2013–14 Calgary Flames season

Sven Baertschi and Michael Cammalleri wearing the Flames' new third jerseys.

Realignment resulted in the Flames shifting from the defunct Northwest Division to the Pacific Division. Calgary, along with former Northwest rivals the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, joined the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and San Jose Sharks in the expanded Pacific.[7] Entering a rebuilding phase, the season began with low expectations for the Flames. The Hockey News predicted the team would finish last in the Division,[8] a prediction shared by the Calgary media.[9] The campaign began in Washington on October 3, a 5–4 shootout loss in which the team's top selection at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Sean Monahan, made his debut and scored his first point.[10] Monahan scored his first career goal the following night against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Flames' first win of the season, a 4–3 triumph.[11] The team continued to defy expectations throughout the first two weeks of the season, adding two wins and an overtime loss to stand at 3–0–2. It was the first time since the franchise arrived in Calgary that it was unbeaten in regulation time after five games.[12]

A five-game western road trip in mid October brought the Flames back to .500 as they won only a single game against four losses, evening their record at 4–4–2. Jiri Hudler, who began the season by scoring at least one point in the first nine games of the season, had his streak ended by the Dallas Stars in a 5–1 loss on October 24.[13] The game against the Stars was also Monahan's tenth of the season. He was eligible to return to junior without the season counting against his professional contract prior to playing his tenth game, but he earned a spot with the team for the full season by scoring six goals and adding three assists in his first nine NHL games.[14]

Injuries to key players mounted into November as Giordano (broken ankle), Lee Stempniak (broken foot) and Curtis Glencross (MCL sprain) each suffered injuries that forced them out of the lineup for several weeks.[15] The team continued to struggle on the ice throughout November, losing six consecutive games including a loss to the Edmonton Oilers that saw the team surrender four third period goals en route to a 4–2 loss that left Flames players "frustrated" at their inability to hold a two-goal lead.[16] The losing streak came to an end on November 18 with a 5–4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Monahan scored the winner in his first career shootout attempt,[17] and also scored the shootout winning goal two games later in a 4–3 win over the Florida Panthers.[18]

The Flames' injury problems worsened in a November 27 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks (3–2; Chicago scored the winning goal in the final seconds of regulation time), as both Monahan and Dennis Wideman suffered broken bones in the contest. The Flames were left without their top two defencemen and two of their top six forwards.[19] Captain Mark Giordano returned on December 4 after missing 18 games. During that time, the team earned only five wins.[20]

Jarome Iginla made his first return to Calgary on December 10, 2013, where the fans greeted him with a long standing ovation prior to the game as the Flames played a video tribute. Following the contest, a 2–1 Boston Bruins victory, Iginla was named the game's third star and took two laps around the rink to more cheers from the crowd.[21]

On December 12, Brian Burke announced the decision to change the franchise's leadership structure. General Manager Jay Feaster and Assistant General Manager John Weisbrod were both dismissed, while Burke took over the general manager's duties on an interim basis while he conducted a search for a permanent replacement. The timing of the decision, in the middle of the season, surprised media and observers, but not the decision itself as it was widely believed that Feaster's tenure in Calgary was in doubt when Burke was hired.[22] The same night, Curtis Glencross returned after missing 15 games, and TJ Galiardi after missing eight, as the Flames defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2–1 in overtime.[23]

The Flames remained plagued by injuries to key players, as Glencross suffered a second injury to his knee and defenceman Kris Russell also picked up a knee injury in a 4–3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 21.[24] Two nights later, the Flames responded with what Cammalleri called "a fun win" by defeating the St. Louis Blues 4–3 in a shootout. Mark Giordano tied the contest at 3–3 with only 4.2 seconds remaining in regulation time.[25] The team ended 2013 with three consecutive losses on home ice as Calgary was shut out 2–0 by both Edmonton and Vancouver before dropping a 4–1 decision on New Year's Eve to the Philadelphia Flyers. Sean Monahan's goal in the second period broke the team's streak of 159 minutes, 35 seconds without scoring a goal.[26] The Flames' offensive struggles continued into the new year as they were shut out in four of six games at home. The team set a franchise record for longest streak on home ice without a goal, going 196 minutes and 59 seconds between the goal against Philadelphia and Mikael Backlund's marker on January 11, 2014, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 2–1 defeat at the hands of the Penguins was Calgary's sixth consecutive loss at home.[27] Calgary ended up on the right side of a shutout two nights later as Karri Ramo recorded the first of his NHL career in a 2–0 road victory over Carolina.[28] The team set a franchise record for futility on home ice with their seventh consecutive loss, 5–2 to Winnipeg, at the Saddledome on January 16.[29]

Facing another struggling team in the Vancouver Canucks two nights later, the Flames became embroiled in a large melee off the opening faceoff. A line brawl broke out two seconds into the game as all ten skaters became engaged in fights. Four players from each team were given game misconducts in a contest that ended with 204 penalty minutes handed out.[30] Vancouver Head Coach John Tortorella was visibly upset with Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley for the lineup he began the game with and tried to engage the Calgary bench in a shouting match after the brawl, then attempted to enter the Flames' dressing room during the first intermission.[31] The game, played in Vancouver, ended in a 3–2 shootout loss for Calgary.[30] Hartley was assessed a $25,000 fine by the League as the NHL held him responsible for the initial fights while Tortorella was given a 15-day suspension for his actions.[32]

