# Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey club in Calgary, Alberta, and a member of the Pacific Division of the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league)'s Western Conference. The franchise was founded on June 6, 1972, and began play in the 1972-73 season as the [Atlanta Flames](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-flames) before relocating to Calgary in 1980; it won its only [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) in 1989.[1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/f54b5a9d3041281312ca173e4b3442a4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Franchise date June 6, 1972; first NHL season 1972-73 as the Atlanta Flames (1972-1980)[1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) |
| Stanley Cups | One, in 1989, under coach Terry Crisp; three Final appearances with one win and two losses[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-awards/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-winners-complete-list-287705398) • [4](https://records.nhl.com/standings/all-time-scf-standings) |
| 1989 Final | Beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the series; Al MacInnis led all playoff scorers with 31 points (7 goals, 24 assists)[5](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) |
| Ownership | Same four-partner Calgary ownership group since 1994; N. Murray Edwards is Chairman of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation[6](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/owners) |
| Recent seasons | 2024-25: 41-27-14, 96 points, missed playoffs on a tiebreaker; 2025-26: 34-39-9, 77 points, 29th overall, a fourth straight season out of the playoffs[7](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/nhl%20stats/2025-26%20Regular%20Season/Team_Storylines_2025-26.pdf) • [8](https://www.nhl.com/news/why-calgary-flames-are-eliminated-from-2025-2026-postseason-race) • [1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) |
## Franchise history
The club entered the NHL as the Atlanta Flames in 1972-73 and played in Atlanta through the 1979-80 season, after which it moved to Calgary.[1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/f54b5a9d3041281312ca173e4b3442a4) The move began the strongest stretch in franchise history: after leaving Atlanta in 1980, the Flames made the playoffs in 15 of their first 16 seasons in Calgary and won the Cup in 1989.[2](https://apnews.com/article/f54b5a9d3041281312ca173e4b3442a4)
The franchise's Stanley Cup Final record stands at three appearances, one win and two losses, across 18 Final games with 8 wins and 10 losses.[4](https://records.nhl.com/standings/all-time-scf-standings) The 2003-04 team reached the Final before losing, and that playoff run set the NHL record for most games played by any team in a single playoff year.[9](https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CGY/history.html) • [5](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
## The 1989 championship
The Flames won their first Stanley Cup title with a 4-2 series victory over the [Montreal Canadiens](https://www.edgepedia.org/montreal-canadiens), the same team that had defeated Calgary for the Cup in 1986.[5](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) Defenseman Al MacInnis led the league in playoff scoring with 31 points, seven goals and 24 assists, and put together a 17-game consecutive point-scoring streak, the longest ever by a defenseman in NHL playoff history at the time and equal to the second longest overall.[5](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf) Terry Crisp was the team's coach for the 1989 title.[3](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-awards/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-winners-complete-list-287705398)
## Ownership and organization
The Flames have been guided by the same ownership group since 1994, four Calgary business leaders with interests spanning energy, transportation, real estate, and finance.[6](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/owners) N. Murray Edwards became a co-owner in 1994 and is Chairman of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC), the entity that operates the club; he is also Owner and Chairman of Edco Financial Holdings Ltd. and a leading investor in companies including Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Ensign Energy Services Inc.[6](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/owners) Clay Markin, another member of the group, became a Flames owner in 1994, chairs the Flames Foundation For Life, and holds a directorship and co-ownership of the club.[6](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/owners)
CSEC's executive team is led by Robert Hayes, [President](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-corporate-title) and Chief Executive Officer, with senior officers covering finance, venues and entertainment, technology and data, and corporate partnerships.[10](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/executive) On the hockey side, Craig Conroy has served as general manager, and the front office has built out an analytics function intended to connect the analytics department with hockey operations.[11](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/huffman-set-to-integrate-his-hockey-experience-with-analytics-in-new-flames-front-office-role) The club's AHL affiliate is the Calgary Wranglers.[12](https://www.amerks.com/assets/doc/2025-26_AHLGRB-898a457ac1.pdf)
