm gonna stick on the defenseman. And the
reason I'm going to talk about this season is because
this one to me and maybe I'm wrong, and maybe
this one came out of left field for me. I
did not expect this season from him, but in twenty
eighteen nineteen marked your Dana and as Norris Trophy as
the league best defenseman, you know, seventy four points real
(23:09):
plus thirty nine. Like, did anybody in Calgary? I mean,
I don't think anybody in Calgary, and I'm sure as
hell would put money out in Nobody out of Calgary
had him even on the top five for the Norris
Trophy preseason in the betting lines. I bet you could
have been at walked away a rich man. We didn't
see this coming. Now. We all knew that Mark Giardana
was a great player and a good defenseman. This just
(23:31):
took it to a new level.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
I'll beg them big time. I might even let's see
if I have a photo here, because I just if
there it is for YouTube viewers can see this. But
that is the Giordano signed twenty nineteen Norris Trophy jersey
that I got an auction and was able to take
a photo with Mark traideral with back in May. But yeah,
(23:57):
you know, to your point, yeah, you're absolutely right, Chertano.
I think we can we can both agree that would
have he would have won the Norris Trophy in twenty fifteen,
had it not been for the torn by step injury
with Steve Brenier against New Jersey Devils. He was well
in his way went in that Norris, but to come
back four years later in the Norris.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
And that's the big thing that made me so surprised
is because he was at the peak there was injured
with a pretty severe and different injury and for him
not just like two years later, but four years later
when he was I mean, I can't remember, but how
old he wasn't eighteen nineteen, but you know he wasn't
(24:39):
the young defense.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
He was thirty seven I think, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, So he was up he was up there, right,
So I mean, gosh, like, what a what a season
from a guy like him? And he's not the only
one in that eighteen nineteen season we can overlook, as
you know, Johnny goodrou that was his ninety nine points
season two with with third six goals, I believe it was.
And it just just crazy, right, what what a season?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Oh? I mean for a guy that was never drafted,
for a guy that it was considered to be getting
along in the tooth, but you know, still effective, but
like he was not supposed to win the Norse Trophy
in general shirt if he did it, which was testimate
his work ethic and his conditioning and a lot of
midribles conditioned over the years. But I mean, yeah, it's
kind of sad in a sense when you look back
(25:25):
on it that because the immersion gods like gatron Ka,
Chuck Goudro, excuse me that jordanod didn't in hindsight get
quite the accolades he deserved. I mean, winning the Norris
is a huge, huge, huge honor, and he didn't just
do it because of his offensive were Seventy four points
is a lot, but I mean he he.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Was How many other Flames players have won the Norris?
I might losing my mind, but I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Any, No, I don't think so. Gary Suter won the Calder,
McKennis won the con Spight, as we talked about, but
I don't he he was the first Flame to do so, Yeah,
you're right, I mean when you think about that, well,
and and again let's look at the companies. So so
Al mckinnis first and foremost, Dion f enough, Gary Soter,
(26:13):
Phil Howsley, a legendary American defenceman, even some young up
and comers like Derek Morris, Like, none of those guys
took how many you know, other significant harbor than what
we already mentioned.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So Robert probably should have taken home hardware and never did.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Robert McGear was a part of Team Canada training Olympics
in two thousand and six. That's how good he was, right.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
I mean, yeah, there should be an award for a
guy like him. I you know, he didn't put up
all the points in the world, but boy, see a
game changer for the Flames.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Unbelievable, unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
We have one more and I'm gonna name some honorable
mentions when you're when you're done.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
You know, this is kind of the tough part about
doing these shows, right, because we don't have the luxury
of like, you know that being like the seventies Habs Dynasty,
the Islanders Roilers of the eighties. I mean, it's hurt.
It's hard to drill down. So this really does take
a ton of thought. I'm thinking more towards down will
mention side things because it's hard for me to dancate
(27:15):
into the season. That really jumped out to me for
an individual player.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yep, the ones I have that I wanted to just
at least bring up. There was three of them. That
one of them I don't even remember. I just remember
seeing highlights. It was Kent Nielsen's one hundred and thirty
one point franchise record. I mean, I think you know
we'd be sliding the franchise if we didn't at least
mention that. But Hock and Lube scoring fifty and winning
(27:39):
Rookie of the Year, those are huge things. Joel Mullen
one hundred and ten point season in eighty eight eighty nine.
He's played seventy nine games at fifty one goals, one
hundred and ten points. I mean, like bonkers bonkers numbers.
And the only one that really that I remember and
(28:00):
probably think we should at least bring up is the
old one oh two again Less season. I mean, all
the awards you can possibly win, we're won by Againla
that year with the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted
Lindsay Award, well it wasn't Ted Lindsay then, it was
a Lester B. Pearson Award, I believe, And that year
(28:21):
he won the Rocket Reshard Trophy too, So I mean
that's as good as it gets for the Flames, right.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah, and I think that, like r well mention from
some players who these are never going to be like
we're now in seasons league wide, but I mean Dee
Mcammond fifty one points on the back of twenty goals
and thirty one assists and one two to help AGAINLA
hit those numbers. Christians Stelius, you know, very particular, Yeah,
a very particular favorite of our. One of our host
(28:50):
Sho brad he Stilly has had seventy seven points I
believe in one season with Calgary even Freddy Brathwaite. Freddy
Brathwaite pitched five I have shutouts in the yes, oh
one two season now thousand and one. Anyway, there's lots
of seasons that lifted the team up beyond the heights
(29:11):
they should have otherwise achieved. And uh, you know, we
wish we had time to talk about them all and
hopefully a few of our listeners will chime in, you know,
with a couple suggestions of their own. But it's it's
it's funny, man. It's like it's like when you look
like the Edmonton Oilers and Conic David right loo, when
you have a superstar player that just lifts your team
up and takes him to the heights that he does.
