2006–07 Calgary Flames season

2006–07 Calgary Flames
Division 3rd Northwest
Conference 8th Western
2006–07 record 43–29–10
Home record 30–9–2
Road record 13–20–8
Goals for 258 (T-6th)
Goals against 226 (11th)
Team information
General Manager Darryl Sutter
Coach Jim Playfair
Captain Jarome Iginla
Alternate captains Robyn Regehr
Rhett Warrener (Feb-Apr)
Stephane Yelle
Arena Pengrowth Saddledome
Average attendance 19,289 (6th)
Team leaders
Goals Jarome Iginla (39)
Assists Alex Tanguay (59)
Points Jarome Iginla (94)
Penalties in minutes Dion Phaneuf (98)
Wins Miikka Kiprusoff (40)
Goals against average Miikka Kiprusoff (2.46)
<2005–06 2007–08>

The 2006–07 Calgary Flames season began with a great deal of promise following the acquisition of top forward Alex Tanguay from the Colorado Avalanche. The other major off-season news was that Darryl Sutter promoted his assistant coach, Jim Playfair, to head coach as Sutter stayed with the team as general manager only.

A pre-season favorite to win the National Hockey League's Northwest Division,[1][2] the Flames struggled out of the gate in October before a six-game winning streak, and a franchise record ten consecutive home wins in November and December,[3] brought the Flames back into contention in the tight Northwest Division.

Jarome Iginla and Kris Draper taking a faceoff in game 4 of the Conference Quarter-final.

A January crash proved that the Flames were unable to live up to the pre-season hype. Hoping to rejuvenate the team, GM Sutter orchestrated a trade with the Los Angeles Kings to bring Craig Conroy back to the team.[4] However there was a lack of passion even after the mid-season shake-up.[5] The Flames struggled to an eighth-place finish in the Western Conference, having to stave off a furious challenge for the final playoff spot by Colorado. The Flames entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a first-round match-up against the Detroit Red Wings, falling in six games to the Red Wings.

The lackluster season and poor playoff performance led to widespread criticism of rookie head coach Jim Playfair.[6] TSN analyst Bob McKenzie even suggested replacing Playfair after game two of the Flames playoff series against Detroit.[7] Following the season, however, several players defended their coach.[8] Despite this, Playfair was relieved of his duties prior to the 2007–08 season.

Regular season

Two Flames were named to the roster for the 2007 All Star Game: goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and defenceman Dion Phaneuf. It was the first appearance for both. Jarome Iginla would have been named to the team as well, but his knee injury kept him out of the game.[9]

On February 3, 2007, the Flames made history by having young Cree singer Akina Shirt perform "O Canada" in Woodlands Cree, the first time the national anthem had ever been performed in an Aboriginal language at a major league sporting event.[10]

On February 6, the Flames retired Mike Vernon's #30. Vernon, who was instrumental in the Flames trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986 and their Cup victory in 1989 became the second Flame to have his number raised to the rafters, preceded only by Lanny McDonald.[11]

The Flames entered the stretch drive by re-acquiring fan favorite, and former Flame, Craig Conroy in a deal with the Los Angeles Kings,[12] then by completing a significant trade with the Boston Bruins, acquiring defenceman Brad Stuart along with Wayne Primeau for Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference.[13]

On February 24, Jarome Iginla scored his 315th career goal, moving him past Joe Nieuwendyk into second on the Flames all-time goal scoring list. Theoren Fleury was the Flames all-time leading scorer at 364 goals.[14] Miikka Kiprusoff broke Dan Bouchard's franchise record for career shutouts as a Flame when he recorded his 21st in a 1–0 shootout victory against the Minnesota Wild on March 27.[15]

The Flames were not shut out in any of their 82 regular-season games.[16]

Season standings

Northwest Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
13 Vancouver Canucks 82 49 26 7 222 201 105
27 Minnesota Wild 82 48 26 8 235 191 104
38 Calgary Flames 82 43 29 10 258 226 96
49 Colorado Avalanche 82 44 31 7 272 251 95
512 Edmonton Oilers 82 32 43 7 195 248 71

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime/shootout loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; PIM = Penalties in minutes; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Schedule and results

2006–07 Game Log

Playoffs

The Flames qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Calgary entered the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 8th seed in the Western Conference and started on the road against the top ranked Detroit Red Wings.[17] The Flames were unable to defend against the Wings' ferocious attack, with goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff facing an average of 42 shots per game during the series as Calgary fell to Detroit in six games.[18]

