The Calgary Flames have had a long and prosperous history in the NHL. They had the most success as a franchise in the 1980s: they moved from Atlanta to Calgary, made the 1986 Stanley Cup Final and won the 1989 Stanley Cup Championship. The 1990s were an up-and-down affair as the team qualified for the playoffs six times in the decade but never reached the third round. Many legendary Flames players graced the ice in both decades, and did so in the 2000s as well. The new millennium featured the Flames’ all-time best player Jarome Iginla, the franchise’s greatest goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, and current general manager Craig Conroy, among many others. It also unfortunately had a lost season; the 2004-05 campaign was lost due to a lockout.
Related: Calgary Flames: Forgotten Players From the 1990s
We’re not after the legends, however. As we did with the previous two decades, we’re taking the time to analyze some more of the players who did not receive the same recognition for their on-ice efforts. The individuals who may not have filled the stat sheet, played 20 minutes, or were in the three stars every night. We’re looking at five forgotten Flames who suited up during the 2000s.
Marcus Nilson, Winger
First up on our list is the 20th overall draft pick from the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, forward Marcus Nilson. The Florida Panthers chose him after he demonstrated solid defensive play as a junior amongst men in the former Swedish Elite League (now SHL). He broke in full-time with the Panthers for the 2000-01 season, where he set his career-high with 36 points in 78 games. After two more campaigns in the Sunshine State, the Flames acquired Nilson’s services in exchange for a second-round pick in 2004. The Swede finished the 2003-04 regular season with five goals in 14 games on his new team. He next got to take part in the 2004 run to the Cup Final, where his checking skills came in handy. Appearing in all 26 games, Nilson also chipped in with an impressive four goals and 11 points.
Nilson’s offence dried up a bit with just six goals and 17 points in 70 games in 2005-06. One could point fingers at the lockout, but he played back home in Sweden in the SEL while the NHL was on pause. He played two more seasons with the Flames before he was placed on waivers in the summer of 2008. No team claimed him, and instead of going to the minors he was loaned to the Kontinental Hockey League’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl for the 2008-09 season. Afterwards, he returned to Sweden where he played six more seasons before retiring as a player in 2015. All told, Nilson finished with 19 goals and 42 points in 194 games as a Flame.
David Hale, Defenseman
Next is a defender and another first-round pick, American David Hale. The New Jersey Devils selected him 22nd overall back in 2000, and after three years of college hockey at the University of North Dakota, he made his NHL debut in 2003. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound rearguard put up four assists and 72 penalty minutes (PIM) in 65 games for the Devils in 2003-04. He was more of a stay-at-home style defenseman, tasked with clearing the net, getting his stick into passing lanes, and blocking shots, amongst other things. After the lockout and two more years with the Devils organization, he and a 2007 fifth-round pick were sent to the Flames in exchange for a third-rounder in the same draft.
Hale finished the 2006-07 season with the Flames. He played in 11 regular season games and suited up for two playoff contests, going scoreless. The Flames were unfortunately eliminated in Round 1, courtesy of the Detroit Red Wings. Hale stayed with the club for the 2007-08 season but only got into 58 games due to injury. In that time, he registered his first point as a Flame and totalled two assists. The blueliner started to win over fans with his rugged play style and crushing bodychecks. He and the Flames again made the postseason and again bowed out in the opening round, this time to the San Jose Sharks. In free agency that summer, Hale left the team to sign with the then-Phoenix Coyotes. Interestingly, he set the NHL record for longest start to a career without a goal, scoring his first in his 231st career game. He retired from playing in 2014, finishing with two assists and 56 PIM in 69 Flames games.