(29:31):
It's not always going to be something like a final,
but you look at players and think, man, how like
where would this team be without a marketable star like
what we have with Dromaguillard and John Godreau, Right, Like,
that's those individual seasons as much as it's a team sport.
The individual seasons are do what draw people and that's
where kids find their favorite players. That's where you get more,
you know, engrossed in a story. But the guys can
(29:52):
hit forty fifty sixty goals, right, And we've had we've
had our fair share for a team that hasn't had
a ton of you know, widespread success, right, sustained success.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
One thing that's different about Calgary too, is like we've
really really had those players that just year in and
year out put up giant numbers. Right. And that's not
a slight on Jerome mcginla, but I think a lot
of people in the hockey world would agree, Like, as
much of a great goalscorer as he was, he was
so much more of a player as far as a
power winger and doing other things on the ice too,
So you didn't get those you know, one hundred and
(30:24):
ten point seasons, just one after another with it with
Jerome mcginla. But you got so much more right, and
we just didn't have This franchise just doesn't have that
that constant, that's that player that just continually did it
year after year. And maybe we would have had that
in Johnny Gardreau. We we don't know, right, but the
(30:44):
seasons that this are what I would consider our star
players put up, We're pretty impressive. And one thing that
really is amazing is like what you've brought up the
I don't want to call him non superstars, but guys
that we did not expect to have big years and did,
like the Cambilliaries and the Dean mccammons and players such
(31:07):
as that.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Yeah, I mean some guys we knew would do well.
But I mean, like even Damon Lanco had a monster
year when he played No. Five oh six. He had
he went from fifty nine I remember the numbers so well,
like I think anyway, fifty nine points in that first
five or six season two six oh seven where he
put up like seventy seven. I mean, those guys that
came in played above their heads a bit. They weren't
(31:30):
gonna be a hundred point players, even Elis Lindholm in
twenty one to twenty two, right, oh eighty yeah. I
mean those guys translated those into success and paydays also
aren't good for them, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
But but I think we're reaping the rewards on that
one too, because we were able to move in for
pieces that I mean, oh yeah, pretty good right now.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Right anytime you can take if you can parlay a
trade into two or three trades that keep you, you know,
a buff water like you know, trading Adam Fox to
get lynd Holme as part of that deal, then lyn
Holm to get a piece like Perstevitch. I mean, you're
you're doing good things and that, and that's kind of
what it comes down to. If you're not drafting well,
if you're not trading well, if you're in a smaller market,
(32:12):
it's really hard to constantly manufacture players and are impact players.
And we've had a lot of pretty good players about
Monster seasons. My favorite memory, just to all close, you know,
my piece in this was saying when the Flames first
acquired Alex Tangay, Yeah, I remember a buddy of mine
texted me I was living in my parents. Ho'st the
time he texted me, and it's the Saturday. I thing
(32:32):
was the draft day. He said, have fun with tang Gay.
I'm like, what the hell are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Tangy.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I'm like, oh my god. The Flames acquired Alex Tang
and he went on to have eighty one points. I
want to say with playing alongside again La. Yeah, that
was a like phenomenal, phenomenal season.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Yeah, I mean that's exactly what we need someone to
do this year, a step up like that. You know,
why do you do that?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Yeah? Why do you think the team where he tried
to guys like Camillary and Tangy and Yokin, it brought
them all back to try them again because they had
significant success here and for those of us who grew
up watching those teams that that's not lost on us, right.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
No, No, you're right, you're right. It's funny there. There's
we've had a we've had a fair share of you know,
and and you know we forget you know this, this
organization has had to kind of make, uh make their
stars out of out of low picks. With goodrow Panine
to believe he's a seventh rounder, right, theo Flury was
Goodrow was fourth, Flury was a late late pick too,
(33:31):
and I mean eleventh, I believe right, those are I mean,
those are prominent, prominent players for this organization that you know,
we we picked in late rounds and that that that's
a that's amazing and and a credit to that and
I'm honestly a credit to a scouting staff that me
and you have been super critical of and and the
whole fan base has and rightfully so. But it's it's
(33:55):
fun and it's fun to think of the the Camillarias
and and Jared seasons and stuff like that. But a
great topic and uh, hell have an idea. I liked it.
I look forward to doing this one.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
You know, sometimes it's just the inspiration. It's here, right,
that's what That's what doom scrolling on your phone will do.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
All right, Flames fans, thanks for joining us on this
summer off season edition. As we slog through this uneventful
no news and you know what, I'll probably say this
and now tonight somebody will get moved just so I
can sell like an idiot, because that happens quite frequently
as soon as we record something like this. But I
don't know. It's been fun doing these special episodes and
(34:37):
it's got as through some quiet times this summer, but
it's also sparked a lot of conversations and thoughts about
the history of the Flames and and how really good some.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Of these memories are for both of us exactly, and
there's we've deal more more memories to be made at
Maybe we can talk about best of Wolf season this
past years as.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
An example of that.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
So yeah, stay tuned. We'll keep the fun content coming
and we're always up with suggestions too.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
All right, confidence, have a good weeks.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Thanks for listening to Flames Unfiltered with Brad Burud and
Kyle Lewis your source for unfiltered Calgary Flames hockey Talk.
Keep it locked on Flames Unfiltered dot c a subscribe
where you get all your podcasts to never miss an episode.
