Do you remember Tony Amonte?
Every week, we’ll look at a forgotten Calgary Flames player in the weekly series “A Flame From the Past.” Of course, the player had to have played a significant number of games for the Flames – at least a full season. Each week, I’ll put every Flames season (since moving to Calgary) in the Wheel of Names. This week, it landed on the 2005-06 season, with the player we’ll look at in today’s article being Tony Amonte.
Born in Hingham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Amonte played four seasons at Thayer Academy, scoring 30 goals and 68 points in 28 games in his draft season. The New York Rangers selected him 68th overall in the 1988 draft and he eventually honoured his commitment to Boston University, spending two seasons there. Overall, he scored 56 goals and 126 points in 79 games, including 31 goals and 68 points in 38 games in his final season.
Amonte joined the Rangers for their 1991 post-season run, picking up two assists in two games. The next season, Amonte became a regular and scored 35 goals and 69 points in 79 games along with three goals and nine points in 13 post-season games. In 1992-93, AMonte scored 33 goals and 76 points in 83 games. Through 72 games with the Rangers in 1993-94, Amonte scored 16 goals and 38 points.
On Mar. 21, 1994, the Rangers traded him and the rights to Matt Oates to the Chicago Blackhawks for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup later that spring.
Over his final seven games in 1993-94, Amonte scored a goal and four points as well as four goals and six points in six post-season games. Due to the 1994-95 lockout, Amonte headed overseas to play in Italy, playing 14 goals with 22 goals and 38 points in 14 games with HC Fassa Falcons.
When the National Hockey League resumed, Amonte scored 15 goals and 35 points in 48 games, along with three goals and six points in 16 post-season games. In his first full season with the Blackhawks, Amonte scored 31 goals and 63 points in 81 games. For the first time in his career, Amonte hit the 40+ goal mark, scoring 41 goals and 77 points in 81 games in 1996-97.
He followed up his then-career best season with 31 goals and 73 points in 1997-98, before scoring a career-best 44 goals with 75 points in 1998-99. Still with the Blackhawks at the turn of the millennium, Amonte scored 43 goals and a career-best 84 points in 82 games.
Amonte played two more seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 62 goals and 130 points in 164 games. During the 2002 free agency, he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, scoring 13 goals and 36 points in 59 games. However, Amonte was traded for the second time in his career – this time to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Coyotes received Guillaume Lefebvre, a 2003 third-round pick, and a 2004 second-round pick. The second-round pick eventually ended up with the Rangers and they selected Brandon Dubinsky.
In 13 games with the Flyers in 2002-03, Amonte scored seven goals and 15 points, followed by a goal and seven points in 13 post-season games. In his only full season with the Flyers, he scored 20 goals and 53 points in 80 games. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a whole, Amonte scored three goals and eight points in 18 games.
After the lockout cancelled the 2004-05 season, Amonte signed with the Flames in 2005-06. That season, he scored 14 goals and 42 points in 80 games, with two goals and three points in seven post-season games. His final NHL season was in 2006-07, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 81 games, along with an assist in six post-season games.
Retiring in 2008, Amonte coached Thayer Academy from 2010-11 until 2021-22, stepping down and taking a scouting job with the Florida Panthers.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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