The Calgary Flames were one of the first teams to really dig into scouting in Europe.

Their willingness to scout outside of the traditional realms paid off in a few key players. We’ve discussed a few of them already on this countdown.

A product of Sweden, Loob worked his way up through Sweden’s various divisions during his teens. He played a couple seasons with Karlskrona before moving up to join Farjestad BK of the Swedish Elite League in 1979-80. He impressed enough that the Flames selected him in the ninth round of the 1980 NHL Draft, selected just before his 20th birthday.

In the 1980s, the NHL wasn’t considered the be-all, end-all for European hockey players, who were primarily concerned with winning the World Championship. Three years after being drafted by the Flames, though, Loob had won an Elitserien championship, a World Championship bronze medal, and had led the Elitserien in scoring. Looking for a new challenge, he was convinced by Flames general manager Cliff Fletcher to come to the NHL.

Loob played six seasons with the Flames, from 1983-84 to 1988-89. During that season, he did a lot of impressive things. He played in two Stanley Cup Finals, 1986 and 1989, capturing the Cup with the Flames in the latter series. He was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1983-84. He was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team in 1987-88. His 50-goal, 106-point output in 1987-88 made him the first (and to date, only) Swedish player to score 50 goals in the NHL, and was just the fourth 100-point campaign by a Swede. He wasn’t quite as dynamic as Kent Nilsson offensively, but Loob was definitely a more well-rounded player, and he was able to earn a lot of trust from the Flames’ coaches during his six years with the club.

Heading into the 1988-89 season, Loob and his wife decided that it was just about time to head home, as they wanted their kids to grow up in Sweden. So Loob played one final season in the NHL, won a Stanley Cup in his final NHL game, and headed home. He continued playing in the Elitserien for several years after that, with his final season coming in 1995-96. (Yes, Jarome Iginla and Hakan Loob’s pro careers briefly overlapped, albeit on different continents.)

Loob was a late-round flier that the Flames took on the off-chance they could convince a European player to don the Flaming C. But once he arrived, damn, he was an amazing Flame. He wasn’t with the club for a long time, but his impact was immense, and he’s still prominently featured in the NHL’s record books.

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