Flames Hockey Talk every week presented by Inside Edge Hockey
Media Group.
Speaker 5 (36:00):
H I crawl out from the vein of yesterday.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I crawled to you and I said all the things
that you said to say. Have I said enough to
your lagging?
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Do your lagging?
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
I know you can play these dirty games.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
The killing me and I know that you love to watch.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
Me BEG, so here I am.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Do you like it? Yeah yeah? Do you like it?
Yeah yeah. I don't want to be the moment I
don't want, but the hand is be I don't want
to be a circle by you. Oh yes you.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
I hate myself for beg, hating myself for stealing.
Speaker 5 (37:36):
I hate myself for this thing too. You.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
It's still a little too late and I can't escape,
So I'm begging you, please I change all the things
that you told me to change.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
No a moment. I don't want to be the propet
for you. I don't want to, but I handles being.
I don't want to be a sucker for you.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
I guess her, say myself for bakake, hate myself for stays.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
I hate myself for this thing.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
So I just want to get out.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Stop inside of this waiting for something, waiting to excess can.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Help you? Miss commiss to you do you to? I
(39:07):
don't one of me is a puppet for you. Don't
wanna my head is, madam. I don't one of me
as job for you.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
Oh yes, I hate myself for creak. I hate myself fustaking.
I hate myself for thistening too.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Ja for this, sensube Ja
Speaker 1 (39:39):
For listening to JO, for listening to j
Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Flames Unfiltered and
off season special edition with your house Lewis and as
always Brad Bird. Brad, what is going on in this
slow glasses running type summer that we're expressing, which.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Is probably a good thing that come mid year last
year we decided, hey, let's let's run it through the summer,
but let's have a lot of cool special topics. And
we've come up with a lot, and goodness we did.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
We've had little choice in the matter, very little.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Choice in a savior on this one, so that's good.
And today we got a fun one. This is one
that you brought to me not too long ago. One.
I definitely put it on the Ledger as a special
episode for the summer, and I'm pumped to do it.
So yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
So I got the inspiration a little while ago, and
I don't entirely know where it came from, but somehow,
someway I found myself watching YouTube and watching a clip.
It's a rabbit hole, right, I see anybody watching YouTube
looking on Brad's face like, I.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Gotta talk to you about it when you're you keep
going and then I'm gonna tell you what happened to
with YouTube this year.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
All right, So I'll tell the I'll tell the preface
to have this whole episode first. So the idea of
individual like great seasons came through some link chasing YouTube
reminiscing what a Flames game I was at and then
watching a certain player in the season he had, and
it's like, holy shit, this is a cool idea for
an episode because we all have certain memories of players
who just had monster seasons with their favorite team. So
(01:55):
before I delve into my first flame who had a
monster season, what did I just inspire you to say?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well? When the season ends? Usually I always say to myself, like,
I watch a lot less TV in the summer because
it's late, it's dark. Excuse me, it's light out late
at night, and I mean where I'm living, it doesn't
get dark until about ten o'clock at night. And so
I'm here. You're you're up, I mean, you know, you're
you're just it's hard to go to bed early and
(02:24):
you're so you're up and you're not inside the house
watching TV like you do what you are on the
cold winter nights. So I'm always like, what am I
gonna watch when hockey season ends. In some years I've
picked like Netflix, you know, you know, different serieses or something,
you know. And this year, when then it ended, I
was asking the guys at work. I'm like, hey, you
got any guys any ideas. Nobody said anything. So I
(02:44):
was on YouTube and I don't usually go to YouTube,
but this summer I did. And I have watched so
many unbelievable things and one thing that I'm kind of
stuck on right now, and I kind of got to
get off of it because it's a it's a rabbit hole.
I'm never gonna I'm not gaining a whole lot of it.
But some entertainment is a is a series called Chasing
Cardboard where this guy goes around and buys like giant
(03:07):
estates of sports cards collections. It's kind of like American
Pickers slash pond Stars, but with sports cards and sports memorabilia.
And it's been cool. It's been really cool. There's been
some ones and I've been I went down that rabbit hole,
but I've also watched some really good documentaries. I'm drawing
(03:27):
a blank right now. I know you you know you've
read the book, uh Finding Murph for what's is that
do I did it nail the book right? Did I
get it right?
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Requested?
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I watched that documentary on YouTube, very very good, and
I've watched the Bobby Ryan documentary on YouTube this summer.
There's just a ton and and it's a rabbit hole
that if you go down it. I can see what
you would come up with this great, great topic because
there's a lot of fun stuff.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Man, yeah, I mean, and that's kind of it. I mean,
every and that's what makes this really interesting, you know.
To pref a little bit further, it's that every single
one of us that watches pro sports, you know, we
all very particular memories of a player and a given
point that stood out to us in a big, big way.
Typically you know, it was a youth as an adolescent
where it's like, man, this guy is it right? And
(04:22):
to be fair to our listeners like you and I,
as we often do, we don't over prepare for our shows.
We we come up with the concept. We might rattle
off one or two ideas and then it's just we
we completely you know, it's totally improv right, So I
don't know what you have in mind. You don't know
what I have in mind. This makes us so fun.
So we get to talk on the show about you know,
those seasons that stood out to us as like, holy shit,
(04:43):
you know this guy is going to be a star,
or this this guy is you know, really going to
be the future of this team, Ruld of the case
would be.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
You know what else was cool when we started liking
the team, and because of our age difference, we through
like influential years I want to call them. Is that
read the right word? I think? So they were at
different time frames absolutely kind of brings a broader picture
picture and in your time frame, I have a much
(05:12):
different perspective of it than you do because of age.