## Arena
In October 2023 the city and the Flames approved a $1.2 billion event center project to replace it.[13](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/10/06/calgarys-event-centre-deal-winners-losers/)
## Recent seasons
The Flames were the closest non-playoff team to the postseason in 2024-25, with a standings tiebreaker keeping them from their first playoff appearance since 2021-22, finishing 41-27-14 with 96 points.[7](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/nhl%20stats/2025-26%20Regular%20Season/Team_Storylines_2025-26.pdf) • [1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) Goaltender Dustin Wolf, the Calder Trophy runner-up that season, signed a seven-year contract that takes effect in 2026-27, and veteran [Nazem Kadri](https://www.edgepedia.org/nazem-kadri), Calgary's scoring leader in each of the last two seasons, entered 2025-26 approaching the 1,000-games-played milestone.[7](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/nhl%20stats/2025-26%20Regular%20Season/Team_Storylines_2025-26.pdf)
In 2025-26 the Flames failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, eliminated after an overtime loss at Dallas combined with a Nashville win at Anaheim.[8](https://www.nhl.com/news/why-calgary-flames-are-eliminated-from-2025-2026-postseason-race) The season-by-season record lists the 2025-26 campaign at 34-39-9 with 77 points, 29th in the league and 7th in the Pacific Division.[1](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record) The 2025-26 opening night roster included Wolf and Devin Cooley in goal, defensemen Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and [Zayne Parekh](https://www.edgepedia.org/zayne-parekh), and forwards Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, and Matt Coronato, with Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil on injury reserve.[14](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-announce-opening-night-roster)
## Fan culture and community
The Flames' fanbase is known as the "C of Red," a reference to the red jerseys worn by home crowds, which a City of Calgary report cites as an example of how shared team identity builds community feeling.[15](https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/www/cfod/finance/documents/corporate-economics/other-reports/winsport-economic-impact.pdf) The club's community arm, the Flames Foundation, runs programs including a 50-50 draw, an equipment drive, and the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.[16](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-announce-2025-26-regular-season-schedule) Home and away games are carried live on radio on [Sportsnet](https://www.edgepedia.org/sportsnet) 960 The FAN.[16](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-announce-2025-26-regular-season-schedule)
## References
1. [Season-by-Season Records, CGY Records, NHL.com](https://records.nhl.com/cgy/overview/season-by-season-record)
2. [Utah hopes to follow in the steps of other NHL teams that moved and found success, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f54b5a9d3041281312ca173e4b3442a4)
3. [Stanley Cup Champions, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/nhl-awards/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-winners-complete-list-287705398)
4. [All-Time Standings, Stanley Cup Final, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/standings/all-time-scf-standings)
5. [Total Stanley Cup 2008, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
6. [Official Calgary Flames Website, Owners](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/owners)
7. [2025-26 Regular Season Team Storylines, NHL Media](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/nhl%20stats/2025-26%20Regular%20Season/Team_Storylines_2025-26.pdf)
8. [Flames miss playoffs for 4th straight season, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/why-calgary-flames-are-eliminated-from-2025-2026-postseason-race)
9. [Calgary Flames Historical Statistics, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CGY/history.html)
10. [Flames Executive Team, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/flames/team/executive)
11. ['Fluent In Both Languages', CalgaryFlames.com](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/huffman-set-to-integrate-his-hockey-experience-with-analytics-in-new-flames-front-office-role)
12. [2025-26 AHL Guide and Record Book](https://www.amerks.com/assets/doc/2025-26_AHLGRB-898a457ac1.pdf)
13. [Winners and losers of Calgary's event centre deal, CityNews Calgary](https://calgary.citynews.ca/2023/10/06/calgarys-event-centre-deal-winners-losers/)
14. [Flames Announce Opening Night Roster, CalgaryFlames.com](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-announce-opening-night-roster)
15. [Economic Impact of WinSport 2017, City of Calgary](https://www.calgary.ca/content/dam/www/cfod/finance/documents/corporate-economics/other-reports/winsport-economic-impact.pdf)
16. [Flames Announce 2025-26 Regular Season Schedule, CalgaryFlames.com](https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/flames-announce-2025-26-regular-season-schedule)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › National Hockey League › NHL franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license