Fixing Forever A Flame

[ResAlien]

I'd be cool with a Joel Otto forever a flame

[BigThief]

Joel Otto is a good one

[GullFoss]

Regehr
Giordano
Conroy
Monahan
McLennan
Gelinas
Sutter
Backlund
Roberts
Loob
Nilsson
Peplinksi


Lots of forever flames nominees. Id hand them out like candy

[Reggie Dunlop]

Perry Berezan scored the greatest goal in franchise history.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

I would support adding MacInnis and Nieuwendyk to the retired jersey list.

Niewendick can go ead!

[SutterBrother]

Don’t retire the jerseys of crappy people (Theo) or guys who held out for money (Nieuwendyk/MacInnis). Johnny left for less money, but I think everyone is cool retiring 13 when his kids are old enough to understand it.

You should be at the level of Iggy or McDonald to have your number never worn again. Everyone else we can wait for a better player to come along IMO.

As to “Forever a Flame” it shouldn’t exist. Retired or nothing, same as Stanley Cup or bust.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by SutterBrother

You should be at the level of Iggy or McDonald to have your number never worn again. Everyone else we can wait for a better player to come along IMO.

... and Kipper!

[BigThief]

Iginla missed the first three games of the 1999-2000 season due to contract negotiations as well. Meh.

[Roughneck]

I'm not a fan of retiring numbers, I think it's dumb. Honour the player, sure, but taking numbers out of circulation is a negative IMO.

I'm also an advocate that aside from the Player banners, the Stanley Cup one is the only other that should go up. Maybe a banner for Conference and even division titles, but it's just one banner that has the year added to it. Win enough Regular Season Divisional titles to add another one? Take the old one down and put it somewhere in the concourse or something for people to look at like the Stanley Cup does with its rings when they fill up.

I'll come up with some other innocuous things I'm grumpy about later.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

I'm not a fan of retiring numbers, I think it's dumb. Honour the player, sure, but taking numbers out of circulation is a negative IMO.

I'm also an advocate that aside from the Player banners, the Stanley Cup one is the only other that should go up. Maybe a banner for Conference and even division titles, but it's just one banner that has the year added to it. Win enough Regular Season Divisional titles to add another one? Take the old one down and put it somewhere in the concourse or something for people to look at like the Stanley Cup does with its rings when they fill up.

I'll come up with some other innocuous things I'm grumpy about later.

What about celebrating the number of consecutive sold out Garth Brooks concerts?

[Ferarri]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

I would support adding MacInnis and Nieuwendyk to the retired jersey list.

I agree but wonder how they would do it? Another ceremony or just move the numbers to the “retired” section of the rafters?

Johnny deserves to be in the retired category. He ushered in the new era after Iginla and Kipper.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by troutman

Assuming 11 and 13 get retired, that will be six for a 45 year franchise.

Toronto has 19 for a 100+ year old franchise.

Detroit has 8. The Islanders have 8 and entered the league same time as the Flames.

Backlund will not be retired.

[PaperBagger'14]

The jerseys that should be retired:

Macinnis
Lanny
Iggy
Kipper

Forever a Flame:

Nieuwndyk
Otto
Giordano
Backlund
Gaudreau
Phaneuf
Vernon
Regehr
Monahan
Robert’s
Nilsson
Bearcat
Sutter

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

The jerseys that should be retired:

Macinnis
Lanny
Iggy
Kipper

Forever a Flame:

Nieuwndyk
Otto
Giordano
Backlund
Gaudreau
Phaneuf
Vernon
Regent
Monahan
Robert’s
Nilsson
Bearcat
Sutter

100% agree (except Gaudreau).
The Flames admin really made things messy by (1) retiring Vernon, and (2) Forever a Flame for MacInnis & Nieuwendyk.

Retiring jerseys should be reserved for elite (league-wide) players who defined an era and ideally brought some success to the team. The bar to get this achievement should be obscenely high (don't get me started on the HOF).

I hope the new arena has a place in the concourse, ideally accessible to the public outside of game day, that functions as a museum (essentially a Flames HOF). In this space we should highlight Flames eras and key players - this is where you can recognize the 'Forever a Flame' gang.

Add MacInnis to the rafters, remove Nieuwendyk, reluctantly accept Vernon, and emotionally add Gaudreau. At the same time, take the opportunity in the new building to ensure the banners hanging are consistent aesthetically (fonts, logos, size), and lets also keep a high standard for a banner (presidents cup, conference champs, cup champs, and Garth Brooks shows)..

[PaperBagger'14]

I know my opinion on Gaudreau wouldn’t be popular and that’s OK, but I do like your criteria for jersey retirement. I would also add that to get your jersey retired you should be a good ambassador for Calgary (Lanny and Iggy have this in spades, Kipper and MacInnis to a lesser degree).

I’d actually add one more forever a flame and that would be Fleury, the only thing keeping him from a jersey retirement is that he would be a horrible ambassador for the city. On ice he deserves it but yeah, no thanks beyond that.

[3thirty]

Could we do some sort of ring of honour in the new arena instead of banners for non-retired players.

[Jiri Hrdina]

One of the complexities is that the player has to agree to be retired too. In the case of Chopper, I don't think he wanted to be retired by the Flames. He fancies himself more of a Blue.

[CroFlames]

Retirements need to be reserved for league-wide special players.

MacInnes, Lanny, Iggy & Kipper all fit that criteria.

Niewey, Vernon, Backlund, Gio, etc, those are all very special players to the Flames, but are not distinguished league-wide. Would we even categorize Gio a top-10 d-man of the past ten years league-wide?

Johnny (with all due respect) due to his departure did not earn a retirement of the number. However, due to the tragedy of his passing, I would 100% be in favor of it.

We are a young franchise. A jersey retirement should be less than once per decade.

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Retirements need to be reserved for league-wide special players.

MacInnes, Lanny, Iggy & Kipper all fit that criteria.

Niewey, Vernon, Backlund, Gio, etc, those are all very special players to the Flames, but are not distinguished league-wide. Would we even categorize Gio a top-10 d-man of the past ten years league-wide?

Johnny (with all due respect) due to his departure did not earn a retirement of the number. However, due to the tragedy of his passing, I would 100% be in favor of it.

We are a young franchise. A jersey retirement should be less than once per decade.

Are we that young of a franchise? Only thirteen current teams have been in the NHL longer than us.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Are we that young of a franchise? Only thirteen current teams have been in the NHL longer than us.

Depends how you calculate. I calculate from 1980. Not 1972 Atlanta.

Yes, we are young.