My first Flames memory was the Sharks series in 1995. I couldn't grasp at the time how a 7 game series worked.
We were working class so I only got to go to a few 90s games with my friend and his dad when he got work tickets I guess. I thought a half empty dome was normal.
I remember Flames sucking just felt like normalcy. You waited for playoffs each year for the real hockey to start so you can watch the Detroits, St Louis, Torontos and Montreals of the world play the men's game.
Turek getting signed and thinking "is it our turn to make the playoffs?" Braithwaite was certainly a highlight of those years, as was Val Bure although pretty disappointed it wasn't Pavel.
I mostly remember no one, including myself, took the Flames seriously. I think that's the biggest reason why the 2004 run captured a nation since we were the little team that could.
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