The 1988-89 Flames

The 1989 Calgary Flames, who defeated the Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup and became the first and only visiting team to capture hockey's ultimate prize against the Habs at the fabled Montreal Forum, were one of the greatest National Hockey League teams ever assembled. Lanny McDonald. Doug Gilmour. Al MacInnis. Joe Nieuwendyk. Joe Mullen. Theo Fleury. Mike Vernon. Those were the star players. Then, there were also unsung heroes such as veteran leaders Jim Peplinski, Joel Otto, and Hakan Loob, among others. The list goes on and on. The Flames, with a lineup that season filled with future Hall of Famers and perennial All-Stars, finished with the NHL's best record during the regular season before narrowly defeating the pesky Vancouver Canucks in the opening round of the playoffs. From there, Calgary caught fire and bounced Wayne Gretzky's Los Angeles Kings followed by the Chicago Blackhawks from the Stanley Cup chase. Then, in beating the Canadiens in six games in the Cup Finals, the Flames overcame years of playoff disappointment (including a loss to Montreal in the Finals three years earlier) to finally bring home the franchise's first championship title. More than 30 years later, these Flames remain the only Calgary team to win the Stanley Cup, and in "The 1988-89 Flames: Calgary's Hockey Champions," K. P. Wee relives the story of this remarkable team.