Quote:
Originally Posted by kermitology
I voted Vernon. Fleury's cemented his legacy as a crackpot. He deserves nothing.
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To me, the "Mount Rushmore" is the best of the best, not just on the ice but also off. It is the absolute pinnacle and in order to reach those lofty heights, it's not good enough just to be a great player, but you also have to be part of the community and still have ties to the team.
With that in mind I went with Vernon too.
He was basically the 2nd best goalie in the NHL for his first stint with the Flames, behind Fuhr and then Roy. He was the Flames undisputed starter for, I believe, the longest stretch in franchise history. He won the Cup with the Flames (and then some more with Detroit) and it could easily be argued (and it was) that he should have won the Conn Smythe. He is a proud alum, participates in team events and lives in Calgary. He is also from Calgary and played all of his minor hockey in Calgary included in Major Junior.
The others I considered were:
- Kiprusoff- Was arguably the best goalie in the NHL with the Flames although he never won the Cup* (it was in!). He ultimately didn't stay that long and other than the one playoff run, didn't accomplish much. He also hasn't really been part of the franchise or community since he left.
- MacInnis- Was the best defenseman in franchise history although only Giordano won the Norris with the Flames. He spent half of his career elsewhere and retired as a Blue. He seems to consider himself a legacy Blue moreso than a legacy Flame, and as far and I know, he doesn't participate in any alumni events.
- Fleury- Great player but a terrible representative of the team and community.