And you in my time frame when I started liking
the team, you were a young kid, so your perspective
is just the fun, right, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah? Well, I mean the team to me was like
the little train that could but really couldn't, right, I mean,
there were nobody, no especially living in the East Coast.
And this is the thing. So where I live, it's Toronto, Montreal,
Boston fans. There's a handful of Senators fans who were
you know, my age or younger. Because the Senators only
became a team in the nineties, there was a few
odd balls like me. Very few are die hard, you know,
Flames fans, a couple Oilers fans like It's just it's
(05:50):
just different, right, no matter where you're depending on where
you grew up and what area grew up in, we
all have different different memories of you know, what made
us a hockey fan when you know our what made
our favorite team our favorite team anyway, So all that said, uh,
I want to rattle off a few of my favorite
individual season in the Flames history. And they're not necessarily
(06:10):
the ones you think it's easy to point to Drum
mcginlae in two thousand and two, Theo Fleuri ninety ninety one,
Al mckinnis of the Conspit, blah blah blah. But for myself,
the one that came to mind that inspired this episode,
and because of that that's where I'll start was Mike
Camillary in two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine. So,
as I recall, I was sitting in my basement and
(06:34):
on my wall is hanging Mike Camilary's only red home
playoff jersey that he wore in the series against Chicago
in two thousand and nine, looking at that jersey, I thought, man,
he had such a great year. I want to look
that up. I went on YouTube and I watched I
think most of, if not every single goal Mike Camillary
scored as a Flame in OAITO nine, which was thirty
(06:56):
nine of them. And as we've talked about before, it's
always disappointing when he doesn't I hit forty, hit fifty,
blah blah blah, but rattles off thirty nine goals. And
undoubtedly it might go to back me up on this
because he's mentioned this on X before as well. Undoubtedly
one of the purest snipers the Flames ever had. This
(07:16):
guy was like they called him a mini bread Haul
for a reason, man. And I saw my first Flames
game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the second one
against the Minnesota Wild whenever they were wrong here, but anyway,
and he scored in both those games and was just like,
you know, one knee, half clapper, top of the circle,
like and he did it all season long. And remember
(07:38):
when he did this, this is when the team had
moved on from Alex Tangay and everybody was thinking, oh,
we need we need another score playmaker or somebody on
the wing to help drum againla and Camillaria was that.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Guy so when you you know, and I remember that
season too, I really do. And I remember his scoring
touch in one thing. I got a question about him.
Do you see some likenesses in Matthew Coronado in Michael Kamerler.
Do they remind you of each other? Or am I
(08:08):
kind of a little off on that?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Well, it don't look as similar for starters.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
All they do look actually somewhat similar.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, I just feel like, okay, it was and I
don't remember what goal it was this here, but I
remember Coronado getting a shot coming down the right side,
and just the way he shot it, it reminded me
of Camilary.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
And yeah, despite the fact that once she's left, when
she's right. Yes, yeah, you raise a good point though,
because in hockey nomenclature, a sniper is just a guy
that scores a lot of goals, you know, outside of
the crease, so to speak, right, and both those guys
do that. Camilary has had a wicked, wicked shot typically
(08:52):
is I recalling on you know, the one timer, but
Coronado more on the rister. But I mean, these guys,
these are guys that they're not going to make and
adamos pass every night to set somebody up. They're going
to bury the popet you put on their stick, and
that's that's what you're looking at them for, right, do.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
You find it weird too? Like when people in the
hockey world, and I suppose us included talk about like
hard shots, a lot of us relate to like slap
shots and and and honestly, like a hard shot or
a hard snapshot is so much more effective and so
much rare. It's it's all rare, and it's so it's
(09:26):
such an overlook thing. I know that's a sidetrack on this,
but it is such an overlook thing.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Well, and it is. And it's funny because when you
look at teams that are successful, and even the Flames
last season as much success as they had. You know,
I was at the game Montreal where Coronado won the
game in overtime right on a on he was on
his off wing three and three overtime, just a beautiful,
just rocket of arisshot. And I remember sitting there and
I was sitting at the end of the ice, you know,
(09:52):
on the offensive zone for the Flames when he released
that puck. It was a probably, god, I don't know,
one and a half to three seconds wherein I realized
he scored. That's how quickly that puck left. His stick
was in the back of the net.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
And for guys to be able to do that, and
to this day, much like it was when Camialary played,
it's so rare that a player can just bury the
puck like that. I mean, you have teams that have
great systems, that have great playmakers, they have guys in
front of the net, you know, screening goaltenders, shots in
the point, blah blah blah blah. But guys who just
score goals. And Camilary, as you'll likely remember as well,
(10:30):
I think it was two years later, had an unreal
playoff round with Montreal. He had like thirteen goals and
you know, twenty games whatever it was. I mean, just
a pure peer peer sniper. And when you have a
guy like that in your lineup, you're never truly out
of a game, right because they have the ability to
shoot a puck in a way that will tie a game,
give you the lead, put you back in the game
just on the turn of a dime. Like and when
(10:53):
I think about the way that he played for Calculay
in that one year, and it's so sad it was
only one year. And he came back later, as we
all know, weren number ninety ra in his return and
was like part of that whole we're gonna try and
make the playoffs thing. A couple years later he just
added an Ellenton this team where you just knew Jerome
mcgilla was not the only Snipper he had to worry about,
because Camilearry buried a lot of pucks that year, a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Yeah, no, it's it's it's a it's a Flames player
that Uh shoot, I think I think a lot of
us forget when when he comes to like things like
this and how effective he really was switch I'm gonna
switch gears. And the one that comes to my mind
is such a year where I just thought, this guy
is just dominating in so many ways. And that's the
(11:35):
five O six kippersoft season, a Vezna Trophy. Uh. He
also won the WILLIAMS. Jenning Trophy that year, won forty
two games for the team at two point seven goals
against average and ap point nine two three save percentage.
