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The Calgary Flames 1990-1995

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blamebettman*

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It always astounds me how this team didn't win more. Granted they did take home the Cup in 1989, so can you really kill them for the 6 subsequent years? Well...not really. But they were absolutely LOADED on talent top to bottom. The Cup takes the edge off of a lot of consecutive bitter playoff disappointments.

What did this team need to do to get over the hump again? Up front you had guys like Roberts, Fleury, Nieuwendyk, Makarov. Macinnis on D. Grit with Joel Otto. Gary Suter...eventually solid contributers like Nylander and German Titov would join as we got into the 90's. Also guys like James Patrick, Phil Housley, Robert Reichel.

Was it all just goaltending? Vernon and then Kidd not getting the job done? Was it just flat out bad luck (losses to Vancoucer and SJ in 94/95, both game 7 ot)
 
1990-91: Lost to Edmonton in 7 games
Flames were heavy favourites coming into the series. Vernon went 3-4 in the series with a 2.95 GAA and a .897 save percentage, which wasn't bad in that era. Guys like Gary Roberts (1G-3A) and Doug Gilmour (1G-1A) failed to step up when needed. Makarov was injured, only played in three goals, scoring a goal. The Flames scored only 20 goals in the seven games, compared to 344 during the regular season.

1991-92: Missed Playoffs

1992-93: Lost to Los Angeles in 6 games
The Flames were once again favourites. Goaltending was a HUGE issue in this series, as Vernon went 1-1 with a 6.00 GAA and .815 save percentage, while Jeff Reese was 1-3 with a 4.88 GAA and a .813 save percentage. With the series tied 2-2, the Flames lost the last two games by scores of 9-4 and 9-6. All their offensive stars stepped up, as Theo Fleury led the way with 12 points (however was a -7).

1993-94: Lost to Vancouver in 7 games
Once again, the Flames were favourites, although, the Canucks were better than their 41-40-3 record showed. Vernon was good, but not as good as Kirk McLean in the Canucks net. The Flames offense struggled other than Fleury, MacInnis and Roberts. Flames were up 3-1 in the series, but lost the next three in OT, so really, the series could've gone either way. If Calgary won the series, they would have faced San Jose, while Toronto would play Dallas, potentially setting up a Calgary-Toronto conference final. Would have been interesting to see Gilmour face off against his former team.

1994-95: Lost to San Jose in seven games.
Calgary was once again favoured to win the series, and it came down to goaltending, with Trevor Kidd struggling compared to Arturs Irbe in the Sharks net. The Flames lost three games by a single goal, and another game by two goals, while winning games by seven, five and two goals. The goaltending failed to step up when needed.

Overall, in those seasons, it seemed like the Flames would run into a hot goaltender (Fuhr in 1991, McLean in 1994), combined with no clutch scoring (they went 1-6 in OT games during that span), and when the offense showed up, the goaltending let them down (Vernon/Reese against LA in 1992, Kidd against SJ in 1995). A lot of it does seem like bad luck, and if the team was able to make it out of the first round, they could've done a lot of damage in some of those seasons (1991 and 1994 in particular).
 
frontsfan2005 said:
1990-91: Lost to Edmonton in 7 games
Flames were heavy favourites coming into the series. Vernon went 3-4 in the series with a 2.95 GAA and a .897 save percentage, which wasn't bad in that era. Guys like Gary Roberts (1G-3A) and Doug Gilmour (1G-1A) failed to step up when needed. Makarov was injured, only played in three goals, scoring a goal. The Flames scored only 20 goals in the seven games, compared to 344 during the regular season.

1991-92: Missed Playoffs

1992-93: Lost to Los Angeles in 6 games
The Flames were once again favourites. Goaltending was a HUGE issue in this series, as Vernon went 1-1 with a 6.00 GAA and .815 save percentage, while Jeff Reese was 1-3 with a 4.88 GAA and a .813 save percentage. With the series tied 2-2, the Flames lost the last two games by scores of 9-4 and 9-6. All their offensive stars stepped up, as Theo Fleury led the way with 12 points (however was a -7).

1993-94: Lost to Vancouver in 7 games
Once again, the Flames were favourites, although, the Canucks were better than their 41-40-3 record showed. Vernon was good, but not as good as Kirk McLean in the Canucks net. The Flames offense struggled other than Fleury, MacInnis and Roberts. Flames were up 3-1 in the series, but lost the next three in OT, so really, the series could've gone either way. If Calgary won the series, they would have faced San Jose, while Toronto would play Dallas, potentially setting up a Calgary-Toronto conference final. Would have been interesting to see Gilmour face off against his former team.

1994-95: Lost to San Jose in seven games.
Calgary was once again favoured to win the series, and it came down to goaltending, with Trevor Kidd struggling compared to Arturs Irbe in the Sharks net. The Flames lost three games by a single goal, and another game by two goals, while winning games by seven, five and two goals. The goaltending failed to step up when needed.

Overall, in those seasons, it seemed like the Flames would run into a hot goaltender (Fuhr in 1991, McLean in 1994), combined with no clutch scoring (they went 1-6 in OT games during that span), and when the offense showed up, the goaltending let them down (Vernon/Reese against LA in 1992, Kidd against SJ in 1995). A lot of it does seem like bad luck, and if the team was able to make it out of the first round, they could've done a lot of damage in some of those seasons (1991 and 1994 in particular).
Click to expand...

