1995–96 Calgary Flames season

The 1995–96 Calgary Flames season was the 16th National Hockey League season in Calgary. The Flames entered the season with their fifth coach in five seasons, hiring Pierre Page to replace Dave King. Page, who had previously been an assistant coach with the Flames in the 1980s, left his head coaching position with the Quebec Nordiques to move west.

1995–96 Calgary Flames
Division	2nd Pacific
Conference	6th Western
1995–96 record	34–37–11
Home record	18–18–5
Road record	16–19–6
Goals for	241 (16th)
Goals against	240 (9th)
Team information
General manager	Doug Risebrough (Oct.–Nov.) Al Coates (Nov.–Apr.)
Coach	Pierre Page
Captain	Theoren Fleury
Arena	Canadian Airlines Saddledome
Average attendance	18,000
Minor league affiliate(s)	Saint John Flames
Team leaders
Goals	Theoren Fleury (46)
Assists	Theoren Fleury (50)
Points	Theoren Fleury (96)
Penalty minutes	Sandy McCarthy (173)
Plus/minus	Theoren Fleury (+17)
Wins	Rick Tabaracci (19)
Goals against average	Trevor Kidd (2.78)

The Flames began the season with a disastrous start, posting a 4–15–5 record through the end of November. The team's poor start was exacerbated by the holdout of Joe Nieuwendyk, who was unable to reach a contract agreement with the Flames. Also, the Flames began the season on a long, seven game road trip while renovations to the Olympic Saddledome were completed. The Flames reached a low point on October 27, 1995, when they set a franchise record for futility, recording just eight shots in a 3–0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on home ice.

The Nieuwendyk saga finally came to a close when the Flames dealt him to the Dallas Stars for Corey Millen, and Western Hockey League star Jarome Iginla on December 19. Nieuwendyk immediately ended his holdout, signing a five-year, $11 million contract with Dallas.

The Flames began to turn the season around, led by Gary Roberts' comeback from neck injuries that had kept him out most of the 1994–95 season. Roberts' comeback lasted only 35 games before he was again sidelined with bone spurs and nerve damage in his neck. Roberts would score an incredible 22 goals and 42 points during that time, earning him the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey.

The Flames recovered from their woeful start to finish second in the Pacific Division, and as the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Flames were swept, however, by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs, as the team once again failed to win a playoff series since they won the Stanley Cup in 1989. One notable player made his debut during the playoffs: Jarome Iginla, who would become a star for the Flames for years to come. The Flames would not qualify for the playoffs again until 2004, missing the post season for the next seven years.

Theoren Fleury represented the Flames at the 46th National Hockey League All-Star Game. It was the first since 1986 that the Flames had only one representative.

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division

No.		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	Colorado Avalanche	82	47	25	10	326	240	104
2	Calgary Flames	82	34	37	11	241	240	79
3	Vancouver Canucks	82	32	35	15	278	278	79
4	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	82	35	39	8	234	247	78
5	Edmonton Oilers	82	30	44	8	240	304	68
6	Los Angeles Kings	82	24	40	18	256	302	66
7	San Jose Sharks	82	20	55	7	252	357	47

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – Detroit Red Wings	CEN	82	62	13	7	325	181	131
2	Colorado Avalanche	PAC	82	47	25	10	326	240	104
3	Chicago Blackhawks	CEN	82	40	28	14	273	220	94
4	Toronto Maple Leafs	CEN	82	34	36	12	247	252	80
5	St. Louis Blues	CEN	82	32	34	16	219	248	80
6	Calgary Flames	PAC	82	34	37	11	241	240	79
7	Vancouver Canucks	PAC	82	32	35	15	278	278	79
8	Winnipeg Jets	CEN	82	36	40	6	275	291	78
9	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PAC	82	35	39	8	234	247	78
10	Edmonton Oilers	PAC	82	30	44	8	240	304	68
11	Dallas Stars	CEN	82	26	42	14	227	280	66
12	Los Angeles Kings	PAC	82	24	40	18	256	302	66
13	San Jose Sharks	PAC	82	20	55	7	252	357	47

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

Playoffs

See also: 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs

Despite finishing 2nd in the Pacific Division, the Flames were only the 6th seed in the playoffs. They met the 2nd-place finisher in the Central Division, the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the third time Calgary and Chicago had met in the playoffs, as the Flames had previously defeated the Blackhawks in 1981, and 1989. This time around, Chicago had the better of the Flames, sweeping Calgary out in four straight, and continuing the Flames playoff futility.

