The Calgary Flames are a National Hockey League (NHL) team. Founded in 1972, they were earlier known as the Atlanta Flames until their 1980 move to Calgary. The Flames began when a group of Georgia businessmen got an NHL franchise on June 6, 1972. In the first game at the Omni, the Flames and Buffalo Sabres played a 1-1 tie. On May 21, 1980 a group of Calgary businessmen, headed by Nelson Skalbania, purchased the Atlanta franchise and moved the team to Calgary. After several overhauls in the management, the club now has eight local owners overseeing the Pengrowth Saddledome, the Flames and the WHLs Calgary Hitmen Hockey Clubs. The club's first NHL game, in the Stampede Corral, was against the Quebec Nordiques on Oct. 9, 1980, and ended in a 5-5 tie. The Flames' home arena is the Pengrowth Saddledome. Though the Flames formally took over the Saddledome in August 1994, the arena subsequently underwent renovations, and officially re-opened on October 25, 1995. The Flames' mascot is Harvey the Hound. Uniform colors for home games are: red with black, white and yellow trim; on the road: white with red, yellow and black trim; alternate: black with red, yellow and white trim. The logo for home games: a black ""C"" with white flames; on the road: a red ""C"" with yellow flames; alternate: a horse head with flaming nostrils. The Flames, during their 25 years in Calgary, have become one of the premier franchises in the NHL. Their moment of glory came when they were crowned Stanley Cup champions for the 1988-89 season, defeating the Montreal Canadiens. The club has also won two Presidents Trophies (1987-88, 1988-89); three Clarence Campbell Conference titles (1985-86, 1988-89, 2003-04); two Pacific Division titles as well as many NHL individual and team honors. Beyond the game, the Flames have also been contributing to the community in significant ways, with funds channeled to charities all over Alberta through the Flames Foundation. |