We seem to be missing a season here.

1989-90 The defending Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames finished 2nd overall in the league, and then proceeded to pull a complete choke job in the 1st round losing in 6 games to a LA Kings team that finished 24 points behind them that season.
 
There aren't many teams that have had a string of choke jobs quite like the Flames in the early to mid 1990s. In all honesty, what seperated them from winning and losing was often an overtime goal. For whatever reason they were horrible in overtime in those years. You can lay a lot of the blame on Vernon for this. He had some woeful moments in those years. I honestly think if anyone of 1990-'94 comes out as a Cup win, or even a Cup final appearance, that he is in the HHOF right now. Because doing something good in that run would be significant and would look a lot better. They coughed up leads and combined with bad luck (a called off goal in overtime in 1990) they blew it time and time again. 1994 has to be the worst. You are up 3-1 in your own barn and you lose the next three games in overtime. One goal and the Flames are moving on to the next series.

Lots of players from those teams have a much better chance at the HHOF with another Cup under their belt. Fleury, Vernon and even Suter come to mind.
 
I had no idea that Calgary missed the playoffs 91/92.

If anyone could take his/her time to explain, I would love to hear what happened that season. Sorry if derailing the thread.
 
Big Phil said:
There aren't many teams that have had a string of choke jobs quite like the Flames in the early to mid 1990s. In all honesty, what seperated them from winning and losing was often an overtime goal. For whatever reason they were horrible in overtime in those years. You can lay a lot of the blame on Vernon for this. He had some woeful moments in those years. I honestly think if anyone of 1990-'94 comes out as a Cup win, or even a Cup final appearance, that he is in the HHOF right now. Because doing something good in that run would be significant and would look a lot better. They coughed up leads and combined with bad luck (a called off goal in overtime in 1990) they blew it time and time again. 1994 has to be the worst. You are up 3-1 in your own barn and you lose the next three games in overtime. One goal and the Flames are moving on to the next series.

Lots of players from those teams have a much better chance at the HHOF with another Cup under their belt. Fleury, Vernon and even Suter come to mind.
Click to expand...

I think people forget that even in 89 their Cup winning year they almost did not make it out of the first round. Without a couple key saves by Vernon in OT in game 7 of that 1st round series against Vancouver, Calgary would have suffered one of the worst chokes of all time losing to a team 43 points behind them in the standings.
 
eddytheeagle20 said:
that kings team had a hot prime wayne gretzgy
Click to expand...

You mean the same Wayne Gretzky who did not even play the first 2 games of that series, and who had 9 points 2 G 7 A in the series, but over half of those points coming in 1 game, a 12-4 blowout in game four. The same Wayne Gretzky led Kings that got swept 4 straight in the next round by Edmonton.
 
Kirikanoir said:
I think people forget that even in 89 their Cup winning year they almost did not make it out of the first round. Without a couple key saves by Vernon in OT in game 7 of that 1st round series against Vancouver, Calgary would have suffered one of the worst chokes of all time losing to a team 43 points behind them in the standings.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I certainly realize this. Vernon made 2 or 3 eye popping saves in overtime against Vancouver in Game 7. You'd have to think that upset would be right up there a la 1993 Pens. The only difference is this Calgary team had never won before and had they never won in 1989 we'd think of them even worse.

Lead Role in a Cage said:
I had no idea that Calgary missed the playoffs 91/92.

If anyone could take his/her time to explain, I would love to hear what happened that season. Sorry if derailing the thread.
Click to expand...

Internally there were a lot of problems. GM Doug Riseborough apparently was overheard by Gilmour trash talking him which led to the very lopsided trade with Toronto. Other than that, there just looked to be really off years for a lot of Flames players that year. They had the same core for the next couple of years and did very well in the regular season so I don't really understand 1992 at all.
 
Those Flames teams where always so disappointing. Great regular season then flame (Sorry for the pun) out during the post-season. A talented team like the Flames in the early 90's should have won at least 1 more Cup.
 
Most ironic about flames choke jobs is that some players felt entitled to more money... '96 became the season of primadonnas...
 
Big Phil said:
Oh yes, I certainly realize this. Vernon made 2 or 3 eye popping saves in overtime against Vancouver in Game 7. You'd have to think that upset would be right up there a la 1993 Pens. The only difference is this Calgary team had never won before and had they never won in 1989 we'd think of them even worse.



Internally there were a lot of problems. GM Doug Riseborough apparently was overheard by Gilmour trash talking him which led to the very lopsided trade with Toronto. Other than that, there just looked to be really off years for a lot of Flames players that year. They had the same core for the next couple of years and did very well in the regular season so I don't really understand 1992 at all.
Click to expand...

Vernon had a bad year in 91-92, let the Flames down some in games where they should've come away with points. They still had more points than the North Stars out in the Norris or the Whalers in the Adams (who both got in)...so not like they were piss-poor

Fleury underachieved that year. So did Nieuwendyk who plummeted to 22 goals.

Also the back end of their D seemed pretty bad. They had washed up Neil Sheehy, Mark Osiecki...trading Macoun hurt them

If they get by the Canucks in 1994 I think they have the best chance at beating the Rangers. They had a deeper, more balanced offense than Vancouver and a true #1 defenseman in MacInnis.
 
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