And I just remember that year and I just remember thinking,
this guy gives us a chance against anybody, and that,
(11:57):
you know, that was such a And I'm I'm not
discounting or discounting Mike Vernon, but I just think when
I think back to Kippersoft, he won so many games
just single handedly.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What I struggle with in hindsight and hindsight being what
it is, it's like it was the team. Was the
team really that good, you know when they want like
the Northwest Division that season? Or was Kippersoft just that good?
And I'm not sure we'll ever really know the answer,
because Kippersoft was so good that he he covered up
warts on that team much the same way Dustin Wolf
(12:32):
did in this past twenty four to twenty five season,
right for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And it's funny how we relaid all these players to
players now and that's a good thing. But I'm hoping
that we see that like when there was a lot
of games this year once once Wolf took over right
and took that spot as the starter, and in what
in credit to Dan Vilott r. Two, there wasn't any
(12:56):
night this year where I was just like, oh no, yeah, right.
Was there nights where you were just like, oh no,
what our Golden I didn't at all worry about our goldending.
Ever this year I didn't.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
No, I don't. I don't think that I did either.
The only time I felt kind of shaken I was
at that game as well, was the Saint Patty's Day
gave against the Leafs, where Wolf was not at his best.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
To say, but he did have a night that night.
He did.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
He did. But in his defense, to say that Wolf
wasn't Wolf in the game means he didn't make every
other worldly save he could possibly make. An off night
for Dustin Wolfe is a lot of gold Thunder's best nights.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I honestly believe that was the best thing that could
have happened to him this.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Year though, for his development.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
You mean, yes, those nights mentally gears for you, right,
I mean it just does. Like he he had to
learn that night that hey, it's not gonna this isn't
a cakewalk, and like he just I think that helped.
Those Those help, Those really really help.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Oh, I think they do too. And it's funny to
try and think back to a five oh six. You know,
any nights Kippersoft wasn't as his best. I struggle mightily
to remember any of them. Well, and even you know that.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
YouTube rabbit hole pull up that highlight to him that season.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Oh yeah, I'm sure it isn't. I mean, And I
think about my conversation with Darren McCarty back in May
about how that Flame team should have beat the Ducks
in the first round that year, like you know, how
just how good that team was, and a lot of it,
well I don't say most of it, but because they
had to shut down Defender and rigear again, that was
still a superstar. But ultimately Mika Kippersov was on a
(14:39):
completely other just a different another planet, a different level.
Nobody could touch him. I don't I don't care if
people want to talk about you know, Mark tamper To
even Domin Hasseck at the time, like you know, these
players that were, you know, era defining Hall of Fame
goaltenders in the five o six season, Mika Kippersoft was
completely and utterly untiped And there's no arguing to be
(15:01):
otherwise that I'm aware of anyway, So good calling him.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
I want to go again if I can, and then
we're gonna switch gears and you can do a couple
You mentioned this one earlier, and this kind of brings
us back to another era. That al Mcinness season was
the first time that I remember like, see, I'm too young.
I can't believe said I I've never said that on
(15:26):
the podcast. I'm too young, but I'm too young to
remember like the Bobby or you know, his defensive like,
you know, take control like, but this was the first
time that I was like a defenseman was controlling situations
and controlling games and not only putting up you know,
(15:47):
crazy points. I believe that year you put up one
hundred and three points.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, but he.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Was not just he he also was one hundred three
points good on the defense side of the puck too, right,
And he was that dominated on both sides because too
many times now we look at defensemen it's like, well
how many points did he have? Yeah? But did he
did he get walked all the time? Did he? You know,
was pizzas up in the middle. You didn't get that
(16:16):
from mckinnis. And he also put the puck in the
net and and what he did to lift this team
in the Stanley Cup finals and was rewarded with a
const mic Thrilly was crazy, right, I mean, it's just crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Sure, While to think about mm hmm, so the pride
of Internation Nova Scotia kpe Breton. It's funny. I gotta
mention this because it's so funny. This has been stuck
in my head for years. I think I want to
say it was Darren the Tisan God Rest his soul
FTSN and the ninety nine two thousand Playoffs was doing
(16:52):
the highlights of a Saint Louis San Jose playoff game,
and mckenness for the Blues at the time, of course,
wound up, took a slap shot and scored, of course,
and in the highlight clip, the Titian said, Okay, everybody
duck and you can see when McKenna shoots the puck,
everybody is just getting the hell out of the way,
right Well.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
You know, yeah, it's a scary part of this. He
did it with a woodstick.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah, oh yeah. And now you know, in his age
now like he's had some you know, well documented back
issues from just ripping pocks for so many years. That's
a you know, it's like a picture thrown a baseball.
It It strains a lot of muscles to follow through
and get that power of basically your entire body behind
the Puck and you know, he did it better than anybody,
and it's a it's kind of funny now that we're
(17:40):
talking about it, Brad, I'm kind of reminded how from
about eighty nine, you know, mckinnisi coons, my season ninety
one ish ninety two two, that five o six season
with kippersoft talking about there are very few seasons in
between we talk about because we didn't have a lot
of star power. We didn't have any really success full
seasons to speak of. Apart from you know, two thousand
(18:03):
and four. There was like a ten year period, but
there weren't really a lot of memorable things going on
with the Flames. I mean, you know, if you look
at you know, teams like even the Atlanta Thrashers and
the Kobalchak and heat Lee and like guys like tearing
it up. It's not often a franchise you could point
to the modern day Buffalo Sabers, but not often a
franchise will have such a streaky futility where you can't
(18:23):
even find an individual season two, you know, cling to.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Right exactly, Yeah, fire one at me.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, it's gonna seem kind of redundant, but I mean
we're gonna talk about the same season that you alluded
to with five or six the Kippers off, and I'm
gonna go on that same season and mention Dion f Enough.
