Description
The 1988¨C89 Calgary Flames season was the 9th season for the Calgary Flames and 17th for the Flames franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). They won their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular season club and went on to win the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final. Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. The regular season saw the debut of Theoren Fleury, who went on to become the Flames' all-time leading scorer, and Sergei Pryakhin, who became the first Soviet player allowed to play in the NHL. Four players represented the Flames at the 1989 All-Star Game: Gary Suter, Joe Nieuwendyk, Joe Mullen and Mike Vernon. Mullen received several awards following the season. He was named the winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly conduct, won the Emery Edge Award for having the top plus-minus in the league and was named a First Team All-Star. Co-captain Lanny McDonald scored his 1,000th point and 500th goal late in the season. He ended his Hockey Hall of Fame career by scoring a goal in the game that clinched the Stanley Cup before announcing his retirement in the summer.