2007–08 Calgary Flames season

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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 Mikka Kiprusoff (2.69)
<2006–07 2008–09>

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.

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Regular season

Divisional standings

Northwest Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 y – Minnesota Wild 82 44 28 10 223 218 98
2 Colorado Avalanche 82 44 31 7 231 219 95
3 Calgary Flames 82 42 30 10 229 227 94
4 Edmonton Oilers 82 41 35 6 235 251 88
5 Vancouver Canucks 82 39 33 10 213 215 88

Conference standings

Western Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 p – Detroit Red Wings CE 82 54 21 7 257 184 115
2 y – San Jose Sharks PA 82 49 23 10 222 193 108
3 y – Minnesota Wild NW 82 44 28 10 223 218 98
4 Anaheim Ducks PA 82 47 27 8 205 191 102
5 Dallas Stars PA 82 45 30 7 242 207 97
6 Colorado Avalanche NW 82 44 31 7 231 219 95
7 Calgary Flames NW 82 42 30 10 229 227 94
8 Nashville Predators CE 82 41 32 9 230 229 91
8.5
9 Edmonton Oilers NW 82 41 35 6 235 251 88
10 Chicago Blackhawks CE 82 40 34 8 239 235 88
11 Vancouver Canucks NW 82 39 33 10 213 215 88
12 Phoenix Coyotes PA 82 38 37 7 214 231 83
13 Columbus Blue Jackets CE 82 34 36 12 193 218 80
14 St. Louis Blues CE 82 33 36 13 205 237 79
15 Los Angeles Kings PA 82 32 43 7 231 266 71

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 Iginla 82 50 48 98 83 27 7 4 5 9 2 -1
Kristian Huselius 81 25 41 66 40 10 7 0 4 4 6 -1
Daymond Langkow 80 30 35 65 19 16 7 3 2 5 0 E
Dion Phaneuf 82 17 43 60 182 12 7 3 4 7 4 -2
Alex Tanguay 78 18 40 58 48 11 7 0 4 4 4 -1
Matthew Lombardi 82 14 22 36 67 -6 7 0 0 0 4 -2
Adrian Aucoin 76 10 25 35 37 13 7 0 3 3 4 3
Craig Conroy 79 12 22 34 71 6 7 0 2 2 8 E
Owen Nolan 77 16 16 32 71 6 7 3 2 5 2 E
Robyn Regehr 82 5 15 20 79 11 7 0 2 2 2 E
Anders Eriksson 61 1 17 18 36 -5 3 0 1 1 2 E
Stephane Yelle 74 3 9 12 20 -4 7 2 0 2 6 2
Dustin Boyd 48 7 5 12 6 -11
David Moss 41 4 7 11 10 -4 5 1 1 2 4 2
Wayne Primeau 43 3 7 10 26 -3 7 1 0 1 4 E
Eric Nystrom 44 3 7 10 48 -5 7 0 0 0 2 -2
Cory Sarich 80 2 5 7 135 2 7 0 1 1 4 1
Marcus Nilson 47 3 2 5 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 E
Mark Smith 54 1 3 4 59 -6
Rhett Warrener 31 1 3 4 21 -2
Eric Godard 74 1 1 2 171 -8 5 0 0 0 2 E
Jim Vandermeer 21 0 2 2 39 4 7 0 0 0 4 -6
David Hale 58 0 2 2 46 E 6 0 0 0 2 -1
Tim Ramholt 1 0 0 0 0 -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
Mikka Kiprusoff 76 4398 39 26 10 197 2 .906 2.69 7 336 2 4 18 1 .908 3.21
Curtis Joseph 9 400 3 2 0 17 0 .906 2.55 2 79 1 0 1 0 .970 0.76
Curtis McElhinney 5 150 0 2 0 5 0 .902 2.00
Matt Keetley 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 0.00

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
Player Milestone Reached
Dion Phaneuf 100th NHL point October 4, 2007
Daymond Langkow 200th NHL goal
500th NHL point
October 18, 2007
Daymond Langkow 300th NHL assist October 20, 2007
Curtis McElhinney 1st NHL game October 22, 2007
Owen Nolan 1000th NHL game October 22, 2007
Eric Nystrom 1st NHL goal
1st NHL point
October 30, 2007
Matt Keetley 1st NHL game November 5, 2007
Jarome Iginla 804th NHL game
(franchise record)
November 29, 2007
Tim Ramholt 1st NHL game November 29, 2007
Jarome Iginla 700th NHL point December 1, 2007
Mike Keenan 600th Coaching win December 16, 2007
Stephane Yelle 800th NHL game December 18, 2007
Owen Nolan 800th NHL point February 24, 2008
Jarome Iginla 365th 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 signed Former team Contract terms
Cory Sarich Tampa Bay Lightning 5 years, $18 million
Owen Nolan Phoenix Coyotes 1 year, $2 million
Anders Eriksson Columbus Blue Jackets 2 years, $3 million
Grant Stevenson San Jose Sharks 1 year, $475,000
Mark Smith San Jose Sharks 1 year, $488,000
Curtis Joseph Phoenix Coyotes 1 year, $1.5 million
Players lost New team
Roman Hamrlik Montreal Canadiens
Byron Ritchie Vancouver Canucks
Brad Stuart Los Angeles Kings
Brad Ference Detroit Red Wings
Jamie McLennan Metallurg (RSL)
Mark Giordano Moscow Dynamo (RSL)

Draft picks

File:Mikael Backlund Flames.png
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
GP G A Pts PIM
1 24 Mikael Backlund  Sweden C Västerås IK (SEL) 298 51 77 128 115
3 70 John Negrin  Canada D Kootenay Ice (WHL) 3 0 1 1 2
4 116 Keith Aulie  Canada D Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) 167 4 10 14 196
5 143 Mickey Renaud  Canada C Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
7 186 C. J. Severyn  United States LW USA-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. 1.0 1.1 1.2 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, Calgary Flames Hockey Club, December 16, 2007.
  9. Board, Mike, Interview with Hall-of-Fame inductee Al MacInnis, 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.[dead link]
  13. Rosen, Dan, NHL tabs All-Star starters, nhl.com, January 8, 2008.[dead link]
  14. Windsor Spitfires captain Renaud dies, 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
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  21. AHL: Knights are leaving for the Quad Cities, Omaha World-Herald, May 15, 2007.
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