So for me at that time, fresh out of high school,
first university, Dion f Enough twenty goals, twenty nine assists,
forty nine points, the clear favorite for the Calder had
(18:56):
it not been for the emergence that same season a
City crasby Alxavechkin. I'm not gonna sider and tell you
he was a defensive stalwart, but the guy ripped home
clapper goals and blew up countless players.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
But you know what, I almost thought that year he
was better defensively than he was in any other year
in his career. Call me crazy, but I I do.
I do believe that. And my first time I ever
saw Diane Enough play was at the World Juniors in
Grand Forks, North Dakota, and he was part of that
dominating team from Team Canada. And the double d on here,
what's that?
Speaker 1 (19:32):
The double d on your pearr McGuire, the double d
on colle.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
I to know that I didn't, I didn't, you know,
and back then I couldn't, uh I couldn't salvage the
Canadian broadcasts, but I was there a lot. I know
that you do say that it does come to me
in and seeing some highlights of of that, but I just.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Was.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
I remember that year just thinking what do we have
in this guy and what can he do ours?
Speaker 1 (20:01):
You know why in my opinion, well let's go a
little bit off the board here in terms of you
know what made these seasons so successful? The reason I
think that you think Dion Phano was so successful that
rookie season. I got two words for you, Roman hammerlick.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yeah, yeah, you're right. You brought that up on the
show before.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
The guy was just an anchor for him. But but
ultimately it's like, man, it's you know, I I had
I had lunch today with one of our head estimators
at work, and it's the same thing. I'm in a
sales role. I can't do my job as effectively as
possible without a good staff behind me. That was Dion
pough Man. He had in total anchor in Roman hammerlick.
(20:39):
You gotta have that d partner, that backup goal turnder
that pushes you, that winger who digs the pucks out
for you, whatever, it is and and I I'll you know,
for all the years if Enough played in the league,
and you know before he was eventually traded to a
very I feel like he was traded for a kind
of inflated price to Toronto. He never ever recapture that
(21:01):
magic of five six and six oh seven.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
No, he didn't, and which is still kind of surprises me.
But you're right, he didn't. And but but.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Well you say that, and I agree with you because
it is kind of surprising. But ultimately, how sustainable is
That's how the play ripping posam, throwing the body, constantly fighting,
constantly like man he man, he came in hot hot hoh.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Man. I just remember as a fan though, just like whoa, wow,
we're gonna get to watch this for years. I didn't.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
I remember where I was today I get traded.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
I believe my driveway had like a foot of snow
shoveling my driveway. I felt my phone buzzing and I
looked and I just remember standing in the freezing cold
looking at it and just being like, oh, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
I was at a girlfriend's place at the time, and
I remember thinking like her parents place, I should say,
And I was like, man, what the.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
It was like a Sunday at like one o'clock. I like,
I remember it like it was.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
It was dead of January, and I remember Brian Brooks
comment saying, you know, like this is going to make
our team better for the future. We got like our
leader and the Flames will make the playoffs now and
we didn't. Ultimately. It is January twenty ten.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Was that what it was?
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah? And you know what I mean, in a lot
of ways, it was reminiscent of the Gilmore trade.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
It was.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
It was a star player at the time for a lot,
a lot, a lot of spare parts and to say
nothing of you know, to say nothing bad of those players.
Matt Stage became a very important piece of the Flames
was you know, developing their youth and his contributions in
the twenty fifteen playoff run, but ultimately a budding star
traded for what ultimately amounted to very very little right parts. Yeah,
(22:40):
so back to you, what do you got?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I mean, I'm gonna stick on the defenseman. And the
reason I'm going to talk about this season is because
this one to me and maybe I'm wrong, and maybe
this one came out of left field for me. I
did not expect this season from him, but in twenty
eighteen nineteen marked your Dana and as Norris Trophy as
the league best defenseman, you know, seventy four points real
(23:09):
plus thirty nine. Like, did anybody in Calgary? I mean,
I don't think anybody in Calgary, and I'm sure as
hell would put money out in Nobody out of Calgary
had him even on the top five for the Norris
Trophy preseason in the betting lines. I bet you could
have been at walked away a rich man. We didn't
see this coming. Now. We all knew that Mark Giardana
was a great player and a good defenseman. This just
(23:31):
took it to a new level.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
I'll beg them big time. I might even let's see
if I have a photo here, because I just if
there it is for YouTube viewers can see this. But
that is the Giordano signed twenty nineteen Norris Trophy jersey
that I got an auction and was able to take
a photo with Mark traideral with back in May. But yeah,
(23:57):
you know, to your point, yeah, you're absolutely right, Chertano.
I think we can we can both agree that would
have he would have won the Norris Trophy in twenty fifteen,
had it not been for the torn by step injury
with Steve Brenier against New Jersey Devils. He was well
in his way went in that Norris, but to come
back four years later in the Norris.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
And that's the big thing that made me so surprised
is because he was at the peak there was injured
with a pretty severe and different injury and for him
not just like two years later, but four years later
when he was I mean, I can't remember, but how
old he wasn't eighteen nineteen, but you know he wasn't
(24:39):
the young defense.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
He was thirty seven I think, wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Yeah, So he was up he was up there, right,
So I mean, gosh, like, what a what a season
from a guy like him? And he's not the only
one in that eighteen nineteen season we can overlook, as
you know, Johnny goodrou that was his ninety nine points
season two with with third six goals, I believe it was.
