Gang, the Canadian Hockey League is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the 2025-26 season, and as part of those festivities, they’ve put together a list of the top 50 players of the past 50 years of CHL hockey.

A group of 40 media members – including The Nation Network’s Steven Ellis and Jeff Marek – helped put together the list. Earlier this week, the list was revealed, and four former Calgary Flames players appeared: goaltender Grant Fuhr, forwards Doug Gilmour and Jarome Iginla, and blueliner Al MacInnis.

Here’s a rundown of that famous quartet and what qualities we think likely got them in the top 50.

A Spruce Grove product, Fuhr spent 1979-80 and 1980-81 with the WHL’s Victoria Cougars where he excelled. He was awarded the WHL’s Rookie of the Year honours in 1979-80, and was their top goalie in 1980-81 as he led the Cougars to a WHL Championship. he was drafted in the first round, 8th overall, by Edmonton in 1981.

He spent 19 seasons in the NHL, primarily with the Oilers, winning five Stanley Cups during his time there. He also had shorter stints with Toronto, Buffalo, Los Angeles, St. Louis and the Flames. The final year of his career was spent in Calgary in 1999-2000, at which point he retired and spent a couple seasons as the Flames’ goalie coach.

A Kingston, Ontario kid, Gilmour spent three seasons with the Cornwall Royals, split between the QMJHL (1980-81) and the OHL (1981-82 and 1982-83). He won the Memorial Cup in 1980-81 and was named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player in 1982-83. He was a seventh-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 1982.

Gilmour carved out a role for himself as a hard-nosed forward in the NHL, where he racked up 20 years of action, with stints in St. Louis, Calgary, Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago, Buffalo and Montreal. He joined the Flames in a big trade in 1988 that saw Gilmour, Steve Bozek, Michael Dark and Mark Hunter go to Calgary in exchange for Tim Corkery, Mike Bullard and Craig Coxe. He won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989, scoring the Cup-clinching goal. Then he left Calgary in 1992 as part of one of the most infamous trades in NHL history: Gilmour, Jamie Macoun Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville and Rick Wamsley went to Toronto in exchange for Craig Berube, Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Alex Godynyuk and Jeff Reese.

A St. Albert product, this forward played three seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers: 1993-94, 1994-95 and 1995-96. During that run, he won two WHL Championships, two Memorial Cups, and was the WHL’s Player of the Year. He was selected at 11th overall by Dallas in 1995, but was traded to the Flames six months later.

Iginla ended up becoming one of the most decorated NHLers of his era, spending the majority of his time with the Flames but also having some short stints near the end of his career with Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Los Angeles. He’s currently special advisor to Flames general manager Craig Conroy.

The pride of Inverness, Nova Scotia, MacInnis played three seasons with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers: 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1982-83. He was a first-round pick by the Flames in 1981. During his junior seasons, he won two OHL Championships, one Memorial Cup, and was named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman.

MacInnis split his 23 NHL seasons between the Flames and the St. Louis Blues. He won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989 and was voted the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. During his time with the Blues he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner.

All-in-all, we can’t really quibble with the CHL’s list too much. We may point out the absence of Mike Vernon, who was a two-time WHL Player of the Year and two-time WHL Top Goaltender, but aside from that, most of the big names you would hope to see are represented.

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