Game five, in Detroit, ended with a series of nasty incidents as the Flames' frustration got the better of them. Upset with Detroit's constant bumping of Miikka Kiprusoff throughout the series, and angry with what they believed was an illegal, low-bridge hit by Brett Lebda on Daymond Lankow late in the 5–1 loss, the Flames lashed out. First Langkow delivered a quick punch to the face of Lebda following that hit, and later backup goaltender Jamie McLennan delivered a two-handed slash to Wings forward Johan Franzen after only being in goal for eighteen seconds. McLennan received a match penalty for the slash, and was suspended five games by the NHL. Head coach Jim Playfair was fined $25,000, and the Flames organization $100,000.[19] Franzen would exact a measure of revenge for the hit in game six by scoring the winning goal in double overtime that eliminated the Flames.[18]

The Flames were not shut out in any of their 6 playoff games.[16]

2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
Jarome Iginla 12 7039559440622412
Alex Tanguay 40 812259814461348
Kristian Huselius 20813443772660224
Daymond Langkow 22813344774462244
Dion Phaneuf 3791733509861017
Matthew Lombardi 18812026464861120
Roman Hamrlik 475731388860118
Tony Amonte 10811020304060110
Stephane Yelle 11561014243260002
Craig Conroy 2428813211861128
Robyn Regehr 2878219217510000
David Moss 5841108181260110
Chuck Kobasew 19404131737-----
Mark Giordano 54878153641010
Marcus Nilson 2663510152760002
Byron Ritchie 1564861468100010
Jeff Friesen 167266123450002
Andrew Ference 21542101266-----
Rhett Warrener 4462461067600010
Wayne Primeau 192734736602214
Andrei Zyuzin 7491563051012
Brad Stuart 6270551860116
Dustin Boyd 41132244-----
Jamie Lundmark 243904431-----
Richie Regehr 4961120-----
Eric Godard 171901150-----
Tomi Maki -10000-----
Carsen Germyn 2920000-----
Brad Ference 850002-----
Jamie McLennan 29900016100012
Brandon Prust -1000025-----
David Hale 21110001020006
Darren McCarty 253200058-----
Miikka Kiprusoff 3474000260000

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Calgary. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
Traded mid-season

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP Min W L OT GA SO SV% GAA GP Min W L GA SO Sv% GAA
Miikka Kiprusoff 34744419402491817.9172.46638424180.9292.82
Jamie McLennan 299533351320.8953.6010:180000.--- -.--

Awards and records

Records

Milestones

Transactions

The Flames were involved in the following transactions during the 2006–07 season.[23][24]

Trades

June 24, 2006 To Calgary Flames
Alex Tanguay
To Colorado Avalanche
Jordan Leopold
2nd round pick in 2006
conditional round pick in 2007 or 2008
January 29, 2007 To Calgary Flames
Craig Conroy
To Los Angeles Kings
Jamie Lundmark
4th round pick in 2007
2nd round pick in 2008
February 10, 2007 To Calgary Flames
Brad Stuart
Wayne Primeau
Conditional draft pick in 2008
To Boston Bruins
Andrew Ference
Chuck Kobasew
February 27, 2007 To Calgary Flames
David Hale
5th round pick in 2007
To New Jersey Devils
3rd round pick in 2007

Free agents

Player Former team
D Andrei Zyuzin Minnesota Wild
F Jeff Friesen Anaheim Ducks
G Jamie McLennan Florida Panthers
D Brad Ference New Jersey Devils
F Eric Godard New York Islanders
Player New team
F Shean Donovan Boston Bruins
F Chris Simon New York Islanders
F Craig MacDonald Chicago Blackhawks
G Brian Boucher Chicago Blackhawks

Draft picks

Calgary's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.[25] The Flames picked 26th overall for the second consecutive draft.

Rnd Pick Player Nationality Position Team (league) NHL statistics
GPGAPtsPIM
126Leland Irving CanadaGEverett Silvertips (WHL133–4–4, 3.25 GAA, .902Sv%
387John Armstrong CanadaC/RWPlymouth Whalers (OHL)
389Aaron Marvin United StatesFWarroad (USHS-MN)
4118Hugo Carpentier CanadaCRouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
5149Juuso Puustinen FinlandRWKalpa Jr.
6179Jordan Fulton United StatesCBreck (USHS-MN)
7187Devin DiDiomete CanadaLWSudbury Wolves (OHL)
7209Per Johnsson SwedenFFarjestad Jr.
Statistics are updated to the end of the 2013–14 NHL season. denotes player was on an NHL roster in 2013–14.