And it just just crazy, right, what what a season?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Oh? I mean for a guy that was never drafted,
for a guy that it was considered to be getting
along in the tooth, but you know, still effective, but
like he was not supposed to win the Norse Trophy
in general shirt if he did it, which was testimate
his work ethic and his conditioning and a lot of
midribles conditioned over the years. But I mean, yeah, it's
kind of sad in a sense when you look back
(25:25):
on it that because the immersion gods like gatron Ka,
Chuck Goudro, excuse me that jordanod didn't in hindsight get
quite the accolades he deserved. I mean, winning the Norris
is a huge, huge, huge honor, and he didn't just
do it because of his offensive were Seventy four points
is a lot, but I mean he he.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
Was How many other Flames players have won the Norris?
I might losing my mind, but I can't think of.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Any, No, I don't think so. Gary Suter won the Calder,
McKennis won the con Spight, as we talked about, but
I don't he he was the first Flame to do so, Yeah,
you're right, I mean when you think about that, well,
and and again let's look at the companies. So so
Al mckinnis first and foremost, Dion f enough, Gary Soter,
(26:13):
Phil Howsley, a legendary American defenceman, even some young up
and comers like Derek Morris, Like, none of those guys
took how many you know, other significant harbor than what
we already mentioned.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So Robert probably should have taken home hardware and never did.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Robert McGear was a part of Team Canada training Olympics
in two thousand and six. That's how good he was, right.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
I mean, yeah, there should be an award for a
guy like him. I you know, he didn't put up
all the points in the world, but boy, see a
game changer for the Flames.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Unbelievable, unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (26:49):
We have one more and I'm gonna name some honorable
mentions when you're when you're done.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
You know, this is kind of the tough part about
doing these shows, right, because we don't have the luxury
of like, you know that being like the seventies Habs Dynasty,
the Islanders Roilers of the eighties. I mean, it's hurt.
It's hard to drill down. So this really does take
a ton of thought. I'm thinking more towards down will
mention side things because it's hard for me to dancate
(27:15):
into the season. That really jumped out to me for
an individual player.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yep, the ones I have that I wanted to just
at least bring up. There was three of them. That
one of them I don't even remember. I just remember
seeing highlights. It was Kent Nielsen's one hundred and thirty
one point franchise record. I mean, I think you know
we'd be sliding the franchise if we didn't at least
mention that. But Hock and Lube scoring fifty and winning
(27:39):
Rookie of the Year, those are huge things. Joel Mullen
one hundred and ten point season in eighty eight eighty nine.
He's played seventy nine games at fifty one goals, one
hundred and ten points. I mean, like bonkers bonkers numbers.
And the only one that really that I remember and
(28:00):
probably think we should at least bring up is the
old one oh two again Less season. I mean, all
the awards you can possibly win, we're won by Againla
that year with the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted
Lindsay Award, well it wasn't Ted Lindsay then, it was
a Lester B. Pearson Award, I believe, And that year
(28:21):
he won the Rocket Reshard Trophy too, So I mean
that's as good as it gets for the Flames, right.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yeah, and I think that, like r well mention from
some players who these are never going to be like
we're now in seasons league wide, but I mean Dee
Mcammond fifty one points on the back of twenty goals
and thirty one assists and one two to help AGAINLA
hit those numbers. Christians Stelius, you know, very particular, Yeah,
a very particular favorite of our. One of our host
(28:50):
Sho brad he Stilly has had seventy seven points I
believe in one season with Calgary even Freddy Brathwaite. Freddy
Brathwaite pitched five I have shutouts in the yes, oh
one two season now thousand and one. Anyway, there's lots
of seasons that lifted the team up beyond the heights
(29:11):
they should have otherwise achieved. And uh, you know, we
wish we had time to talk about them all and
hopefully a few of our listeners will chime in, you know,
with a couple suggestions of their own. But it's it's
it's funny, man. It's like it's like when you look
like the Edmonton Oilers and Conic David right loo, when
you have a superstar player that just lifts your team
up and takes him to the heights that he does.
(29:31):
It's not always going to be something like a final,
but you look at players and think, man, how like
where would this team be without a marketable star like
what we have with Dromaguillard and John Godreau, Right, Like,
that's those individual seasons as much as it's a team sport.
The individual seasons are do what draw people and that's
where kids find their favorite players. That's where you get more,
you know, engrossed in a story. But the guys can
(29:52):
hit forty fifty sixty goals, right, And we've had we've
had our fair share for a team that hasn't had
a ton of you know, widespread success, right, sustained success.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
One thing that's different about Calgary too, is like we've
really really had those players that just year in and
year out put up giant numbers. Right. And that's not
a slight on Jerome mcginla, but I think a lot
of people in the hockey world would agree, Like, as
much of a great goalscorer as he was, he was
so much more of a player as far as a
power winger and doing other things on the ice too,
So you didn't get those you know, one hundred and
(30:24):
ten point seasons, just one after another with it with
Jerome mcginla. But you got so much more right, and
we just didn't have This franchise just doesn't have that
that constant, that's that player that just continually did it
year after year. And maybe we would have had that
in Johnny Gardreau. We we don't know, right, but the
(30:44):
seasons that this are what I would consider our star
players put up, We're pretty impressive. And one thing that
really is amazing is like what you've brought up the
I don't want to call him non superstars, but guys
that we did not expect to have big years and did,
like the Cambilliaries and the Dean mccammons and players such
(31:07):
as that.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Yeah, I mean some guys we knew would do well.