Looking for a spark, the Flames signed junior star Jarome Iginla to a contract before the third game, allowing him to make his NHL debut at home. Iginla scored a goal and an assist in his first two games.

This series was the Flames last playoff appearance for eight years, as Calgary did not return to the post season until 2004.

Schedule and results

Regular season

1995–96 regular season
October: 1–7–3 (home: 0–2–0; road: 1–5–3) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 7 Calgary 3 – 3 Tampa Bay OT Kidd 22,735 0–0–1 1 Recap 2 October 8 Calgary 3 – 4 Florida Tabaracci N/A 0–1–1 1 Recap 3 October 10 Calgary 3 – 7 Dallas Kidd 15,702 0–2–1 1 Recap 4 October 15 Calgary 1 – 1 Chicago OT Kidd 17,309 0–2–2 2 Recap 5 October 17 Calgary 3 – 3 Detroit OT Kidd 19,638 0–2–3 3 Recap 6 October 19 Calgary 2 – 4 Ottawa Kidd 8,424 0–3–3 3 Recap 7 October 20 Calgary 3 – 4 Toronto OT Tabaracci 15,746 0–4–3 3 Recap 8 October 25 Colorado 3 – 2 Calgary Kidd 19,152 0–5–3 3 Recap 9 October 27 Detroit 3 – 0 Calgary Kidd N/A 0–6–3 3 Recap 10 October 29 Calgary 2 – 7 Anaheim Kidd 17,060 0–7–3 3 Recap 11 October 31 Calgary 2 – 1 Los Angeles Tabaracci 11,241 1–7–3 5 Recap
November: 3–8–2 (home: 1–4–2; road: 2–4–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 1 Calgary 1 – 6 Colorado Tabaracci 15,390 1–8–3 5 Recap 13 November 4 Vancouver 4 – 4 Calgary OT Kidd 18,717 1–8–4 6 Recap 14 November 6 Calgary 2 – 4 NY Rangers Tabaracci 18,200 1–9–4 6 Recap 15 November 8 Calgary 2 – 1 New Jersey Kidd 15,611 2–9–4 8 Recap 16 November 9 Calgary 1 – 3 Philadelphia Kidd 17,255 2–10–4 8 Recap 17 November 11 Montreal 4 – 0 Calgary Kidd 19,646 2–11–4 8 Recap 18 November 14 Edmonton 2 – 4 Calgary Kidd 17,570 3–11–4 10 Recap 19 November 17 Colorado 5 – 3 Calgary Kidd 17,928 3–12–4 10 Recap 20 November 18 Calgary 2 – 5 Colorado Tabaracci 16,061 3–13–4 10 Recap 21 November 21 Anaheim 3 – 2 Calgary Kidd 17,584 3–14–4 10 Recap 22 November 24 Edmonton 5 – 2 Calgary Kidd 18,436 3–15–4 10 Recap 23 November 26 Chicago 2 – 2 Calgary Tabaracci 17,364 3–15–5 11 Recap 24 November 29 Calgary 5 – 3 San Jose Tabaracci 17,190 4–15–5 13 Recap
December: 7–6–2 (home: 3–3–1; road: 4–3–1) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 25 December 1 Calgary 8 – 2 Edmonton Tabaracci 14,189 5–15–5 15 Recap 26 December 3 Calgary 2 – 5 Winnipeg Tabaracci 8,721 5–16–5 15 Recap 27 December 5 St. Louis 1 – 1 Calgary OT Kidd 16,284 5–16–6 16 Recap 28 December 9 Vancouver 4 – 3 Calgary Kidd 17,147 5–17–6 16 Recap 29 December 11 Los Angeles 2 – 6 Calgary Tabaracci 17,349 6–17–6 18 Recap 30 December 13 Calgary 8 – 4 Dallas Tabaracci 15,184 7–17–6 20 Recap 31 December 14 Calgary 3 – 3 St. Louis OT Tabaracci 17,197 7–17–7 21 Recap 32 December 16 Calgary 3 – 6 Boston Kidd 17,392 7–18–7 21 Recap 33 December 19 Calgary 1 – 7 Pittsburgh Kidd 7,170 7–19–7 21 Recap 34 December 20 Calgary 3 – 2 Hartford Tabaracci 6,563 8–19–7 23 Recap 35 December 22 Detroit 5 – 1 Calgary Tabaracci 17,302 8–20–7 23 Recap 36 December 26 Calgary 4 – 2 Vancouver Kidd 18,422 9–20–7 25 Recap 37 December 27 Toronto 0 – 4 Calgary Kidd 19,810 10–20–7 27 Recap 38 December 29 Philadelphia 3 – 2 Calgary Kidd 19,989 10–21–7 27 Recap 39 December 31 NY Rangers 1 – 3 Calgary Kidd 19,284 11–21–7 29 Recap
