Creating a Calgary Flames all-time 1980s lineup

We’ve reached the dog days of summer, with little to no news on the NHL front. So why not have some fun? In a series of posts over the next few weeks, we’ll be assembling the best Calgary Flames lineup from every decade of their existence. We’ll be creating 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s rosters.

To kick us off, we’ll start with the Flames’ first and still their best decade, the 1980s. Otherwise known as the golden era of Flames hockey.

The forwards

This was a crowded group to say the least. As expected for the best era of Flames hockey, there was a ton of star talent to pick from. Here’s the forward group we landed on.

Line 1: Joe Mullen – Kent Nilsson – Lanny McDonald

The top trio makes up three of the Flames’ four highest scoring forwards of the 1980s. At centre, Kent Nilsson was the Flames’ highest scoring player of the 1980s by a huge margin. His 562 points in 425 games between 1980–1990 were 133 higher than Hakan Loob who had the second most of the decade. His 131 points in 1980–81 remains a franchise record, and he never recorded a single season in Calgary under a point per game.

At right wing is the icon, Lanny McDonald. His 66 goals during the 1982–83 season is still a franchise best, and no one is more synonymous with the ’80s Flames than Lanny. He also captained the 1989 Cup-winning team.

Rounding out the trio is Joe Mullen, who led the team in scoring during their Cup-winning 1988–89 season. His 55 playoff points were the most among any Flames forward of the ’80s.

Line 2: Jim Peplinski – Joe Nieuwendyk – Hakan Loob

Highlighting the second line is Joe Nieuwendyk, arguably the best centre in franchise history. His superb 92-point rookie season in 1987–88 remains the only Calder Trophy-winning season in franchise history. His back-to-back 51 goals in 1987–88 and 1988–89 are still the only back-to-back 50-goal seasons in franchise history.

At left wing, I have Jim Peplinski. No one played more games in Calgary during the ’80s than Peplinski. His 705 appearances as a Flame that decade were 213 more than any other forward. He was also co-captain with McDonald during the Cup-winning season.

Rounding out the group is Hakan Loob, the second-highest scoring Flames forward of the 1980s. His 106 points in 1987–88 led the team and is still the fourth highest single season in franchise history.

Line 3: Doug Gilmour – Joel Otto – Guy Chouinard

The third line is when it starts getting tough. There were a ton of names available here. In the end, I went with the above three. Let’s start with the easy pick, Joel Otto. The fourth-highest scoring Flames centre of the ’80s, Otto was also a stellar defensive centre. He’d finish top 15 in Selke voting twice in the 1980s.

On the wing is Doug Gilmour. While Gilmour spent just two seasons in Calgary in the 1980s, they were impactful ones. He’d finish third in team scoring in the regular season and playoffs during the Cup-winning season. Without Gilmour’s contributions, the Flames wouldn’t have a Stanley Cup.

To finish up the third line, I went with Guy Chouinard. While he isn’t as well known as some other names, he was one of the best Flames of the early ’80s. Chouinard led the team in scoring in 1981–82 and was the sixth-highest scoring Flame forward of the ’80s despite leaving the team in 1983.

Line 4: Tim Hunter – Carey Wilson – Colin Patterson

The fourth line is a mish-mash of enforcers, cup winners, and lesser-known Flames. At left wing, I have one of the Flames’ all-time tough guys, Tim Hunter. No player racked up more penalty minutes on the Flames during the ’80s than Hunter, who is third for games played in the decade behind only Peplinski and McDonald.

At centre is the lesser-known Carey Wilson. He unfortunately left the team the season before their Cup run, but was an effective centre in Calgary during the ’80s and their fifth highest scoring centre of the decade. At right wing is Colin Patterson. Patterson played the sixth-most games of any Flames forward in the ’80s and was a part of the 1989 team.

The defence

Much like at forward, the Flames have a stacked roster of defencemen from the ’80s, many of whom are still considered the best in franchise history to this day.

Pairing 1: Gary Suter – Al MacInnis

Al MacInnis and Gary Suter. The who’s who of Flames defenders of the 1980s, and the backbone of their 1989 Cup-winning season. MacInnis is arguably the greatest defender in franchise history. No Flames defenceman played more games or posted more points in the ’80s than MacInnis. In fact, his 459 points during the decade ranks second among all Flames behind only Nilsson.

His Cup-winning 1989 playoff run is the stuff of legend. His 31 points during the playoffs that year are still a franchise record and led the entire NHL. His elite play helped the Flames win the Cup and earned him the only Conn Smythe Trophy in franchise history.

On the left side is Gary Suter. Suter posted 308 points in 326 games during the ’80s, with his 0.94 points per game tied with MacInnis for the best rate among blueliners. His 91 points during the 1987–88 season was the best total by a Flames defenceman in the ’80s, and the second best in franchise history.

Pairing 2: Paul Reinhart – Jamie Macoun

The second pairing, while not as good as the first, is still a really strong duo. Paul Reinhart was a stud for the Flames in the ’80s, posting the second most points among Flames blueliners during the decade with 445. His 75 points during the 1982–83 season led the blue line in scoring, as did his 69 points during the 1984–85 season. While he unfortunately left the team before the 1989 season, he still managed the most playoff games of any Flames defender in the ’80s with 76.

Opposite Reinhart is the rugged Jamie Macoun. The defensive specialist played the third most games among Flames blueliners in the 1980s, and tagged on the fourth most points. He also finished 10th in Norris voting during the 1989–90 season.

Pairing 3: Pekka Rautakallio – Rob Ramage

The third pairing was tough. After the top four names, there aren’t any clear standouts to pick from. In the end, I landed on Pekka Rautakallio and Rob Ramage. Ramage spent just two seasons with the Flames, but was a core piece of their 1989 run. Part of the infamous Brett Hull trade, Ramage was brought in to help the Flames win a Stanley Cup, and he did just that, posting 12 points in 20 games during the 1989 run.

Rautakallio, meanwhile, isn’t exactly well known in Flames circles, but was the fifth-highest scoring Flames defender of the era. His 141 points in 200 games were fewer than only Macoun, Suter, Reinhart, and MacInnis. His 68 points were the most among Flames defenders in 1981–82.

The goaltenders

Two Flames goaltenders dominated the playing time in the ’80s, with no one else even coming close.

Mike Vernon – Rejean Lemelin

Mike Vernon was the easy choice as the starter for this team. The franchise’s only Stanley Cup winning goaltender and the backbone of the 1989 team, Vernon was a staple between the Flames’ pipes during the ’80s. His 220 games played and 128 wins during the ’80s rank second behind only Lemelin, while his 34 playoff wins rank first.

Rejean “Reggie” Lemelin, meanwhile, may not have been around for the Cup win, but he was a core part of the team up until he left in 1987. His 303 games played and 136 wins are both tops among Flames goaltenders of the ’80s.