Ronald Petrovicky, Winger
Our next player that seemingly went without recognition is Slovak winger Ronald Petrovicky. He was an original Flames draft pick, taken in the ninth round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. This came after a decent junior hockey career in the local Western Hockey League. In his draft plus one season, he scored 64 goals and 113 points in 71 games for the Regina Pats. He played the next two seasons with the then-Flames’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Saint John Flames. In his second season in the minors, he recorded 23 goals, 56 points and a whopping 156 PIM. This and a strong camp earned Petrovicky a spot with the big club for the 2000-01 season. In 30 appearances, he scored four times, added five assists and 54 PIM.
Petrovicky had a nice combination of grit and scoring touch; he had the willingness to battle in the corners and along the boards while also being able to create offensively. In the 2001-02 campaign, he suited up for 77 games and scored five goals and 12 points. His 85 PIM ranked seventh on the team. The team unfortunately missed the playoffs for the fifth year in a row. Petrovicky was placed on waivers by the franchise in 2002 and subsequently claimed by the New York Rangers. After one season on Broadway, two with the Atlanta Thrashers, a lockout, and one with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he headed home to play in the Slovak professional hockey league. He hung up his skates in 2010. As a Flame, he accumulated nine goals, 21 points and 139 PIM in 107 games.
Eric Godard, Winger
Our next player may be a familiar name if one is a fan of pugilists in particular. Enforcer Eric Godard was an undrafted success story who also came from WHL playing roots. After his junior career concluded, he signed on to play with the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate. He played two seasons with them before being dealt to the New York Islanders, where he joined their AHL squad for another two campaigns. At the tail end of the 2002-03 season, the Islanders called him up, which made him just the eighth NHLer to hail from Vernon, British Columbia. Godard’s sole job was to create momentum for his team, whether it be via a hard check or a fight. The Flames signed him as a free agent in the summer of 2006, when then-general manager Darryl Sutter thought the team needed more toughness.
Godard’s impact was felt immediately, as he finished with 144 PIM split between the Flames and the AHL in 2006-07. He also registered his first point with the Flames, an assist. The 2007-08 season would be his one of his best; the 6-foot-4, 230-pound tough guy played a career-high 71 games, scored a goal and an assist, and had a career-best 171 PIM. This marker was good for second on the team, behind only Dion Phaneuf. Godard won over the Flames’ faithful by dropping the gloves to protect and stand up for his teammates on a nightly basis. He also got into five playoff games in the Flames’ first round loss to the Sharks. The franchise chose to let him walk as a free agent in 2008 and he signed with the Penguins. After three seasons with them and one more in the AHL, Godard retired in 2012. He ended up playing in 93 games with the Flames, scoring once, adding three assists and 221 PIM.
Clarke Wilm, Centre
Last but certainly not least is another Flames draftee, centreman Clarke Wilm. The native of Central Butte, Saskatchewan was chosen 150th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his first two seasons of pro in the AHL, totalling 22 goals and 67 points in 130 games. Flames brass was impressed enough to insert him into the lineup for the 1998-99 season, where he finished with ten goals and 18 points in 78 contests. In 1999-00, he would match the same ten goals, a mark that stood as the best of his career, and 22 points, also a career-best, in 78 games. He quickly developed into a hardworking defensive centreman, who had the responsibility of shutting down the opposition’s better forwards each night. He was also a strong penalty killer for the Flames.
In his third season with the Flames, Wilm’s offensive output decreased to seven goals and 15 points in 81 contests. 2001-02 didn’t prove much better, as he scored just four times and had 18 points in an injury-shortened 66-game showing. He departed the Flames for the Nashville Predators in 2002. After one season in Tennessee and three with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, he headed overseas. He played in the Finnish SM-Liiga and Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga before calling it quits in 2012. He tallied 31 goals and 73 points in 303 appearances for the Flames.
These five chosen players are just a handful of 2000s players that plenty of fans are guilty of glossing over. There are many more whose names don’t get mentioned when discussing Flames of the past, and this practice should change. All are deserving of some credit for the sacrifices they made in the name of the Flaming ‘C’, and for keeping the best fans in the NHL entertained in their own individual methods.