Farm teams

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights

The 2006–07 AHL season was the second for the Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. The Knights finished a top the Western Conference standings, winning the West Division with a 49–25–5–1 record, earning their first playoff appearance.[26] Omaha was upset in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs by the Iowa Stars, however, losing four games to two.

Following the season, rumours swirled around the future of the team, which ranked at or near the bottom of league attendance in its first two seasons, and lost us$4 million over two years.[27] The rumour would quickly be confirmed as the Flames announced that the team was leaving Nebraska for the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois to become the Quad City Flames for the 2007–08 season.[28]

Las Vegas Wranglers

The Las Vegas Wranglers finished the 2006–07 ECHL season as the league's top club with a 46–12–1–8 record. Their 106 points narrowly edged out the 105 point total of the Alaska Aces.[29] The Wranglers swept the Phoenix RoadRunners in their first round, but were upset by the Idaho Steelheads in the second, falling four games to two.

See also

References

  1. Harrison, Doug, NHL Backgrounder - Calgary Flames, cbc.ca, September 29, 2006, accessed December 2, 2006.
  2. SI's 2006–07 NHL preview, sportsillustrated.com, accessed December 2, 2006.
  3. 1 2 Canucks end Flames' 10 game home winning streak, espn.com, December 26, 2006.
  4. http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8455919&view=notes
  5. http://www.lfpress.com/sports/hockey/2010/04/10/13539811.html
  6. Dreger, Darren, http://www.tsn.ca/tsn_talent/columnists/darren_dreger/?ID=200816, tsn.ca, March 19, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007.
  7. MacFarlane, Steve, Dump the coach: McKenzie, slam.ca, April 17, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007.
  8. Spencer, Donna, Flames head coach Jim Playfair upbeat after disappointing season, cbc.ca, April 24, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007.
  9. Perreault, Selanne among all-stars, tsn.ca, January 13, 2007.
  10. Edmonton girl to sing anthem in NHL first at Saddledome
  11. Flames set to retire Mike Vernon's No. 30, Calgary Flames Hockey Club, accessed January 31, 2007.
  12. Conroy begins second stint in Calgary following trade, Calgary Flames, accessed February 10, 2007.
  13. Flames grab Stuart, Primeau from Bruins, tsn.ca, accessed February 10, 2007.
  14. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=197625&hubname=nhl, tsn.ca, February 25, 2007.
  15. 1 2 Board, Mike, Kiprusoff sets shutout record but goal is Stanley Cup, Calgary Flames press release, accessed March 30, 2007.
  16. 1 2 http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CGY/2007_games.html
  17. Flames fall, but make playoff cutoff with Avalanche loss, espn.com, April 7, 2007.
  18. 1 2 Detroit 2, Calgary 1, 2OT, yahoosports, April 23, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007.
  19. Duhatchek, Eric, Five-game suspension for McLennan, Globe and Mail, April 22, 2007, accessed April 28, 2007.
  20. Recap: Carolina 0, Calgary 3, ESPN.com, December 5, 2006.
  21. 1 2 Sportak, Randy, Iggy not quite done yet, Calgary Sun, December 9, 2006.
  22. Macfarlane, Steve, Kipper's money in the bank, Calgary Sun, January 10, 2007.
  23. NHL Insider - Offseason Trades, nhl.com, accessed December 2, 2006.
  24. NHL Insider - Free Agent Signings, nhl.com, accessed December 2, 2006,
  25. 2006 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com - accessed November 20, 2006
  26. 2006–07 AHL standings, theahl.com, accessed May 24, 2007.
  27. Sportak, Randy, Flames farm team could move, slam.ca, May 16, 2007, accessed May 24, 2007.
  28. FLAMES ANNOUNCE RELOCATION OF AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE FRANCHISE TO THE QUAD CITIES (MOLINE, IL), Calgary Flames press release, May 24, 2007.
  29. 2006–07 ECHL standings, hockeydb.com, accessed May 24, 2007.
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