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JIM TOMLINA quick look at Tampa Bay's opponent.
WEB SITE: calgaryflames.com
FIRST SEASON: 1972-73
HOMES: Pengrowth Saddledome, 1983-current; Calgary Corral, 1980-83; Omni (Atlanta), 1972-80.
ALL-TIME LEADERS: Goals - Theo Fleury, 364. Assists - Al MacInnis, 609. Points - Fleury, 830. Games - MacInnis, 803. Penalty minutes - Tim Hunter, 2,405.
RETIRED NUMBER: 9 (Lanny McDonald).
WORST STRETCH: If it seems like it has been a long time since Calgary has been this good, that's because it has been. The Flames came into this season with a league-high streak of seven consecutive seasons missing the playoffs. And they hadn't won a series since Terry Crisp, who went on to be the Lightning's first coach, guided them to their lone Stanley Cup in 1988-89. Before their seven-season drought, the Flames had only missed the playoffs three times.
BEST LOOK: McDonald. His trademark was a bushy, long, red mustache but he is more beloved in Calgary for scoring the winner in Montreal for Calgary's Cup-clinching win in 1989. He joined the Flames in 1981-82 and retired after the Cup win. He's still involved in hockey - he was the director of player personnel for Team Canada's gold-medal effort at the World Championships - and yes, he still has the mustache.
WORST DEAL: Yes, letting Martin St. Louis go was a bad idea. But trading Brett Hull was worse. In 1988 Calgary sent Hull, who was averaging nearly a point a game in his first full season, to St. Louis with Steve Bozek for Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. Ramage was a solid defenseman but nowhere near worth the price of Hull, who has piled up 714 regular-season goals since leaving the Flames.
OBLIGATORY CUP ABUSE STORY: In 1989, when the franchise won its title, one of the team's owners, Darryl Seaman, got the Stanley Cup for a day. When it came time to feed one of the horses, a ranch worker grabbed the Cup, stuffed some hay into it, and the horse had its dinner out of the Cup.
OLYMPIC FLAME: Perhaps the most memorable moment in the franchise's eight seasons in Atlanta (it never won a playoff series there) was the signing of goaltender Jim Craig immediately after the 1980 Olympics. Craig, who helped lead the U.S. team to gold in the Lake Placid Games, joined the Flames just days later and was supposed to make hockey a big sell in Atlanta. Instead, he flopped (1-2-1 with a 3.79 GAA) and the team left for Calgary over the summer.
COOLEST NOD TO HISTORY: In an era where few teams or athletes acknowledge history (unless there's some money to be made from throwback uniforms or commemorative patches) the Flames wear a reminder of their roots on a daily basis. The captain's "C" is a normal letter, but the "A" worn by assistants is the same logo the team's jerseys bore in the Atlanta days.
ODDEST (AND MAYBE BIGGEST) GOAL: Steve Smith, except he wasn't a Flame. He was a rookie defenseman in 1986 with the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Oilers. In Game 7 of the Smythe Division final, Smith was playing because of an injury to veteran Lee Fogolin. Edmonton had rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie at 2 when, with less than six minutes left, Smith banked a clearance attempt from behind his net off the skate of his goaltender, Grant Fuhr, and into the net. The goal gave Calgary a 3-2 lead and clinched the series over its Alberta rival. Smith went on to have a fine career, which ended in 2001 with the Flames, for whom he played three seasons. The Flames went on to the best era in their history, including consecutive Presidents trophies and culminating in their '89 Cup win.
ANOTHER SUTTER: Flames coach and general manager Darryl Sutter (one of six brothers to play in the league) is the second in his family to coach the team. His brother, Brian, coached from 1997-2000 and had a .439 winning percentage with no playoff appearances.