<p>Unless you&#8217;re a hardcore long-time Calgary Flames fan, you could probably be forgiven for forgetting that Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Phil Housley – one of the most decorated American-born hockey players in history – had two multi-year stints with the Flames.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
<p>But Housley&#8217;s 21-year, 1,495-game NHL career featured parts of five seasons (or 328 games) with the Flames – about a quarter of his entire career. So as we celebrate the return of Ryan Lomberg to the Flames for his second tour of duty, we&#8217;re looking back at players that similarly had two runs wearing the Flaming C.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s dig into Housley&#8217;s time in Calgary.</p>
<h1>Arrival #1: Trade with St. Louis</h1>
<p>A standout in Minnesota high school hockey, Housley was selected sixth overall in the 1982 NHL Draft – out of high school – and made his NHL debut the following season as an 18-year-old and immediately became a full-timer.</p>
<p>By the time Housley landed in Calgary in the 1994 off-season, he had played 12 full NHL seasons and was just 30. The circumstances around his acquisition were weird:</p>
<ul>
<li>Housley had been with the St. Louis Blues for just a season – and that season was cut short due to a back injury – after a tumultuous stint in Winnipeg that ended with a trade demand.</li>
<li>Al MacInnis, a restricted free agent, had been in a tense contract negotiation with the Flames, who were on a budget and couldn&#8217;t really pay MacInnis what he felt he had earned. The Blues made an offer to MacInnis, and the Flames had the choice between matching it or negotiating a trade – the RFA rules used to be even odder than they are now.</li>
</ul>
<p>So a little while after MacInnis accepted the Blues&#8217; offer sheet, the Flames traded him and a 1997 fourth-round pick to the Blues in exchange for Housley, a 1996 second-round pick and a 1997 second-round pick.</p>
<p>Housley was quite good with the Flames, really using his ability to make strong passes to help the club&#8217;s offence. He had 43 points in 43 games in 1994-95, followed by 52 points in 59 games in 1995-96 as a pending unrestricted free agent.</p>
<p>Hey, wait a minute&#8230;</p>
<h1>Departure #1: Trade with New Jersey</h1>
<p>With Housley approaching free agency, the Flames opted to punt on the asset prior to the 1996 trade deadline. They sent Housley and Dan Keczmer to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Tommy Albelin, Cale Hulse and Jocelyn Lemieux.</p>
<p>Housley finished out that season with the Devils, then signed a three year deal with the Washington Capitals as a free agent.</p>
<h1>Arrival #2: Claimed on waivers</h1>
<p>Housley played two seasons with the Capitals, but their addition of Dmitri Mironov during the 1998 off-season seemed to push Housley to the periphery based on his age and compensation. He was left unprotected in the 1998 expansion draft but went unclaimed. He ended up being placed on waivers – in July – and the Flames claimed him, with the hope that he could help boost their power play.</p>
<p>Well, it generally worked, and the Flames ended up re-upping Housley to new deals twice&#8230; during the same calendar year! They picked up a one year option for 1999-2000 in February 1999, then signed him to a two year extension (through 2001-02) in December 1999.</p>
<p>He had back-to-back 55-point seasons, but his play and role and production diminished in 2000-01 and he registered just 39 points. Considering his hefty contract and compensation, that caused some challenges and led to a mutual desire for him to be playing elsewhere.</p>
<h1>Departure #2: Claimed on waivers</h1>
<p>The week before 2001&#8217;s training camp, the Flames placed Housley on waivers but there were no takers. They looked at trade options, but nothing happened on that front. But finally, the two sides were able to go their separate ways via the waiver draft. The Flames claimed Jamie Allison from Chicago and had to remove a player from their protected list, so they made Housley available. The Blackhawks were faced with the choice between taking the modest waiver fee or acquiring Housley, and they chose Housley.</p>
<p>Housley spent two more seasons in the NHL, primarily with Chicago with a brief stop in Toronto, before ending his playing career. He&#8217;s since gone into coaching and put together a pretty impressive resume between stints in high school hockey, assistant and head coaching stops in the NHL, and several appearances at big events with USA Hockey. He&#8217;s currently the associate head coach with the New York Rangers, serving as Peter Laviolette&#8217;s right-hand man.</p>


Unless you're a hardcore long-time Calgary Flames fan, you could probably be forgiven for forgetting that Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Phil Housley – one of the most decorated American-born hockey players in history – had two multi-year stints with the Flames.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
But Housley's 21-year, 1,495-game NHL career featured parts of five seasons (or 328 games) with the Flames – about a quarter of his entire career. So as we celebrate the return of Ryan Lomberg to the Flames for his second tour of duty, we're looking back at players that similarly had two runs wearing the Flaming C.

