We’re persevering with our collection highlighting former Calgary Flames gamers whose contributions might have been glossed over with time. After rigorously deciding on and analyzing 5 candidates from the Eighties, our subsequent chronological cease is the Nineteen Nineties. Many followers of the Flames can’t overlook the celebrities of this decade resembling Al MacInnis, Theoren Fleury, Mike Vernon, Gary Roberts, and Joe Nieuwendyk, amongst others. The franchise’s greatest participant of all-time, Jarome Iginla, got here into the league on the finish of this timeframe. The last decade noticed a step again from the group’s dominance through the late Eighties as they made the playoffs simply 5 occasions and by no means superior previous the primary spherical. In direction of the top of the nineties issues obtained fairly unhealthy, because the Flames traded away lots of the aforementioned stars and the group spiraled right into a dismal seven-season stretch of lacking the postseason that wouldn’t finish till 2003-04.
Associated: Calgary Flames: Forgotten Gamers From the Eighties
Whereas the last decade’s on-ice product might not have lived as much as the lofty expectations created by its predecessor, the followers’ immense love for the group remained and a wealthy historical past continued to be constructed upon. Many gamers got here by the Saddledome doorways and gave their coronary heart and souls for the group throughout this era, and because of the group shortcomings they’ve seemingly been seemed over. With out additional ado, listed here are 5 forgotten Flames gamers from the Nineteen Nineties.
Rick Tabaracci, Goaltender
We’re starting this decade’s listing with a netminder, Canadian Rick Tabaracci. Born and raised in Toronto, Tabaracci had a profitable junior hockey profession with the Ontario Hockey League’s Cornwall Royals the place he gained 80 video games over three seasons. He obtained loads of NHL consideration, and the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him within the second spherical of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. He made only a single look for the Penguins earlier than they traded him in a six-player deal to the Winnipeg Jets. Tabaracci performed elements of three seasons with the Jets earlier than he was moved once more, this time to the Washington Capitals. After the Flames had traded Vernon to the Detroit Purple Wings in 1994, they wanted one other goalie to assist out new starter Trevor Kidd. They despatched a fifth-round draft decide to the Capitals in trade for Tabaracci’s companies.
Tabaracci suited up in 5 contests with the Flames, going 2-0-1 with a glowing 1.49 targets in opposition to common (GAA) and .946 save share (SV%). The next season (1995-96) he cut up the crease fairly evenly with Kidd, as he obtained into 43 video games. Tabaracci would end with a 19-16-3 report and three shutouts. At many occasions all through the marketing campaign he vastly outplayed his counterpart, who went 15-21-8. Sadly for each goalies and the group, they had been swept in spherical one of many playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks. Tabaracci performed seven extra video games for the group in 1996-97 earlier than they shipped him off to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nevertheless, the Lightning would commerce him proper again in 1997 and he would develop into the starter, going 13-22-6 whereas the group missed the postseason. Tabaracci could be traded again to the Capitals in 1998 and play there, for the Atlanta Thrashers, and Colorado Avalanche earlier than retiring in 2001. In all, he totaled 97 video games, 36 wins, and 4 shutouts with the Flames.
Chris Dingman, Left Wing
Subsequent up is the Flames’ first-round draft decide again in 1994, ahead Chris Dingman. A local of rival Edmonton, Dingman had nice dimension (6-foot-3, 243 kilos) and showcased a scoring contact in junior, racking up 87 targets and 196 factors over 201 Western Hockey League (WHL) video games with the Brandon Wheat Kings. He broke into the league as a member of the 1997-98 Flames and recorded three targets and three assists in 70 video games. Sadly, the offensive facet of his sport dried up. Nevertheless, “Dinger” shortly carved out a job as a pugilist, dropping the gloves at a second’s discover to supply his group with a spark or shield his colleagues from wrongdoings. He had a career-high 149 penalties in minutes (PIMs) in his rookie season. The robust man performed simply two video games within the 1998-99 season as he spent most of his time down within the American Hockey League (AHL).
Dingman was the opposite piece concerned within the well-remembered commerce that noticed Fleury be part of the Avalanche in trade for Robyn Regehr, Wade Belak, and Rene Corbet in 1999. He performed the following two seasons with the membership, which culminated in a Stanley Cup victory in 2001. Subsequent, he could be jettisoned to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Lightning. Dingman’s identify would once more be etched into the Stanley Cup as he and the Lightning paradoxically (and controversially) defeated the Flames within the 2004 Cup Remaining. He suited up for yet one more marketing campaign cut up between them and their AHL affiliate after the 2004-05 NHL lockout, then in Sweden and Denmark earlier than retiring in 2008. As a Flame, Dingman scored three targets, six factors and racked up 166 PIMs in 72 appearances.
