Countdown Poll - Flames captains

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by JBR

Lanny.

On a veteran team, his leadership skills were underrated. There was more pressure on that team than any other in Flames history. No player on the team had won the Cup before. Lanny took his lumps from the fans that year and accepted a diminished role with 100% class, galvanizing the team to win it for him... which they did.

He is still a leader and hero of Flames fans 26 years after his retirement. Posing for countless pictures, shaking hands with people like they're long lost friends. Smiling and signing every autograph and being genuinely interested in those he meets.

I've met and spoken with him numerous times and it's still a thrill to be in the presence of #9.

For the younger CP crowd, for many he was more than the captain. He was the Flames and Calgary.

I think the most important contribution from Lanny might have occurred right after the Flames traded for him. He convinced his teammates that they were capable of competing and winning. That attitude culminated in winning the Cup. The 66 goals were just the icing on the cake.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

While I see your point, I feel as if this an opinion thread. Just gave mine, maybe a little too passionate. I love Gio, Lanny was great too but by far had the best team behind him.

Haven't had a problem with anyone's opinion

"Everyone who voted for Gio need to get real"

You on the other hand seemed to.

[DoubleF]

Iggy, Lanny, Gio. (All time) Flip the order if you ask me about how I like these guys as of today.

For all time, I really freaking love Gio, but Gio has been captain for less than half the years the aforementioned two guys were captains. Even if Iggy sucked for 5 years, there's still 5 years to look at. Even if Lanny wasn't great his whole captaincy, if we give him half his years, he still has 3.

Gio has 2.

I understand the reasoning for it, but Gio is #3 right now and I have never seen Lanny play or know much about his stats etc.

Gio is a guy at the height of his popularity and has yet collected any fan grievances yet. The following also help greatly:
- Great locker room guy
- Great ambassador
- Skilled/near top of league
- Undrafted... until his recent all star draft.
- Leads by example

If Gio captains for 3-4 years, I think I'll move him above Lanny as overall best captain. If he finishes his career here, I think he has a huge argument to challenge Iggy, but could sway both ways. Both may do a Wayne Gretzky and say the other guy was best captain ever though. They're both just great guys off ice.

[jlh2640]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Haven't had a problem with anyone's opinion

"Everyone who voted for Gio need to get real"

You on the other hand seemed to.

The only "problem" i have essentially is this pole is skewered by a bunch of fans who likely are thinking short term and love the last 2 seasons we had. And are wrapped up in that enviroment. However I am not losing to much sleep over it. Just stated my strong opinion which you clearly had a problem with. Never meant my get real comment to be taken as a personal attack to anyone.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

The only "problem" i have essentially is this pole is skewered by a bunch of fans who likely are thinking short term and love the last 2 seasons we had. And are wrapped up in that enviroment. However I am not losing to much sleep over it. Just stated my strong opinion which you clearly had a problem with. Never meant my get real comment to be taken as a personal attack to anyone.

Judging by the poll results so far, Iggy will win, with Lanny in 2nd. So no problem with the recency angle.

I thought Gio would be 2nd in fact.

[Da_Chief]

Todd the Rod Homer Simpson!

[Robbob]

I've been batting around this question in my mind since I saw the thread on the way to work this morning. I think a solid case could be made for the Lanny, Iggy, and Gio. I settled for Lanny because as mentioned he set the standard in the community. I think if you hear any of the players talk about the 80's there is a central figure that comes up.

Gio and Iggy are a coin flip for me right now. As much as Giordano has done in his short tenure as captain, Iginla has also had short period where he took this team on his shoulders and accomplished some remarkable things. Yes his later years as the captain seem to cast a shadow over his captaincy, but he did a lot of good things early on. Ask this question again in a year or two and I think Giordano closes and surpasses Iginla.

After those three there is a pretty steep ledge.

[Psytic]

What people seem to fail to recognize is that Iggy also head manned a cultural shift to hard nosed never say die hockey when he and Sutter were in their prime. Iggy even took the Flames all the way to the cup final in 2004.

You can't toot Gio's horn off of one season of playoffs in which he was injured for half the season just for a shift in team culture. Iggy effected the same change in 2004 And went further. Gio has to have a larger body of work to be in the discussion with Iggy. He needs to get the Flames in to the playoffs and singly handedly drag them to the final.

Iggy was here long enough for us to see the rise and fall of the Flames under his captaincy. Will Gio still have the same shine in a few seasons as captain? I cant speak on Lanny I wasn't really into hockey till around 1998.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

The only "problem" i have essentially is this pole is skewered by a bunch of fans who likely are thinking short term and love the last 2 seasons we had. And are wrapped up in that enviroment. However I am not losing to much sleep over it. Just stated my strong opinion which you clearly had a problem with. Never meant my get real comment to be taken as a personal attack to anyone.

all good

I'm certainly not in the some fans category that hasn't been around to witness the past Flames teams in Calgary.

