2007–08 Calgary Flames season

NHLTeamSeason
Season=2007–08
Team=Calgary Flames
Conference=Western
ConferenceRank=7th
Division=Northwest
DivisionRank=3rd
Record=42–30–10
HomeRecord=21–11–9
RoadRecord=21–19–1
GoalsFor=229
GoalsAgainst=227
GeneralManager=Darryl Sutter
Coach=Mike Keenan
Captain= Jarome Iginla
AltCaptain= Owen Nolan
Robyn Regehr
Rhett Warrener
Stephane Yelle
Arena=Pengrowth Saddledome
Attendance=19,289 (100%)
GoalsLeader=Jarome Iginla (50)
AssistsLeader=Jarome Iginla (48)
PointsLeader=Jarome Iginla (98)
PlusMinusLeader=Jarome Iginla (+27)
PIMLeader=Dion Phaneuf (182)
WinsLeader=Miikka Kiprusoff (39)
GAALeader=Mikka Kiprusoff (2.69)

The 2007–08 Calgary Flames season began October 4, 2007. It was the franchise's 35th season in the National Hockey League, 27th season as the Calgary Flames.

In a surprise move, the Flames announced on June 14 that Jim Playfair would be replaced by "Iron" Mike Keenan as the team's head coach. Playfair remains with the Flames as an associate coach. Keenan entered the season 6th all-time in the NHL in wins. Keenan also captured the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year in 1984–85 with the Philadelphia Flyers. [ [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=210816&hubname= Flames name Keenan new head coach] , tsn.ca, June 14, 2007.] On December 16, Keenan recorded his 600th career win as a head coach in a 5–3 victory over one of his former teams, the St. Louis Blues. [Board, Mike, [http://flames.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=346896 Keenan joins elite 600–win club] , Calgary Flames Hockey Club, December 16, 2007.]

Al MacInnis was among four players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12 2007. MacInnis spent 13 years in Calgary, and captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Flames won the Stanley Cup in 1989. [Board, Mike, [http://flames.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=323311 Interview with Hall-of-Fame inductee Al MacInnis] , calgaryflames.com, June 29, 2007.]

On November 29, captain Jarome Iginla played in his 804th game, setting a new franchise record for games played in a Flames uniform, surpassing Al MacInnis' mark. Two nights later, Iginla registered his 700th career point in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. On March 10, Iginla scored his 365th goal, surpassing Theoren Fleury's mark of 364 to become the Flames' all-time goal scoring leader. [ [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=231745&hubname= Iginla passes Fleury in Flames' win] , tsn.ca, March 11, 2008.]

In December, the Flames became the third team in NHL history to win all six games of a six-game road trip, a feat previously accomplished by the 1971–72 Bruins and 1982–83 Flyers. [ [http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=225548 Keenan rediscovers passion for coaching] , tsn.ca, December 19, 2007.] [McFarlane, Steve, [http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/Flames/Headlines/2007/12/19/4731907–sun.html Road warriors complete sweep] , Calgary Sun, December 19, 2007.] The 2001–02 Red Wings also won six consecutive road games, though that trip was broken in half by the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Two Flames players were voted to start for the Western Conference at the 2008 All-Star Game. Defenceman Dion Phaneuf joined Iginla for the game, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia. [Rosen, Dan, [http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=349113 NHL tabs All-Star starters] , nhl.com, January 8, 2008.]

On February 18, Flames' prospect Mickey Renaud, a fifth round pick in the 2007 draft, collapsed and died at the age of 19 at his home in Tecumseh, Ontario. Renaud had been playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, and was the team's captain. [ [http://www.tsn.ca/chl/news_story/?ID=229972&hubname= Windsor Spitfires captain Renaud dies] , tsn.ca, February 18, 2008.] The cause of death was not immediately known.

Regular season

Divisional standings

Conference standings

Game log

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Playoffs

The Flames finished 7th in the Western Conference with 94 points, earning a first round match-up against the Pacific Division champion San Jose Sharks. It is the third time the two teams have met in the playoffs, with the Sharks defeating the Flames in seven games in the first round of the 1995 playoffs, while the Flames defeated San Jose in six games in the 2004 Western Conference final.

After splitting the first two games in San Jose, the Flames gave up three goals to the Sharks in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the game, but came back to win 4–3. In doing so, the Flames became only the second team in NHL history, after the 1985 Minnesota North Stars to come back from a 3–0 deficit in the first ten minutes of a playoff game. [ [http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=280413003 Game Story: San Jose 3, Calgary 4] , espn.com, April 13, 2008.] During Game 6, in which the Flames faced elimination, they scored once in the first and second period each to shutout the Sharks 2–0, as the Sharks did during Game 2. Nolan and Langkow scored both goals respectively and Kiprusoff made 21 saves for his 6th postseason shutout.

Player stats

katers

"Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes; +/- = Plus-Minus"

Transactions

The Flames have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season.

Trades

Draft picks

Calgary's picks at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft in Columbus, Ohio, on June 22–23. [2007 NHL Entry Draft Results [http://www.nhl.com/futures/index.html nhl.com] ]

Farm teams

Quad City Flames

After two seasons in Omaha, Nebraska, and over $4 million in operating losses, the Calgary Flames chose to relocate their American Hockey League affiliate to the Quad Cities. [ [http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=2384412 AHL: Knights are leaving for the Quad Cities] , Omaha World-Herald, May 15, 2007.] The new team, known as the Quad City Flames, will play in the West Division of the Western Conference.

Las Vegas Wranglers

Led by team scoring leader Chris Ferraro, the Las Vegas Wranglers reached the ECHL's Kelly Cup Finals in 2007–08 where they fell to the Cincinnati Cyclones four games to two. Head Coach Glen Gulutzan expressed the team's disappointment in losing the championship. "It's an empty feeling, and I certainly don't like to talk about it, but the only way around it for me now is to try to move forward and start looking at next year," said Gulutzan. [citation |last=Dewey |first=Todd |url=http://www.lvrj.com/sports/19708639.html |title=Wranglers struggle to digest finals loss |date=June 10, 2008 |accessdate=September 24, 2008 |publisher=Las Vegas Review-Journal]

The playoff disappointment represented a bitter end to a successful season, as the Wranglers finished first in the Pacific Division for the second consecutive season. Their 47–13–5–7 record was the best in the National Conference, and their 106 points was good enough to finish third overall in the ECHL. [citation |url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/echl19892008.html |title=2007–08 ECHL season |accessdate=September 24,2008 |publisher=The Internet Hockey Database]

ee also

*2007–08 NHL season

References

*Player stats: [http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/teams/stats?team=cgy Calgary Flames player stats] on espn.com
*Game log: [http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/teams/schedule?team=cgy Calgary Flames game log] on espn.com
*Team standings: [http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/standings NHL standings] on espn.com