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Classic Saddledome Moments: The time Brian McGrattan was penalized for saluting the crowd in his return (March 3, 2013)

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

By Ryan Pike

Aug 19, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 17, 2026, 19:17 EDT

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As we enter the final season of hockey at the historic Saddledome, we thought we would spend some time celebrating the history of the iconic building. So, throughout August, we’re taking a look back at key games and key moments in Saddledome history. Next up: one of the Flames’ most beloved role players makes his return… but his return is marred by a very odd penalty.

Folks, there are some people that fanbases just love because of what they can do on the ice. Sometimes it’s a star player, sometimes it’s a mascot, and sometimes it’s more of a depth player that players a crucial role.

So with that in mind, let’s talk about beloved enforcer Brian McGrattan, and a 10 minute misconduct penalty he received in 2013 for understandable but still silly reasons.

A Hamilton product, McGrattan played in the Ontario Hockey League and was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1999, but wasn’t signed. He ended up joining the Ottawa Senators as a free agent signing in 2002. As a pro, McGrattan made his living the hard way, on two different fronts. He bounced between the NHL and AHL for much of his career, and he made his living primarily as a physical depth forward that wasn’t afraid to fight. (Fun fact: he had 551 penalty minutes with the AHL’s Binghamton Senators in 2004-05.)

Anyway, during the 2009 off-season the Flames were looking to add a bit of toughness to their lineup, and McGrattan fit the bill. Sure, he might not play every game, but he could play a regular shift every now and then and provide value. He played 34 games and was perfectly fine in his role, fighting fairly often and getting the Saddledome crowd fired up, but the Flames missed the playoffs and they opted to shake up their roster depth in the off-season, so McGrattan left as a free agent.

McGrattan bounced around a bit after leaving the Flames, with stints with Boston (and AHL Providence), Anaheim (AHL Syracuse) and Nashville (and AHL Milwaukee). But midway through the 2012-13 campaign, he was able to return to the Flames. So, at the time, the Abbotsford Heat had a blueliner named Joe Piskula who was mentoring a young defenceman named TJ Brodie. By midway through 2012-13, though, Brodie’s apprenticeship was complete.

Looking to add some NHL depth, and open up a spot on the AHL blueline for a younger player, on Feb. 28, 2013 the Flames sent Piskula to Nashville in exchange for McGrattan.

On Mar. 3, 2013, McGrattan made his return to the Flames’ lineup for the first time in over three years – and played just his third game at the Saddledome in that span – and punctuated that return with a physical performance against Vancouver that included a couple hits. 6:18 into the second period, right after Lee Stempniak tied the game at 2-2, McGrattan dropped the gloves with Vancouver’s Tom Sestito.

The crowd roared for McGrattan’s return. Hearing the roar, as he was separated from Sestito by the linesmen, he saluted the crowd.

And immediately received a 10-minute misconduct.

Here’s why, as related by NBC Sports’ Mike Halford (and Eric Francis, then of the Calgary Sun):

The NHL’s Director of Officiating, Terry Gregson, said Monday the misconduct isn’t part of a new NFL-type rule aimed at curbing taunting. It was simply a judgment call by the officials, who were worried the showboating could escalate things later in the night.
After all, it certainly riled up the fans.
“I spoke with both officials, and they felt (it was just) because it was a gesture following a fight and the emotional state of things (was high),” Gregson told the Sun in an e-mail.
“They related back to the Asham incident of a year ago. The actions were different but they felt following a fight that type of thing adds fuel to the fire.”

The Flames scored twice in the third period to win 4-2. And McGrattan faced no further discipline for his salute, with then Flames head coach Bob Hartley indicating to the Calgary Herald that he “loved” McGrattan’s salute.

McGrattan’s second Flames run ended up lasting 103 games, with his first game back one of the more memorable moments in the history of the Saddledome.

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