The inaugural Ultimate NHL Playoff runners up, the ’88-’89 Calgary Flames.

• Perry Berezan (C)
  • 30 GP   2 G   0 A   2 P   +4   6 S   1 GWG   2 PIM   0 Stars
• Theoren Fleury (RW)
  • 31 GP   2 G   13 A   15 P   +24   27 S   1 GWG   6 PIM   2 Stars
• Doug Gilmour (C)
  • 31 GP   13 G   26 A   39 P   +14   123 S   2 GWG   22 PIM   13 Stars
• Stu Grimson (LW)
  • 10 GP   0 G   0 A   0 P   -1   7 S   0 GWG   2 PIM   0 Stars
• Jiri Hrdina (C)
  • 31 GP   6 G   10 A   16 P   +21   55 S   1 GWG   4 PIM   4 Stars
• Tim Hunter (RW)
  • 20 GP   0 G   0 A   0 P   +1   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Hakan Loob (RW)
  • 31 GP   23 G*   17 A   40 P*   +24   143 S   3 GWG   6 PIM   22 Stars*
• Al MacInnis (D)
  • 31 GP   8 G   29 A*   37 P   +12   101 S   1 GWG   20 PIM   15 Stars
• Brian MacLellan (LW)
  • 31 GP   6 G   11 A   17 P   +7   43 S   0 GWG   27 PIM   0 Stars
• Jamie Macoun (D)
  • 31 GP   0 G   4 A   4 P   +8   38 S   0 GWG   10 PIM   0 Stars
• Brad McCrimmon (D)
  • 31 GP   4 G   14 A   18 P   +28   50 S   2 GWG   12 PIM   1 Stars
• Joe Mullen (RW)
  • 31 GP   15 G   15 A   30 P   +3   91 S   3 GWG   0 PIM   10 Stars
• Dana Murzyn (D)
  • 31 GP   3 G   11 A   14 P   +26   40 S   2 GWG   23 PIM   0 Stars
• Joe Nieuwendyk (C)
  • 31 GP   22 G   18 A   40 P*   +15   145 S*   3 GWG   8 PIM   18 Stars
• Joel Otto (C)
  • 31 GP   0 G   1 A   1 P   +2   2 S   0 GWG   10 PIM   0 Stars
• Jim Peplinski (RW)
  • 22 GP   0 G   0 A   0 P   Even   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Rob Ramage (D)
  • 31 GP   3 G   6 A   9 P   +9   25 S   0 GWG   21 PIM   0 Stars
• Paul Ranheim (LW)
  • 1 GP  0 G   0 A   0 P   Even   0 S   0 GWG   0 PIM   0 Stars
• Gary Roberts (LW)
  • 31 GP   9 G   23 A   32 P   +18   105 S   0 GWG   107 PIM*   12 Stars
• Gary Suter (D)
  • 31 GP   10 G   13 A   23 P   +8   88 S   2 GWG   19 PIM   6 Stars
• Mike Vernon (G)
  • 31 GP   21-8-2   3.00 GAA   .902 SV%   3 SO   14 Stars
• Rick Wamsley (G)
  • 3 GP   0-0-0   1.00 GAA   .906 SV%   0 SO   0 Stars

Bold – Team Best

* – Tournament Best

Team Stats:

• Record: 21-8-2
• Goals Scored: 128
• Goals/Game: 4.13
• Goals Allowed: 86
• Goals Allowed/Game: 2.77
• Shots: 1,106
• Shots/Game: 35.7
• Shots Allowed: 744
• Shots Allowed/Game: 24.0
• # of PP’s: 43
• PPG’s: 10
• PP%: 23.3%
• TSH: 79
• PPGA: 13
• PK%: 83.5%
• Penalties in minutes: 298

Bold – Tournament Best

I feel like this specific Calgary Flames team is sort of forgotten about throughout the league. This was a DAMN good team. I wasn’t sure that this team would make it through the 2nd or 3rd rounds, though, but when they did, I knew that this team was going to make a deep run in the tournament. And here is that run.

1st Round:

Swept 46th-seeded ’19-’20 Quebec Bulldogs, 4-0

2nd Round:

Swept 14th-seeded ’13-’14 Los Angeles Kings, 4-0

3rd Round:

Defeated 3rd-seeded ’07-’08 Detroit Red Wings, 4-2

Quarterfinal:

Defeated 6th-seeded ’12-’13 Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1

Semifinal:

Defeated 23rd-seeded ’79-’80 Buffalo Sabres, 4-3

Final:

Lost to top-seeded ’76-’77 Montreal Canadiens, 4-1

This Flames team finished the regular season with a 54-17-9 record, good for 117 points and 1st in the Smythe Division. It was the franchise’s second consecutive President’s Trophy under head coach Terry Crisp, who played for four NHL teams during his playing career. The Flames just barely squeaked through the Division Semi-Finals over the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, but after that they won 12 of their next 15 games to win their franchise’s first Stanley Cup. They swept the Los Angeles Kings in the Division Finals. Then, they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the Conference Finals and lastly, defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games in the Stanley Cup Final.

This team began their season by trading away their second leading scorer from the past season in Mike Bullard to St. Louis for a package led by Doug Gilmour. That worked out pretty well. Gilmour was tied for second in scoring for Calgary at 85 points with Hakan Loob. Joe Mullen led the Flames in points with 110 (51 G 59 A). He was also tied for the team lead in goals (51) with Joe Nieuwendyk and in assists (59) with Gilmour. The Flames had four all-stars that season; Nieuwendyk, Mullen, Gary Suter and goaltender Mike Vernon. Mullen also was named a First Team All-Star as well as the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy award recipient and the Emery Edge Award for the league’s best plus/minus rating. Al MacInnis and Mike Vernon were named Second Team All-Stars. MacInnis also was the Conn Smythe Trophy recipient for his performance in the playoffs.

Oh and just a heads up, when simulating games, I can only chose the starting lineups and the starting goalies for each team. I went with what I found to be the teams top lines. So, therefore that is why Lanny McDonald did not even make an “appearance” in this tournament.

Up next is the #2 seed, the ’61-’62 Toronto Maple Leafs!