Flames representation in the Hockey Hall of Fame

For a franchise that’s as young as it is, the Calgary Flames have a lot of members of their extended family enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Since their establishment as a National Hockey League franchise way, way back in 1972, the Flames have sent 13 players and builders to hockey’s hallowed grounds – 2016 inductee Sergei Makarov, who will be honoured Monday, makes it 14.

Here’s a glance at the many representatives of the Flames in the Hall.

Who? The first ever general manager of the Flames, taking the helm in Atlanta in 1972 and staying with the franchise until 1991.

“Trader Cliff” was the architect of the crazy good Flames clubs of the 1980s. He built the team from the ground up and made some interesting gambits for a manager at the time, including heavily recruiting European and college players when very few teams were doing that. His entire career has spanned time in Montreal, St. Louis, Toronto, Tampa Bay and Phoenix. He was inducted into the HHOF as a builder in 2004.

Who? One of the top goaltenders of the ’80s, spending one illustrious season with the Flames and 10 mediocre seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (where he won five Stanley Cups).

All joking aside, Fuhr played a season in Calgary as a player and two as a goalie coach – during an era when the Flames also recruited Oilers legend Steve Smith in similar circumstances – and he’s much better remembered for his time up the highway. He was inducted as a player in 2003.

Who? One of the top agitating forwards of the ’80s and ’90s – and Don Cherry’s favourite hockey player, for whatever that’s worth – this Kingston boy played three and a half seasons with the Flames. He won a Stanley Cup and then was the centerpiece of what’s widely considered the worst trade in franchise history (and one of the worst in NHL history).

Aside from his time in Calgary, Gilmour had a tremendous career. He was a 0.96 points per game player over 1,400+ games and wore a letter in five different NHL cities. He was inducted as a player in 2011.

Who? The Flames’ president from 1991 to 1996, Hay’s stop in Calgary was part of a lengthy managerial and executive career that was punctuated by lengthy stints running both Hockey Canada and the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a builder in 2015.

Who? One of the original Calgary owners, Hotchkiss was part of the Flames ownership from 1980 until his passing in 2011.

Hotchkiss was one of the leading voices among the NHL’s board of governors, a group that includes some incredibly rich, incredibly boisterous individuals. He was considered a huge advocate for the Canadian and small market teams, and took a big leadership role on the owner’s side in the 2004-05 lockout. He was an Officer (and later Companion) of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Hall as a builder in 2006.

Who? One of the best American players in hockey history, Housley played two stints with the Flames: from 1994 to 1996 (he was acquired for Al MacInnis) and from 1998 to 2001.

Housley played just shy of 1,500 NHL games for eight different teams (Buffalo, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Calgary, New Jersey, Washington, Chicago and Toronto), putting up consistent good numbers. He was the leading defensive scorer in the NHL outright once and was in that mix for the majority of his career. He was inducted as a player in 2015.

Who? Drafted by the Flames in 1984, Hull played 57 games with Calgary over two seasons and then was shipped off to St. Louis. Now, he went on to have an incredible career away from Calgary – scoring 741 goals over 1,269 games – but the trade allowed the Flames to get a couple of pieces they needed to win their 1989 Stanley Cup (Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley).

Anyhow, Hull had a great career and is considered one of the best American players in hockey history. After a great run in St. Louis, he got the wanderlust and won Stanley Cups in shorter stops with Dallas (in 1999) and Detroit (in 2002). He was inducted as a player in 2009.

Who? Aside from maybe Herb Brooks, “Badger Bob” is renowned not only as one of the best American coaches in hockey history but also one of the best coaches from anywhere in hockey history. He was behind the bench for the Flames during their maturation from 1982 to 1987, including their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Johnson’s hockey career involved a lengthy and successful run at the University of Wisconsin, a stint with USA Hockey as an executive, and a Stanley Cup victory during his one season coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins. He passed away a few months after his Cup victory. He was inducted as a builder in 1992.

Who? Easily the best hockey player to come out of Cape Breton, MacInnis was drafted by the Flames in 1981 and was one of the better point men in NHL history. His booming slap shot was legendary. He played with the Flames until 1994 and his stint includes a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

With the Blues, MacInnis won a Norris Trophy and was a consistent point producer for much of his run. He ended his career with 1,274 points. He was inducted as a player in 2007.

Who? Drafted by the Flames in 1983, Makarov was one of the best players in Soviet history by the time he pulled on a Flames sweater in 1989. He was an over a point-per-game player as the M in the Red Army’s famed KLM Line, winning a pair of Olympic gold medals and a ton of World Championships. He was slightly less than a point-per-game over his NHL career, which is impressive since he didn’t come over until he was 31.

Makarov was the Calder Trophy winner as the NHL’s rookie of the year in his first season, prompting the league to change their rules in regards to what age a player could still be and call themselves a rookie. He’ll be formally inducted as a player on Monday.

Who? One of the most popular Toronto Maple Leafs in history, McDonald and his jaunty mustache were traded from the Colorado Rockies to the Flames in 1981. He became one of the most popular Flames in history, serving as a captain, setting the franchise single season goal-scoring record, and winning the Stanley Cup in 1989.

McDonald was inducted as a player in 1992 and was the first player that had any association with the franchise to be put into the Hall.

Who? A college star and productive NHLer despite his diminutive stature, the Flames acquired Mullen in 1986 as they prepared for their first run to the Stanley Cup Final. He ended up having some of his most successful seasons with the Flames, including a 50-goal, 100-point season during the Flames’ Cup-winning 1988-89 campaign.

Overall, Mullen went to four Cup finals (winning three Cups, two with Pittsburgh) and was almost exactly a point-per-game player during a lengthy NHL career – with 1,063 points in 1,062 games. He was inducted as a player in 2000.

Who? Drafted by the Flames in 1985, college star Nieuwendyk had a great run with the Flames. He won the Calder Trophy as a rookie. He scored 50 goals twice. He won a Stanley Cup. He served as team captain. He led the team in most offensive categories.

He was traded in 1995 to Dallas after a contract dispute. The player the Flames got back was some junior star named Jarome Iginla. Nieuwendyk went on to win two more Stanley Cups (in Dallas and New Jersey). He was inducted as a player in 2011.

Who? Another one of the Flames’ original Calgary owners, “Doc” was cut from the same cloth as fellow inductee Hotchkiss and brother Byron Seaman. In addition to the NHL and Flames-related dealings, he was a key proponent of Calgary getting the 1988 Olympics and a fierce advocate for junior and amateur hockey in Canada. An Officer of the Order of Canada, he was inducted to the Hall posthumously as a builder in 2010.

A long-time Montreal Canadiens great, Geoffrion was inducted as a player in 1972 – the same year he served as the first coach of the expansion Atlanta Flames.

A star with the Quebec Nordiques and Chicago Blackhawks, he was inducted as a player in 1998. He’s been a pro scout with the Flames since 2010.

Flat-out one of the greatest goaltenders in hockey history, Hall was inducted as a player in 1975. He served as a goalie coach with the Flames from 1988 to 2000, winning a Cup in 1989.

A huge part of the Montreal Canadiens’ success in the 1970s, he was inducted as a Player in 1993. He served as an amateur scout with the Flames from 1990 to 1995 and 1997 to 1999, but is best remembered for his two seasons (1995-97) as an assistant coach… including an incident where a fan dumped a beer on him during a game and Sasha Lakovic went into the stands to fight said fan.