Ed Ward, Proper Wing
Third on our listing is one other gritty ahead from Edmonton, winger Ed Ward. Ward went the faculty route, skating for Northern Michigan College from 1987-91. The Quebec Nordiques used a sixth-round draft decide on the 6-foot-3 ahead in 1988, and after two seasons within the minors he made his NHL debut with the group in 1993-94. He scored his first profession NHL aim and no assists in seven video games and spent extra time within the AHL earlier than he was despatched to the Flames in 1994 for Francois Groleau. Ward scored two factors in his first two video games in a Flames uniform. He couldn’t fairly make the roster full-time; he performed 41 video games in 1995-96 and 40 video games in 1996-97. In that point he gathered eight targets, 21 factors and 93 PIMs. Like Dingman, Ward’s job wasn’t to attain targets however to throw his physique round and reply the bell when it comes to preventing.
After he lastly cracked the group completely in 1997-98, his function turned extra clear and alongside Dingman the Flames turned a formidable bodily power regardless of their shedding report. To his credit score, Ward nonetheless recorded 4 targets and 9 factors to associate with 122 PIMs in 64 contests. With Dingman gone in 1999 and enforcers Jason Wiemer, Todd Simpson, and Cale Hulse caring for many of the preventing, Ward turned a bit extra expendable. The franchise left him unprotected and he was chosen by the Thrashers within the 1999 Enlargement Draft. He cut up the 1999-00 season between them and the Anaheim Mighty Geese, performed a season within the New Jersey Devils group, and a season in Sweden earlier than calling it quits in 2002. Ward completed with 215 video games, 16 targets, 40 factors and 284 PIMs as a Flame.
James Patrick, Protection
Our fourth spot belongs to legendary New York Rangers defenseman James Patrick. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native was taken with the ninth-overall decide within the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and spent the following two seasons with the College of North Dakota. In 1983-84 he performed with Canada’s nationwide group however obtained into 12 common season and 5 playoff video games with the Rangers, scoring 11 factors. This was the start of a really spectacular nine-year stretch the place Patrick would accumulate 104 targets and 467 factors in 671 video games. The 1993-94 marketing campaign noticed Patrick transfer cities two occasions, as he was traded to the Hartford Whalers in November after which to the Flames in March. This was an enormous deal that had Patrick, Michael Nylander, and Zarley Zalapski going to Alberta in trade for Gary Suter, Paul Ranheim, and Ted Drury.
Patrick completed that marketing campaign with 4 factors in 15 video games, adopted by one help in seven playoff video games because the Flames had been bounced within the first spherical. Within the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season he solely mustered 10 assists in 43 video games, the bottom whole of his profession to that time. Patrick bounced again in 1995-96 with three targets and 35 factors in 80 video games, however the group was swept by the Blackhawks. Accidents hampered Patrick’s subsequent two seasons, as he solely skated in a mixed 79 contests and mustered 9 targets and 21 factors in that point. As a free agent in the summertime of 1998, he signed with the Buffalo Sabres the place he would play the following six seasons. After a 12 months taking part in in Germany, Patrick retired from taking part in in 2006. He turned an assistant coach with the Sabres and held the function for seven seasons earlier than transferring to the Dallas Stars in the identical capability till 2017. At present, Patrick is head coach of the WHL’s Victoria Royals. As a Flame, Patrick scored 14 targets and 70 factors in 217 video games.
Paul Kruse, Left Wing
Final however definitely not least is winger Paul Kruse. One in all solely two NHL gamers from Merritt, British Columbia, Kruse performed junior for the storied Kamloops Blazers franchise within the WHL. The Flames’ brass liked his mixture of grit and scoring and chosen him 83rd general within the 1990 draft. After two seasons within the minors, Kruse obtained his first actual style of the NHL with 16 video games in 1991-92. He was capable of rating three targets, 4 factors and recorded 65 PIMs in that point. His subsequent season was cut up evenly between the Flames and the minors, however he made the roster full time for the 1993-94 season. Kruse set a profession excessive with 185 PIMs and tallied three targets and 11 factors in 68 appearances for the Flames. He settled into an enforcer function, alongside Ronnie Stern and Sandy McCarthy.
The 1994-95 marketing campaign was the most effective of the winger’s profession as he scored a career-high 11 targets and had 16 factors in 45 video games. Kruse got here alive within the playoffs as properly, as he had 4 targets and 6 factors within the Flames’ seven-game first spherical loss to the San Jose Sharks. After a comparatively profitable 1995-96 season (three targets, 15 factors in 75 video games) the Flames shipped him off to the New York Islanders for a third-round decide in 1997. Kruse performed for them, the Sabres, the Sharks, in Nice Britain, and in Austria earlier than he hung up the skates in 2004. All instructed, Kruse put up 24 targets, 53 factors, and a whopping 614 PIMs in 246 matches for the Flames. His PIM whole remains to be sixteenth in franchise historical past.
As with every all-time listing, gamers could have been omitted or, paradoxically, glossed over. Those that donned the flaming ‘c’ within the Nineteen Nineties don’t are likely to obtain the identical love that the Flames of the Eighties or 2000s get because it was extra of a making an attempt time in franchise historical past. These 5 gamers are only a handful of many who sacrificed their our bodies every evening to entertain the Flames’ devoted, and so they and their forgotten counterparts each deserve some recognition.
