2007–08 Calgary Flames season

2007–08 Calgary Flames
Division 3rd Northwest
Conference 7th Western
2007–08 record 42–30–10
Home record 21–11–9
Road record 21–19–1
Goals for 229
Goals against 227
Team information
General Manager Darryl Sutter
Coach Mike Keenan
Captain Jarome Iginla
Alternate captains Owen Nolan
Robyn Regehr
Rhett Warrener
Stephane Yelle
Arena Pengrowth Saddledome
Average attendance 19,289 (100%)
Team leaders
Goals Jarome Iginla (50)
Assists Jarome Iginla (48)
Points Jarome Iginla (98)
Penalties in minutes Dion Phaneuf (182)
Plus/minus Jarome Iginla (+27)
Wins Miikka Kiprusoff (39)
Goals against average Miikka Kiprusoff (2.69)

The 2007–08 Calgary Flames season was the 28th season for the Calgary Flames and 36th season for the Flames franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL).

In a surprise move, the Flames announced on June 14 that Jim Playfair would be replaced by "Iron" Mike Keenan as the team's head coach. Playfair remains with the Flames as an associate coach. Keenan entered the season 6th all-time in the NHL in wins.

The trend of spending too much money on defencemen begins, with Sutter overpaying for Cory Sarich in free agency and picking up Adrian Aucoin and his $4 million annual salary, in a trade.[1] Owen Nolan,[2] Anders Eriksson,[3] and Mark Smith.[4] are all brought in as GM Sutter's free-agent reclamation projects,[5] but these aging veterans do little and nothing for the team.[1] Sutter is unable to come to terms with Mark Giordano, and the highly rated prospect heads to the Dynamo Moscow in Russia instead of the NHL.[6] Sports writer Steve MacFarlane observes that "The team looks like it has no direction — and no confidence in an unpredictable coach".[1]

At the end of the regular season, Miikka Kiprusoff's goals against average of 2.69 is his worst ever as a Flame .[7]

In the playoffs, the team falls to the Sharks in seven games in the first round.

Team notes

On December 16, Keenan recorded his 600th career win as a head coach in a 5–3 victory over one of his former teams, the St. Louis Blues.[8]

Al MacInnis was among four players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2007. MacInnis spent 13 years in Calgary, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989.[9]

On November 29, captain Jarome Iginla played in his 804th game, setting a new franchise record for games played in a Flames uniform, surpassing Al MacInnis' mark. Two nights later, Iginla registered his 700th career point in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. On March 10, Iginla scored his 365th goal, surpassing Theoren Fleury's mark of 364 to become the Flames' all-time goal scoring leader.[10]

In December, the Flames became the third team in NHL history to win all six games of a six-game road trip, a feat previously accomplished by the 1971–72 Bruins and 1982–83 Flyers.[11][12] The 2001–02 Red Wings also won six consecutive road games, though that trip was broken in half by the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Two Flames players were voted to start for the Western Conference at the 2008 All-Star Game. Defenceman Dion Phaneuf joined Iginla for the game, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.[13]

On February 18, Flames' prospect Mickey Renaud, a fifth round pick in the 2007 draft, collapsed and died at the age of 19 at his home in Tecumseh, Ontario. Renaud had been playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, and was the team's captain.[14] The cause of death was not immediately known.

Regular season

Divisional standings

Northwest Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1y – Minnesota Wild8244281022321898
2Colorado Avalanche824431723121995
3Calgary Flames8242301022922794
4Edmonton Oilers824135623525188
5Vancouver Canucks8239331021321588

Conference standings

Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 p – Detroit Red WingsCE8254217257184115
2 y – San Jose SharksPA82492310222193108
3 y – Minnesota WildNW8244281022321898
4 Anaheim DucksPA8247278205191102
5 Dallas StarsPA824530724220797
6 Colorado AvalancheNW824431723121995
7 Calgary FlamesNW8242301022922794
8 Nashville PredatorsCE824132923022991
8.5
9 Edmonton OilersNW824135623525188
10 Chicago BlackhawksCE824034823923588
11 Vancouver CanucksNW8239331021321588
12 Phoenix CoyotesPA823837721423183
13 Columbus Blue JacketsCE8234361219321880
14 St. Louis BluesCE8233361320523779
15 Los Angeles KingsPA823243723126671

Divisions: PA – Pacific, CE – Central, NW – Northwest
bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, pPresidents' Trophy winner

Game log

2007–08 Game log

Playoffs

The Flames finished 7th in the Western Conference with 94 points, earning a first-round match-up against the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. It was the third time the two teams had met in the playoffs, with the Sharks defeating the Flames in seven games in the first round of the 1995 playoffs, while the Flames defeated San Jose in six games in the 2004 Western Conference final.