The Flames finally ended their home losing streak with their first win at the Saddledome in eight contests with a 3–2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on January 22, 2014.[33] Calgary won a second consecutive home game two nights later as the team overcame a four-goal effort by former Flame Eric Nystrom to defeat the Nashville Predators 5–4 in a shootout.[34] Three additional wins followed as the Flames won every contest of a five-game homestand for the first time in 17 years.[35] The final game of the homestand was costly however, as Karri Ramo suffered an MCL injury that kept him out of the lineup until after the NHL's break for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[36]

Two players represented their nations at the 2014 Olympics. Reto Berra joined with Anaheim's Jonas Hiller to form the goaltending duo for Switzerland. Berra appeared in one game, surrendering one goal in a loss.[37] Ladislav Smid represented the Czech Republic, but countryman Jiri Hudler was left off the team despite being the third-leading scorer among Czech players in the NHL in a decision that was widely panned.[38][39]

The end of the Olympic break led quickly into the NHL's March 5 trade deadline. Calgary made two deals, sending Reto Berra to the Colorado Avalanche and Lee Stempniak to the Pittsburgh Penguins for draft picks.[40] Michael Cammalleri, a pending unrestricted free agent was expected to be traded, but remained with the Flames as the 1 pm MST deadline passed. The Flames also brought up several of their younger players from the Abbotsford Heat; goaltender Joni Ortio and forward Markus Granlund both made their NHL debuts on February 27,[41] while centre Corban Knight was set to make his own debut on March 5.[42] Tyler Wotherspoon made his NHL debut on March 7 after being recalled on an emergency basis following an injury to Dennis Wideman. Due to the number of call-ups, the Flames played eight rookies in the same game for the first time since December 10, 1996.[43]

Also on March 7, the Flames fêted former star Joe Nieuwendyk as he was inducted into the team's "Forever a Flame" program. A former team captain, Niewuendyk was a 1985 draft pick of the Flames and was a member of the team's 1989 Stanley Cup championship squad. The evening included a banner raising ceremony as Nieuwendyk's #25 was honoured and raised to the Saddledome rafters.[44] The Flames ended the night with a three-goal outburst late in their contest against the New York Islanders and secure a 4–3 victory.[45] The Flames largest win of the season came on March 22 against the Oilers; the 8–1 score represented the largest margin of victory by the Flames in Edmonton in the history of the Battle of Alberta.[46] Curtis Glencross recorded a hat-trick in the victory that also featured an emotional goal by Matt Stajan on a penalty shot. The goal was Stajan's first since the death of his newborn son, Emerson. He pointed to the sky after scoring and was embraced by his emotional teammates.[47]

After winning two of three games in a homestand, the Flames traveled east for a five-game road trip. The first game, a 6–3 loss to the Ottawa Senators on March 30, officially eliminated Calgary from playoff contention.[48] Sean Monahan scored his 20th goal of the season in the loss, becoming the first Flames rookie since Dion Phaneuf in 2005–06 and first rookie forward since Jarome Iginla in 1996–97, to reach the mark.[49] Bryce Van Brabant, a late-season free agent signing out of the NCAA, played his first game with the club on April 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the tenth Flame to make his NHL debut on the season, tying a franchise record set in 1997–98.[50] The Flames also set a franchise record for most one-goal games as the 3–2 defeat was their 46th such game. At the time, the team had an overall record of 22–17–7.[50] The Flames rebounded to win the final three games of the road trip, culminating with Ramo's second shutout of the season in a 1–0 victory over the New Jersey Devils.[51]

The Flames returned to Calgary for their final two home games of the season, a victory against the Los Angeles Kings, and then a defeat to the Winnipeg Jets. Despite the 5–3 loss to Winnipeg, the team left the arena to a standing ovation from the Saddledome fans who expressed appreciation for the tenacity shown by the team throughout the season. Mark Giordano expressed the team's appreciation: "It was awesome. That's not the first time we've been cheered after a loss, but definitely being the last one, it was special."[52]

The campaign concluded on April 13 with a road game in Vancouver, where Hartley and Tortorella again became the focus of controversy. During the game, a 5–1 in by the Canucks, Calgary's Paul Byron received a major penalty and game misconduct for a hit from behind on Henrik Sedin, who was taken off the ice on a stretcher and hospitalized for precautionary reasons. Tortorella criticized Hartley's behaviour while Sedin was being attended to but refused to elaborate on what Hartley did: "It's been a rough year, but it's embarrassing to coach against the guy across from me."[53] Brian Burke defended his coach. He explained that Tortorella was apparently upset because Hartley was campaigning for a penalty against Vancouver as a result of the scrum that followed Byron's hit. Burke added that "our coach acted completely appropriately last night and Torts oughta keep his mouth shut."[54]

^†Denotes player spent time with another organization before joining Flames. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.