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Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Throwback Tuesday: The Flames acquire two picks from the Bruins, selecting Mike Vernon

Originally posted on Flamesnation | By Ryley Delaney | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 6:00 PM ET

On Tuesday evening, the Calgary Flames play the Boston Bruins for the second time this season.

This will be the first game back in Calgary for Elias Lindholm, as he was traded in late January of 2024. Moreover, this will be Nikita Zadorov’s second game in Calgary since his Nov. 2023 trade. Both players were traded to the Vancouver Canucks in two separate trades and both signed with the Boston Bruins in the off-season.

Those two trades were the 318th and 319th in the team’s history since moving to Calgary. Their first trade after moving from Atlanta involved the Bruins and one of the best netminders in franchise history. Let’s take a look at how the Flames acquired Mike Vernon.

Mike Vernon’s tenure in Calgary

On May 21, 1980, the Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary. Twelve days later, the team made its first move since the relocation, trading Jim Craig to the Boston Bruins for a 1980 second-round pick and a 1981 third-round pick.

That 1980 second-rounder was used to select Steve Konroyd, who was later traded to the New York Islanders before the 1986 trade deadline for John Tonelli. Read more about that in this Throwback Tuesday. On the other hand, the 1981 third-rounder was used to select Mike Vernon, one of the best netminders in franchise history.

Vernon’s talent was clear from the beginning. His first two seasons in the league (1982-83 and 1983-84) only saw him play three games, increasing to 18 games in 1985-86. By the 1986-87 season, he became the Flames’ full-time netminder, where he had an .883 save percentage and a 3.62 goals-against average in 55 games, with a 30-22-1 record.

The 1987-88 season saw him post an .877 save percentage and a 3.54 goals-against average in 64 games, finishing with a 39-16-7 record. For the first time in his career, Vernon finished as an All-Star and was fourth in Vezina Trophy voting.

The following season was one of the best of his career, as Vernon had an .897 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average in the 1988-89 season, finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting and becoming a two-time All-Star. More importantly, he helped the Flames win their only Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Vernon spent another five seasons in Calgary during his first stint, where he had an .882 save percentage and a 3.24 goals-against average in 276 games played, with a 133-106-35 record. He was named an All-star in 1989-90, 1990-91, and 1992-93.

On Jun. 29, 1994, the Flames traded Vernon to the Detroit Red Wings for Steve Chiasson. He spent three seasons with the Red Wings, where he won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 1995-96, along with a Stanley Cup in 1996-97. Vernon was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he spent parts of three seasons and had a .904 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average. Before the 2000 trade deadline, Vernon was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he had a .919 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average in 34 games played.

Vernon was claimed by the Minnesota Wild off waivers but was traded back to the Flames on Jun. 23, 2000. The netminder spent two more seasons with the Flames in his late 30s, posting an .887 save percentage and a 3.11 goals-against average in 59 games played, with a 14-32-6 record before calling it a career before the start of the 2002-03 season.

Over his 19-year-old career, Vernon won two Stanley Cups, was a Conn Smythe winner with the Red Wings in 1996-97, was a five-time All-Star (and withdrawing from the 1991-92 game), and won the William M. Jennings Trophy when he played with Detroit. Although he never won the Vezina Trophy, he was a finalist once in 1988-89 and finished top four on three separate occasions.

In 2023, Vernon was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, while his #30 was retired by the team in 2007. His number is just one of four the Flames have retired, along with Lanny McDonald, Jarome Iginla, and Miikka Kiprusoff.

This article first appeared on Flamesnation and was syndicated with permission.

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