Let's dig into Housley's time in Calgary.
<h1>Arrival #1: Trade with St. Louis</h1>
A standout in Minnesota high school hockey, Housley was selected sixth overall in the 1982 NHL Draft – out of high school – and made his NHL debut the following season as an 18-year-old and immediately became a full-timer.

By the time Housley landed in Calgary in the 1994 off-season, he had played 12 full NHL seasons and was just 30. The circumstances around his acquisition were weird:
<ul>
 	<li>Housley had been with the St. Louis Blues for just a season – and that season was cut short due to a back injury – after a tumultuous stint in Winnipeg that ended with a trade demand.</li>
 	<li>Al MacInnis, a restricted free agent, had been in a tense contract negotiation with the Flames, who were on a budget and couldn't really pay MacInnis what he felt he had earned. The Blues made an offer to MacInnis, and the Flames had the choice between matching it or negotiating a trade – the RFA rules used to be even odder than they are now.</li>
</ul>
So a little while after MacInnis accepted the Blues' offer sheet, the Flames traded him and a 1997 fourth-round pick to the Blues in exchange for Housley, a 1996 second-round pick and a 1997 second-round pick.

Housley was quite good with the Flames, really using his ability to make strong passes to help the club's offence. He had 43 points in 43 games in 1994-95, followed by 52 points in 59 games in 1995-96 as a pending unrestricted free agent.

Hey, wait a minute...
<h1>Departure #1: Trade with New Jersey</h1>
With Housley approaching free agency, the Flames opted to punt on the asset prior to the 1996 trade deadline. They sent Housley and Dan Keczmer to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Tommy Albelin, Cale Hulse and Jocelyn Lemieux.

Housley finished out that season with the Devils, then signed a three year deal with the Washington Capitals as a free agent.
<h1>Arrival #2: Claimed on waivers</h1>
Housley played two seasons with the Capitals, but their addition of Dmitri Mironov during the 1998 off-season seemed to push Housley to the periphery based on his age and compensation. He was left unprotected in the 1998 expansion draft but went unclaimed. He ended up being placed on waivers – in July – and the Flames claimed him, with the hope that he could help boost their power play.

Well, it generally worked, and the Flames ended up re-upping Housley to new deals twice... during the same calendar year! They picked up a one year option for 1999-2000 in February 1999, then signed him to a two year extension (through 2001-02) in December 1999.

He had back-to-back 55-point seasons, but his play and role and production diminished in 2000-01 and he registered just 39 points. Considering his hefty contract and compensation, that caused some challenges and led to a mutual desire for him to be playing elsewhere.
<h1>Departure #2: Claimed on waivers</h1>
The week before 2001's training camp, the Flames placed Housley on waivers but there were no takers. They looked at trade options, but nothing happened on that front. But finally, the two sides were able to go their separate ways via the waiver draft. The Flames claimed Jamie Allison from Chicago and had to remove a player from their protected list, so they made Housley available. The Blackhawks were faced with the choice between taking the modest waiver fee or acquiring Housley, and they chose Housley.

Housley spent two more seasons in the NHL, primarily with Chicago with a brief stop in Toronto, before ending his playing career. He's since gone into coaching and put together a pretty impressive resume between stints in high school hockey, assistant and head coaching stops in the NHL, and several appearances at big events with USA Hockey. He's currently the associate head coach with the New York Rangers, serving as Peter Laviolette's right-hand man.

Two-time Flames: Hall of Famer Phil Housley had a couple productive stints in Calgary

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