I have zero issue with McDonald or Iginla winning this poll, but I truly believe Giordano has had a larger impact on turning around a culture than the other two have had leading their teams.

Iginla certainly started out that way but in my opinion it waned, so I have him as #3.

But if anything I could be accused of voting the past more than the present, this is stepping out for me!

[Mister Yamoto]

Voted Lanny because well..........it's Lanny.

Don't underestimate the importance of Doug Risebrough coming to the Flames though. The Flames were an up and coming team and then Fletcher brings in a heart and soul player with a fistful of Stanley cup rings. Exactly the player that the Flames needed at the time.(and right now IMO)

I'd rank them Lanny, Iginla, Risebrough, Giordano, Peplinski, Hunter, Lowry, all the rest, Fleury.

And the book on Giordano isn't finished yet.

[shogged]

obviously the situation with iginla is different because he's still active, but the amount of time and effort lanny puts into the community as an alumni is outstanding. He sets the standard imo!

[getbak]

Lanny. The heart and soul of the Cup team. Even though it didn't stand as the winner, when he scored his last goal, you knew it was going to happen.

Beyond just the Cup though, his arrival signalled the real start of the Calgary Flames as we know them. That was when they started the transition from being the former Atlanta Flames and really became Calgary's team.

[Buff]

Tough to chose between Lanny, Iggy and Gio. Each have their strong points. In the end I chose Lanny, mostly for character traits that both Iginla and Gio have but Lanny just seems to have that something extra. The way he handled having a diminished role, the comments you hear from other players about how impactful he was on teaching them to be a pro. Something just sticks out to me about Lanny being the best captain. I don't consider points or how good the player is, I'm just considering their leadership and I think Lanny has it. Maybe Gio takes over after a few more years and you hear more impressive things about him as a leader as his body of work grows, but for now Lanny.

[Huntingwhale]

Awesome to see the Love for Lanny. I was too young at the time and wasn't living in Canada in '89 so I can't really give my opinion on his leadership. But the fact that he is probably the most recognizable Calgarian still to this day says volumes about him and his character.

[CSharp]

Originally Posted by _Q_

I went with Giordano.

Iginla was a fantastic player, but the way the team used to give up on their coach rests squarely on his shoulders. Yes there was '04, but there was also '06 to '12.

Gio was on the same team - No? Oh just wait a minute, Gio was either in Europe or was hurt sitting up in the press box... c'mon give that a rest...

[Psytic]

I think Iggy was also saddled with a much harder dressing room to deal with full of prima donnas and out spoken individuals than Gio. The current crop under Gio's tenure is much more open to falling in line.

Like another poster said Gio was on the bench during the Iggy years and the letter on the jersey would hardly stop him from speaking up. There was just much stronger personalities in the room at that time. I think what has changed is that organizationally we brought in players with a better mentality that are willing to work as a team. If you gave 2004 Iggy this team they would probably win the cup. He did more with a lot less talent.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Psytic

I think Iggy was also saddled with a much harder dressing room to deal with full of prima donnas and out spoken individuals than Gio. The current crop under Gio's tenure is much more open to falling in line.

Like another poster said Gio was on the bench during the Iggy years and the letter on the jersey would hardly stop him from speaking up. There was just much stronger personalities in the room at that time. I think what has changed is that organizationally we brought in players with a better mentality that are willing to work as a team. If you gave 2004 Iggy this team they would probably win the cup. He did more with a lot less talent.

Brent Sutter has said in his final year as coach, Giordano was his captain.

The discussion about the pressure on the '89 team is interesting. Isn't that what makes a leader 'great'; coming through when the pressure is at it's peak?

That always felt like it was missing from the Iginla-led teams, that ability to come through when the pressure was at its greatest. Stumbling down the stretch, stumbling in important games, coming out flat in the playoffs.

[Ashasx]

nm

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Brent Sutter has said in his final year as coach, Giordano was his captain.

The discussion about the pressure on the '89 team is interesting. Isn't that what makes a leader 'great'; coming through when the pressure is at it's peak?

That always felt like it was missing from the Iginla-led teams, that ability to come through when the pressure was at its greatest. Stumbling down the stretch, stumbling in important games, coming out flat in the playoffs.

To me what I felt was missing was the correct combination of players during that stretch, and that falls on the shoulders of the management teams. Iggy being one of the few bright spots, even during his so called "darker years as captain".

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Brent Sutter has said in his final year as coach, Giordano was his captain.

The discussion about the pressure on the '89 team is interesting. Isn't that what makes a leader 'great'; coming through when the pressure is at it's peak?

That always felt like it was missing from the Iginla-led teams, that ability to come through when the pressure was at its greatest. Stumbling down the stretch, stumbling in important games, coming out flat in the playoffs.

This actually validates my point. Even with Gio leading they were still unmotivated. Gio's current success has as much to do with him as it does removing the old guard and getting a better group in the room.