Happy anniversary: 34 years ago, the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup
By Ryan Pike
11 months agoMay 25 is a special day for several reasons. For many people, it’s their birthday. (Happy birthday, David Pastrnak!) In 1977, Star Wars was released on this date. And for fans of the Calgary Flames, May 25 is a day that lives in special honour, as it was this date in 1989 that the Flames won their first (and so far, only) Stanley Cup championship.
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The Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 at the historic Montreal Forum by a 4-2 score. The Flames’ goals were scored by Colin Patterson, Lanny McDonald, and Doug Gilmour (who scored twice), while Mike Vernon made 20 saves for the victory. McDonald’s go-ahead goal in the second period was his first of the playoffs and gave the Flames a lead they would never fully relinquish. It was also McDonald’s final NHL goal and game, as he retired following the post-season.
The 1989 victory was a bit of revenge for the Flames, who had lost to Montreal in five games in the 1989 Cup Final series.
The players engraved on the Stanley Cup from the 1989 team include:
- Goaltenders Mike Vernon and Rick Wamsley
- Defencemen Al MacInnis, Brad McCrimmon, Dana Murzyn, Ric Nattress, Gary Suter, Jamie Macoun and Rob Ramage
- Forwards Jiri Hrdina, Joe Nieuwendyk, Joel Otto, Doug Gilmour, Joe Mullen, Lanny McDonald, Gary Roberts, Colin Patterson, Hakan Loob, Theoren Fleury, Tim Hunter, Mark Hunter, Jim Peplinski and Brian MacLellan.
The 1989 Cup team included eight future Hall of Famers: five players players (Gilmour, MacInnis, McDonald, Mullen and Nieuwendyk) and three builders (Cliff Fletcher, Harley Hotchkiss and Daryl Seaman).
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