January: 7–2–2 (home: 6–2–0; road: 1–0–2) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 40 January 2 Tampa Bay 0 – 10 Calgary Kidd 16,893 12–21–7 31 Recap 41 January 5 Anaheim 3 – 1 Calgary Kidd 16,821 12–22–7 31 Recap 42 January 6 Florida 0 – 2 Calgary Tabaracci 16,792 13–22–7 33 Recap 43 January 10 Hartford 2 – 3 Calgary OT Tabaracci 16,469 14–22–7 35 Recap 44 January 12 Buffalo 1 – 3 Calgary Tabaracci 17,432 15–22–7 37 Recap 45 January 14 Calgary 4 – 4 Colorado OT Kidd 16,061 15–22–8 38 Recap 46 January 16 Calgary 5 – 5 Los Angeles OT Tabaracci 12,235 15–22–9 39 Recap 47 January 17 Calgary 4 – 1 Anaheim Kidd 17,174 16–22–9 41 Recap 48 January 24 NY Islanders 1 – 4 Calgary Kidd 17,348 17–22–9 43 Recap 49 January 26 Dallas 4 – 2 Calgary Tabaracci 18,292 17–23–9 43 Recap 50 January 30 Edmonton 2 – 3 Calgary OT Kidd 17,724 18–23–9 45 Recap
February: 6–5–2 (home: 5–2–2; road: 1–3–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 51 February 1 New Jersey 1 – 1 Calgary OT Kidd 16,862 18–23–10 46 Recap 52 February 3 Los Angeles 1 – 2 Calgary Kidd 18,923 19–23–10 48 Recap 53 February 6 Ottawa 1 – 3 Calgary Kidd 16,442 20–23–10 50 Recap 54 February 8 Washington 4 – 4 Calgary OT Kidd 16,516 20–23–11 51 Recap 55 February 10 Winnipeg 3 – 2 Calgary Kidd N/A 20–24–11 51 Recap 56 February 11 Calgary 2 – 4 Edmonton Tabaracci N/A 20–25–11 51 Recap 57 February 13 Calgary 2 – 3 Washington Kidd 9,272 20–26–11 51 Recap 58 February 15 Calgary 6 – 3 NY Islanders Tabaracci 7,792 21–26–11 53 Recap 59 February 17 Calgary 1 – 5 Montreal Kidd 17,959 21–27–11 53 Recap 60 February 20 San Jose 3 – 5 Calgary Tabaracci 16,465 22–27–11 55 Recap 61 February 23 Anaheim 2 – 3 Calgary Tabaracci 17,516 23–27–11 57 Recap 62 February 24 Boston 2 – 1 Calgary Tabaracci 19,989 23–28–11 57 Recap 63 February 29 Pittsburgh 3 – 7 Calgary Tabaracci 19,989 24–28–11 59 Recap
March: 7–6–0 (home: 2–4–0; road: 5–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 64 March 3 Calgary 5 – 1 San Jose Tabaracci N/A 25–28–11 61 Recap 65 March 7 Calgary 4 – 2 St. Louis Tabaracci 20,590 26–28–11 63 Recap 66 March 9 Calgary 3 – 4 Toronto Tabaracci 15,706 26–29–11 63 Recap 67 March 12 St. Louis 2 – 4 Calgary Kidd 19,989 27–29–11 65 Recap 68 March 15 Calgary 3 – 1 Buffalo Tabaracci 15,587 28–29–11 67 Recap 69 March 17 Calgary 2 – 4 Detroit Tabaracci 19,983 28–30–11 67 Recap 70 March 20 Calgary 3 – 2 Chicago Kidd 20,367 29–30–11 69 Recap 71 March 22 San Jose 2 – 1 Calgary OT Tabaracci 18,267 29–31–11 69 Recap 72 March 23 Calgary 4 – 0 Vancouver Kidd 18,422 30–31–11 71 Recap 73 March 25 Toronto 4 – 2 Calgary Kidd 19,989 30–32–11 71 Recap 74 March 27 Chicago 0 – 1 Calgary Tabaracci 16,668 31–32–11 73 Recap 75 March 29 Los Angeles 4 – 3 Calgary Tabaracci 18,280 31–33–11 73 Recap 76 March 31 Winnipeg 4 – 1 Calgary Kidd 18,155 31–34–11 73 Recap
April: 3–3–0 (home: 1–1–0; road: 2–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 77 April 3 Vancouver 3 – 4 Calgary Tabaracci 18,300 32–34–11 75 Recap 78 April 6 Calgary 3 – 4 Winnipeg Tabaracci 15,557 32–35–11 75 Recap 79 April 8 Calgary 3 – 2 Edmonton Kidd 15,869 33–35–11 77 Recap 80 April 9 Dallas 4 – 3 Calgary OT Kidd 17,756 33–36–11 77 Recap 81 April 12 Calgary 6 – 0 San Jose Tabaracci 17,190 34–36–11 79 Recap 82 April 13 Calgary 0 – 5 Vancouver Tabaracci 18,422 34–37–11 79 Recap
Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1996 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Chicago Blackhawks (3) – Chicago wins 4–0 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 17 Calgary 1 – 4 Chicago Kidd 17,455 Chicago leads 1–0 Recap 2 April 19 Calgary 0 – 3 Chicago Tabaracci 19,972 Chicago leads 2–0 Recap 3 April 21 Chicago 7 – 5 Calgary Tabaracci 15,229 Chicago leads 3–0 Recap 4 April 23 Chicago 2 – 1 Calgary 3OT Tabaracci 16,629 Chicago wins 4–0 Recap
Legend:   Win   Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
14	Theoren Fleury	RW	80	46	50	96	17	112	4	2	1	3	1	14
13	German Titov	LW	82	28	39	67	9	24	4	0	2	2	0	0
92	Michael Nylander	C	73	17	38	55	0	20	4	0	0	0	−4	0
6	Phil Housley‡	D	59	16	36	52	−2	22	—	—	—	—	—	—
10	Gary Roberts	LW	35	22	20	42	15	78	—	—	—	—	—	—
16	Cory Stillman	LW	74	16	19	35	−5	41	2	1	1	2	−2	0
3	James Patrick	D	80	3	32	35	3	30	4	0	0	0	−3	2
21	Steve Chiasson	D	76	8	25	33	3	62	4	2	1	3	0	0
33	Zarley Zalapski	D	80	12	17	29	11	115	4	0	1	1	1	10
32	Mike Sullivan	LW	81	9	12	21	−6	24	4	0	0	0	−1	0
15	Sandy McCarthy	RW	75	9	7	16	−8	173	4	0	0	0	−3	10
18	Pavel Torgayev	LW	41	6	10	16	2	14	1	0	0	0	0	0
22	Ronnie Stern	RW	52	10	5	15	2	111	4	0	2	2	2	8
12	Paul Kruse	LW	75	3	12	15	−5	145	3	0	0	0	−1	4
20	Dean Evason	C	67	7	7	14	−6	38	3	0	1	1	−1	0
34	Corey Millen†	C	31	4	10	14	8	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
7	Jamie Huscroft	D	70	3	9	12	14	162	4	0	1	1	−2	4
23	Sheldon Kennedy	RW	41	3	7	10	3	36	3	1	0	1	−2	2
47	Claude Lapointe†	C	32	4	5	9	2	20	2	0	0	0	−2	0
45	Jocelyn Lemieux†	RW	20	4	4	8	−1	10	4	0	0	0	0	0
42	Ed Ward	RW	41	3	5	8	−2	44	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Marty Murray	C	15	3	3	6	−4	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Yves Sarault†	LW	11	2	1	3	−2	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Trent Yawney	D	69	0	3	3	−1	88	4	0	0	0	−3	2
4	Kevin Dahl	D	32	1	1	2	−2	26	1	0	0	0	0	0
17	Bob Sweeney†	C	6	1	1	2	3	6	2	0	0	0	−1	0
37	Trevor Kidd	G	47	0	2	2		4	2	0	0	0		0
31	Rick Tabaracci	G	43	0	2	2		8	3	0	0	0		4
46	Ladislav Kohn	RW	5	1	0	1	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	Tommy Albelin†	D	20	0	1	1	1	4	4	0	0	0	−2	0
5	Joel Bouchard	D	4	0	0	0	0	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
11	Pat Conacher†‡	C	7	0	0	0	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
38	Craig Ferguson†‡	C	8	0	0	0	−4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
17	Todd Hlushko	C	4	0	0	0	0	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Cale Hulse†	D	3	0	0	0	3	5	1	0	0	0	−2	0
39	Dan Keczmer‡	D	13	0	0	0	−6	14	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Todd Simpson	D	6	0	0	0	0	32	—	—	—	—	—	—
38	Jarrod Skalde†	C	1	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
35	Niklas Sundblad	RW	2	0	0	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
19	Vesa Viitakoski‡	LW	5	0	0	0	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
24	Jarome Iginla†	C	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	1	1	2	2	0