After splitting the first two games in San Jose, the Flames gave up three goals to the Sharks in the first 3½ minutes of the game, but came back to win 4–3. In doing so, the Flames became only the second team in NHL history, after the 1985 Minnesota North Stars to come back from a 3–0 deficit in the first ten minutes of a playoff game.[15] During Game 6, in which the Flames faced elimination, they scored once in the first and second period each to shut out the Sharks 2–0, as the Sharks did during Game 2. Nolan and Langkow scored both goals respectively and Kiprusoff made 21 saves for his 6th postseason shutout.

2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player GP G A Pts PIM +/- GP G A Pts PIM +/-
Jarome Iginla82504898832774592-1
Kristian Huselius81254166401070446-1
Daymond Langkow80303565191673250E
Dion Phaneuf821743601821273474-2
Alex Tanguay78184058481170444-1
Matthew Lombardi8214223667-670004-2
Adrian Aucoin761025353713703343
Craig Conroy7912223471670228E
Owen Nolan7716163271673252E
Robyn Regehr8251520791170222E
Anders Eriksson611171836-530112E
Stephane Yelle74391220-4720262
Dustin Boyd4875126-11
David Moss41471110-4511242
Wayne Primeau43371026-371014E
Eric Nystrom44371048-570002-2
Cory Sarich802571352701141
Marcus Nilson473254220000E
Mark Smith5413459-6
Rhett Warrener3113421-2
Eric Godard74112171-850002E
Jim Vandermeer2102239470004-6
David Hale5802246E60002-1
Tim Ramholt10000-1

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Calgary. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player GP TOI W L OT GA SO Sv% GAA GP TOI W L GA SO Sv% GAA
Miikka Kiprusoff7643983926101972.9062.69733624181.9083.21
Curtis Joseph9400320170.9062.552791010.9700.76
Curtis McElhinney515002050.9022.00
Matt Keetley19000001.0000.00

Awards and records

Records

  • 7: most games to start the season with a player scoring two goals in one game.[16]
  • 6: consecutive wins on a single road trip (tied for record).

Milestones

Regular Season
PlayerMilestoneReached
Dion Phaneuf100th NHL pointOctober 4, 2007
Daymond Langkow200th NHL goal
500th NHL point
October 18, 2007
Daymond Langkow300th NHL assistOctober 20, 2007
Curtis McElhinney1st NHL gameOctober 22, 2007
Owen Nolan1000th NHL gameOctober 22, 2007
Eric Nystrom1st NHL goal
1st NHL point
October 30, 2007
Matt Keetley1st NHL gameNovember 5, 2007
Jarome Iginla804th NHL game
(franchise record)
November 29, 2007
Tim Ramholt1st NHL gameNovember 29, 2007
Jarome Iginla700th NHL pointDecember 1, 2007
Mike Keenan600th Coaching winDecember 16, 2007
Stephane Yelle800th NHL gameDecember 18, 2007
Owen Nolan800th NHL pointFebruary 24, 2008
Jarome Iginla365th NHL goal
(franchise record)
March 10, 2008

Transactions

The Flames have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades

June 22, 2007
To Calgary Flames
Adrian Aucoin
7th round pick in 2007
To Chicago Blackhawks
Andrei Zyuzin
Steve Marr
June 22, 2007
To Calgary Flames
24th overall pick in 2007
3rd round pick in 2007
To St. Louis Blues
18th overall pick in 2007
February 20, 2008
To Calgary Flames
Jim Vandermeer
To Philadelphia Flyers
3rd round pick in 2009

Free agents

Players signedFormer teamContract terms
Cory SarichTampa Bay Lightning5 years, $18 million
Owen NolanPhoenix Coyotes1 year, $2 million
Anders ErikssonColumbus Blue Jackets2 years, $3 million
Grant StevensonSan Jose Sharks1 year, $475,000
Mark SmithSan Jose Sharks1 year, $488,000
Curtis JosephPhoenix Coyotes1 year, $1.5 million
Players lostNew team
Roman HamrlikMontreal Canadiens
Byron RitchieVancouver Canucks
Brad StuartLos Angeles Kings
Brad FerenceDetroit Red Wings
Jamie McLennanMetallurg (RSL)
Mark GiordanoMoscow Dynamo (RSL)

Draft picks

Mikael Backlund was the Flames first round selection in 2007.