But I mean, like even Damon Lanco had a monster
year when he played No. Five oh six. He had
he went from fifty nine I remember the numbers so well,
like I think anyway, fifty nine points in that first
five or six season two six oh seven where he
put up like seventy seven. I mean, those guys that
came in played above their heads a bit. They weren't
(31:30):
gonna be a hundred point players, even Elis Lindholm in
twenty one to twenty two, right, oh eighty yeah. I
mean those guys translated those into success and paydays also
aren't good for them, you know.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
But but I think we're reaping the rewards on that
one too, because we were able to move in for
pieces that I mean, oh yeah, pretty good right now.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Right anytime you can take if you can parlay a
trade into two or three trades that keep you, you know,
a buff water like you know, trading Adam Fox to
get lynd Holme as part of that deal, then lyn
Holm to get a piece like Perstevitch. I mean, you're
you're doing good things and that, and that's kind of
what it comes down to. If you're not drafting well,
if you're not trading well, if you're in a smaller market,
(32:12):
it's really hard to constantly manufacture players and are impact players.
And we've had a lot of pretty good players about
Monster seasons. My favorite memory, just to all close, you know,
my piece in this was saying when the Flames first
acquired Alex Tangay, Yeah, I remember a buddy of mine
texted me I was living in my parents. Ho'st the
time he texted me, and it's the Saturday. I thing
(32:32):
was the draft day. He said, have fun with tang Gay.
I'm like, what the hell are you talking about?
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Tangy.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I'm like, oh my god. The Flames acquired Alex Tang
and he went on to have eighty one points. I
want to say with playing alongside again La. Yeah, that
was a like phenomenal, phenomenal season.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Yeah, I mean that's exactly what we need someone to
do this year, a step up like that. You know,
why do you do that?
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Yeah? Why do you think the team where he tried
to guys like Camillary and Tangy and Yokin, it brought
them all back to try them again because they had
significant success here and for those of us who grew
up watching those teams that that's not lost on us, right.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
No, No, you're right, you're right. It's funny there. There's
we've had a we've had a fair share of you know,
and and you know we forget you know this, this
organization has had to kind of make, uh make their
stars out of out of low picks. With goodrow Panine
to believe he's a seventh rounder, right, theo Flury was
Goodrow was fourth, Flury was a late late pick too,
(33:31):
and I mean eleventh, I believe right, those are I mean,
those are prominent, prominent players for this organization that you know,
we we picked in late rounds and that that that's
a that's amazing and and a credit to that and
I'm honestly a credit to a scouting staff that me
and you have been super critical of and and the
whole fan base has and rightfully so. But it's it's
(33:55):
fun and it's fun to think of the the Camillarias
and and Jared seasons and stuff like that. But a
great topic and uh, hell have an idea. I liked it.
I look forward to doing this one.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
You know, sometimes it's just the inspiration. It's here, right,
that's what That's what doom scrolling on your phone will do.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
All right, Flames fans, thanks for joining us on this
summer off season edition. As we slog through this uneventful
no news and you know what, I'll probably say this
and now tonight somebody will get moved just so I
can sell like an idiot, because that happens quite frequently
as soon as we record something like this. But I
don't know. It's been fun doing these special episodes and
(34:37):
it's got as through some quiet times this summer, but
it's also sparked a lot of conversations and thoughts about
the history of the Flames and and how really good some.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
Of these memories are for both of us exactly, and
there's we've deal more more memories to be made at
Maybe we can talk about best of Wolf season this
past years as.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
An example of that.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
So yeah, stay tuned. We'll keep the fun content coming
and we're always up with suggestions too.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
All right, confidence, have a good weeks.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
Thanks for listening to Flames Unfiltered with Brad Burud and
Kyle Lewis your source for unfiltered Calgary Flames hockey Talk.
Keep it locked on Flames Unfiltered dot c a subscribe
where you get all your podcasts to never miss an episode.
Flames Hockey Talk every week presented by Inside Edge Hockey
Media Group.
Speaker 5 (36:00):
H I crawl out from the vein of yesterday.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
I crawled to you and I said all the things
that you said to say. Have I said enough to
your lagging?
Speaker 3 (36:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Do your lagging?
Speaker 3 (36:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
I know you can play these dirty games.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
The killing me and I know that you love to watch.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
Me BEG, so here I am.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
Do you like it? Yeah yeah? Do you like it?
Yeah yeah. I don't want to be the moment I
don't want, but the hand is be I don't want
to be a circle by you. Oh yes you.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
I hate myself for beg, hating myself for stealing.
Speaker 5 (37:36):
I hate myself for this thing too. You.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
It's still a little too late and I can't escape,
So I'm begging you, please I change all the things
that you told me to change.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
No a moment. I don't want to be the propet
for you. I don't want to, but I handles being.
I don't want to be a sucker for you.
Speaker 5 (38:09):
I guess her, say myself for bakake, hate myself for stays.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
I hate myself for this thing.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
So I just want to get out.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
Stop inside of this waiting for something, waiting to excess can.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Help you? Miss commiss to you do you to? I
(39:07):
don't one of me is a puppet for you. Don't
wanna my head is, madam. I don't one of me
as job for you.
Speaker 1 (39:16):
Oh yes, I hate myself for creak. I hate myself fustaking.
I hate myself for thistening too.
Speaker 3 (39:28):
Ja for this, sensube Ja
Speaker 1 (39:39):
For listening to JO, for listening to j
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