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
31	Rick Tabaracci	43	19	16	3	1087	117	2.94	.892	3	2391	3	0	3	84	7	2.06	.917	0	204
37	Trevor Kidd	47	15	21	9	1130	119	2.78	.895	3	2570	2	0	1	40	9	6.48	.775	0	83

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (annual)	Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy	Gary Roberts
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Theoren Fleury
Team	Molson Cup	Theoren Fleury
	Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award	Gary Roberts

Milestones

Milestone	Player	Date	Ref
First game	Marty Murray	October 7, 1995
	Todd Simpson
	Ladislav Kohn	October 25, 1995
	Pavel Torgayev
	Niklas Sundblad	November 26, 1995
	Jarome Iginla	April 21, 1996

Transactions

The Flames were involved in the following transactions during the 1995–96 season.

Trades

November 1, 1995	To Calgary Flames Claude Lapointe	To Colorado Avalanche 7th round pick in 1997
November 26, 1995	To Calgary Flames Yves Sarault Craig Ferguson	To Montreal Canadiens 8th round pick in 1997
December 19, 1995	To Calgary Flames Jarome Iginla Corey Millen	To Dallas Stars Joe Nieuwendyk
February 26, 1996	To Calgary Flames Tommy Albelin Cale Hulse Jocelyn Lemieux	To New Jersey Devils Phil Housley Dan Keczmer
March 20, 1996	To Calgary Flames Bob Sweeney	To New York Islanders Pat Conacher 6th round pick in 1997

Free agents

Player Former team

Player New team

Draft picks

Main article: List of Calgary Flames draft picks

Calgary's picks at the 1995 NHL entry draft, held in Edmonton, Alberta.

Rnd	Pick	Player	Nationality	Position	Team (league)	NHL statistics
						GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1	20	Denis Gauthier	Canada	D	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)	554	17	60	77	748
2	46	Pavel Smirnov	Russia	F	Samara CSK VVS (RSL)
3	72	Rocky Thompson	Canada	RW	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)	25	0	0	0	117
4	98	Jan Labraaten	Sweden	RW	Färjestads BK (SEL)
6	150	Clarke Wilm	Canada	C	Saskatoon Blades (WHL)	455	37	60	97	336
7	176	Ryan Gillis	Canada	D	North Bay Centennials (OHL)
9	233	Steve Shirreffs	United States	D	N/A

Farm teams

Saint John Flames

The Baby Flames finished the 1995–96 American Hockey League season in second place in the Canadian Division with a 35–30–11–4 record. The tied the Prince Edward Island Senators in points, but lost out on the division title by virtue of having three fewer wins. The Flames defeated the St. John's Maple Leafs three games to one, then knocked off the Fredericton Canadiens four games to one before falling to the Portland Pirates in seven games. Ladislav Kohn led the Flames with 28 goals and 73 points. Dwayne Roloson was the starting goaltender, posting a 33–22–11 record with a 2.83 GAA in 67 games.

See also

• 1995–96 NHL season

References

• Player stats: 2006–07 Calgary Flames Media Guide, p. 116.
• "Calgary Flames 1995-96 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
• "1995-96 Calgary Flames Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.