The Flames made five selections at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio.[17] Calgary selected Swedish forward Mikael Backlund with their first selection, 24th overall. Heading into the draft, Backlund was the second highest ranked European prospect, and 10th overall, by International Scouting Services.[18] Backlund joined third round selection John Negrin in making their NHL debuts with the Flames in the 2008–09 season. The Flames tragically lost their fifth round draft pick, Mickey Renaud, when the 19-year-old captain of the Windsor Spitfires collapsed and died in his home late in the 2007–08 OHL season.[19] The Ontario Hockey League created a new trophy in his honour, the Mickey Renaud Captain's Trophy in 2009.[20]

Rnd Pick Player Nationality Position Team (league) NHL statistics
GPGAPtsPIM
124Mikael Backlund SwedenCVästerås IK (SEL)2985177128115
370John Negrin CanadaDKootenay Ice (WHL)30112
4116Keith Aulie CanadaDBrandon Wheat Kings (WHL)16741014196
5143Mickey Renaud CanadaCWindsor Spitfires (OHL)
7186C. J. Severyn United StatesLWUSA-U18 (USDL)
Statistics are updated to the end of the 2014–15 NHL season. denotes player was on an NHL roster in 2014–15.

Farm teams

Quad City Flames

After two seasons in Omaha, Nebraska, and over $4 million in operating losses, the Calgary Flames chose to relocate their American Hockey League affiliate to the Quad Cities.[21] The new team, known as the Quad City Flames, will play in the West Division of the Western Conference.

Las Vegas Wranglers

Led by team scoring leader Chris Ferraro, the Las Vegas Wranglers reached the ECHL's Kelly Cup Finals in 2007–08 where they fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones four games to two. Head Coach Glen Gulutzan expressed the team's disappointment in losing the championship. "It's an empty feeling, and I certainly don't like to talk about it, but the only way around it for me now is to try to move forward and start looking at next year," said Gulutzan.[22]

The playoff disappointment represented a bitter end to a successful season, as the Wranglers finished first in the Pacific Division for the second consecutive season. Their 47–13–5–7 record was the best in the National Conference, and their 106 points was good enough to finish third overall in the ECHL.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Flames' fall from glory | Hockey | Sports | London Free Press
  2. Owen Nolan - Notes - NHL.com - Players
  3. Anders Eriksson - Notes - NHL.com - Players
  4. Mark Smith - Notes - NHL.com - Players
  5. The Calgary Sun, April 11, 2007, Sports Pullout p. 9
  6. Mark Giordano, Flames - Notes - NHL.com - Players
  7. Miikka Kiprusoff, Flames - Stats - NHL.com - Players
  8. Board, Mike, Keenan joins elite 600–win club Archived December 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine., Calgary Flames Hockey Club, December 16, 2007.
  9. Board, Mike, Interview with Hall-of-Fame inductee Al MacInnis Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine., calgaryflames.com, June 29, 2007.
  10. Iginla passes Fleury in Flames' win, tsn.ca, March 11, 2008.
  11. Keenan rediscovers passion for coaching, tsn.ca, December 19, 2007.
  12. McFarlane, Steve, Road warriors complete sweep, Calgary Sun, December 19, 2007.
  13. Rosen, Dan, NHL tabs All-Star starters, nhl.com, January 8, 2008.
  14. Windsor Spitfires captain Renaud dies Archived 2008-02-27 at the Wayback Machine., tsn.ca, February 18, 2008.
  15. Game Story: San Jose 3, Calgary 4, espn.com, April 13, 2008.
  16. Calgary Flames - News: Flames 'twos' are in the record book - 10/18/2007 Archived October 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean (eds.). 2009–10 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 130.
  18. "ISS Top 30 for 2007 -- Final Ranking". Hockey's Future. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  19. "Windsor Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud dead at 19". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  20. "Ontario Hockey League to present annual award in honour of Mickey Renaud". Ontario Hockey League. 2009-02-04. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  21. AHL: Knights are leaving for the Quad Cities, Omaha World-Herald, May 15, 2007.
  22. Dewey, Todd (June 10, 2008). "Wranglers struggle to digest finals loss". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  23. "2007–08 ECHL season". The Internet Hockey Database. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
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