July 29, 2026
July 29, 2026
1992-93 Calgary Flames: The Flames Burn
The 1990s was a good decade for the Calgary Flames franchise, as they firmly established themselves in a market they had called home since the 1980s. This market, based in western Canada, loved hockey, and the fans rewarded the Flames by consistently attending home games at the Olympic Saddledome. This was far from guaranteed when it came to the Flames’ old market in Atlanta. The Flames had begun to realize just how special their new market was as the 1990s unfolded, and the 1992-93 Calgary Flames season would prove to be one of the more memorable regular-season showings of the decade.
In the 1992-93 NHL season, the Calgary Flames went 43-30-11 with 97 points, finishing just four points behind the Vancouver Canucks in the Smythe Division.
The Flames went 23-14-5 at the Olympic Saddledome while going 20-16-6 on the road. With the exception of January and March, the Flames fared well for most months of the regular season, going 8-4 in October, 6-5-2 in November, 10-1-2 in December, 6-2-4 in February, and 6-1-1 in April.
In head-to-head play, the Flames went 8-1 against the San Jose Sharks, 6-1 against the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1-1 against the Vancouver Canucks, 3-1 against the Minnesota North Stars, 3-3-1 against the Los Angeles Kings, 2-0 against the Hartford Whalers, 2-1-1 against the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 2-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Center Robert Reichel was only 21 years of age when he had one of the best seasons of his career. Reichel had 40 goals and 48 assists for 88 points, with 12 power play goals, 16 power play assists, and 5 game-winning goals off 238 shots. Left winger Gary Roberts had 38 goals and 41 assists for 79 points, with 8 power play goals, 9 power play assists, 3 short-handed goals, and 4 game-winning goals off 166 shots. Center Joe Nieuwendyk was the captain of the Flames, and he certainly packed a punch with his shots. Nieuwendyk had 38 goals and 37 assists for 75 points, with 14 power play goals, 13 power play assists, and 6 game-winning goals off 208 shots.
Right winger Theoren Fleury had 34 goals and 66 assists for 100 points, with 12 power play goals, 21 power play assists, and 4 game-winning goals off 250 shots. Defenseman Gary Suter had 23 goals and 58 assists for 81 points, with 10 power play goals and 34 power play assists off 263 shots. Left winger Paul Ranheim had 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points off 179 shots. Right winger Sergei Makarov had 18 goals and 39 assists for 57 points, with 11 power play assists off 105 shots. Right winger Ron Stern had 10 goals and 15 assists off 82 shots.
The assistant captains of the Flames did their part in helping the team progress throughout the regular season. Center Joel Otto was one of the assistant captains, and he had 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points, with 10 power play assists and 4 game-winning goals off 115 shots. Defenseman Al MacInnis was the other assistant captain, and he also found plenty of success when he had the puck. MacInnis had 11 goals and 43 assists for 54 points, with 27 power play assists and 4 game-winning goals off 201 shots.
Calgary carried two reliable goaltenders who often answered the call of protecting the net. Goaltender Mike Vernon went 29-26-9 as the starting goaltender, allowing 203 goals on 1,804 shots across 3,732 minutes, recording 1,601 saves, an .887 save percentage, a 3.26 goals-against average, and 2 shutouts. Goaltender Jeff Reese went 14-4-1 and allowed 70 goals on 629 shots across 1,311 minutes, recording 559 saves, an .889 save percentage, a 3.20 goals-against average, and 1 shutout.
The 1992-93 Calgary Flames season was clearly a success in the regular season, and the team put its seal of approval on it with an 8-game winning streak.
The streak began on December 14 with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings and ended on January 2 with a 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
On February 10, the Flames enjoyed one of the biggest wins a team in the NHL could ever have, as they dismantled the San Jose Sharks in front of their home crowd at the Olympic Saddledome. The final score was 13-1. The Flames set numerous franchise and NHL records in this rout, including the largest margin of victory, the fastest time to score four goals (1:21), and the most points scored by a goaltender in a single game, which Jeff Reese accomplished with 3 assists.
Unfortunately, not much more good fortune came from the 1992-93 Calgary Flames season, as the team was eliminated by the Los Angeles Kings in the Smythe Division Semifinals, 4 games to 2.
In Game 2 on April 21 at the Olympic Saddledome, the Flames crushed the Kings 9-4. For Los Angeles, center Jimmy Carson had 2 goals, while right winger Jari Kurri and left winger Warren Rychel each had 1 goal. For Calgary, Joel Otto and Robert Reichel each scored 2 goals. Gary Suter, defenseman Trent Yawney, and right winger Greg Paslawski all scored 1 goal each, while Theoren Fleury and Joe Nieuwendyk both had 1 goal and 2 assists.
In Game 3 on April 23, the Flames took a brief 2-games-to-1 series lead by winning 5-2 at the Great Western Forum. The Kings got goals from left winger Mike Donnelly and defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. The Flames countered with 2 goals from Fleury, 1 goal and 2 assists from Nieuwendyk, and 1 goal each from Otto and Paslawski.
The next three years proved fruitful for the Calgary Flames, as they continued to make playoff appearances. However, unlike their run to the Stanley Cup Finals in the late 1980s, the Flames wouldn’t get anywhere near that stage again during this stretch.
7th February, 2017
17th June, 2026
5th March, 2016
29th March, 2016
17th April, 2016
July 29th, 2026 18
July 28th, 2026 18
July 28th, 2026 18
