[News] Thank you #34! - Miikka Kiprusoff officially retires -

[Igottago]

Was hoping he'd play one more season. Truly a Flames legend, and I would argue one of the best most consistent goalies in the game over the span of time he played in Calgary. #34 should be retired at some point.

[chalms04]

Single-handedly (sorry Iggy) made this team relevant again.

Shame on anyone who booed him.

[Ashasx]

The Flames now have the second most cap space in the league.

[CaptainYooh]

I was lucky to have met Miikka personally a few years ago and he was every little bit as good in person as I imagined he would be - soft-spoken, shy, smiling, and friendly. He spoke to me at length about hockey and about his experience in Calgary and then he even spoke for several minutes to my kid over my cell phone (who was completely overblown and only believed me when I produced our picture together).

Miikka, I hope someone will read this to you. Thank you for your time in Calgary and best of everything in your post-NHL life. Your influence on Calgary Flames and its fans simply cannot be overstated.

Retire #34!

[Jacks]

Thank you Kipper!

I was getting used to having our own human highlight reel.

[browna]

If his jersey is not retired within the next 3 years, there is something seriously wrong with this franchise.

The best goalie this city has seen and will see for a while, and maybe not fully appreciated until he's gone, for a variety of reasons. First off, the phenomenal play...sure, the highlight saves of which there are many...but many, many nights making those reaction saves on a quick defelection, or making that save through a screen; something that doesn't make the highlight reel, but, as we've seen all to often with the backups he's had from McLennan to Karlsson, those puck go in and people say "well, that wasn't the goalie's fault, it got tipped or he was screened". Kiprusoff made more of those saves then can be counted.

Secondly, a complete class individual. Never complained, never any drama like most goalies eventually fall victim to, even when Hartley throws him in there with an AHL team against Nashville this past season. Not the roller coaster of a big season, then the flame-out. Consistent, understated, spectacular at best, solid at very worse on the ice. All you can ask for from anyone in the league, let alone a goalie, let alone for a decade.

Thanks to Miikka for everything he's done for the Flames and its fans, and hope the next stage of life in Calgary and beyond treats him well..bringing the team within inches of a Stanley Cup, thanks in big part to his play in the Detroit series in 2004, and being mainly responsible for giving this team its elite stauts in the years that followed, all while being a proud transplanted Calgarian.

[Itse]

This has always been the Kipper pic for me.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I was lucky to have met Miikka personally a few years ago and he was every little bit as good in person as I imagined he would be - soft-spoken, shy, smiling, and friendly. He spoke to me at length about hockey and about his experience in Calgary and then he even spoke for several minutes to my kid over my cell phone (who was completely overblown and only believed me when I produced our picture together).

Miikka, I hope someone will read this to you. Thank you for your time in Calgary and best of everything in your post-NHL life. Your influence on Calgary Flames and its fans simply cannot be overstated.

Retire #34!

similar experience when my kids and I met him. Thanks to CMPunk for setting that up.
soft spoken, shy and friendly. Best way to describe him.
It was a moment that the kids and I will remember for a long time.

[Kev]

As a recognition of his amazing career and incredible contribution to the organization, they should speedily retire his number. We might never see a goalie of that caliber in a Flame's uniform again.

[dash_pinched]

Jouni Nieminen ‏@OnsideWithJouni now Kipper had chew in lip while riding exercise bike. Conditioning coach asked about that. Kippers answer: "They dont let you smoke in here."

Classic Kipper - Enjoy retirement Miikka.

[JurassicTunga12]

Thanks for everything, Kipper. Will miss him for sure.

Happy retirement!

[Massonite]

Gonna be weird not seeing Kipper between the pipes. He will definitely be missed.

Hopefully Karri Ramo will be able to step up for us. Our goaltending future does look pretty bright with the prospects we have.

Thank you Kipper!

[bc-chris]

man i'm gonna miss kipper

[VictoryJuice]

34 better be up in the rafters baby, don't care what anyone says. kipp deserves it.

[trackercowe]

Hopefully Burke gets to make the call on who will/won't get their numbers in the rafters. He doesn't have a vendetta against certain players like King seems to have.

You're the best Kiprusoff! He's pretty much the only reason the Flames have made it out of the first round once in the last 20+ years.

[Pontine]

I knew it was coming, but it's still hard to hear it now that it's official.

Thanks for the past decade Kipper, so many memories !

[Bunk]

I'll miss him. Great goaltender. Congrats Kipper! And with that, nothing left of the 2004 team.

[Puppet Guy]

My niece had just turned 2 when the Flames went on their run in 2004. Being a good uncle I was trying to teach her all the players' names, and she couldn't pronounce Miikka Kiprusoff properly and kept shouting "MIKKASOFF!!!" instead. Ever since then that's what I call him in my head. Congratulations and we'll miss you, Mikkasoff.

[ToraToraTora]

Originally Posted by Itse

This has always been the Kipper pic for me.

That is frikkin beautiful.

[pylon]

Probably one of the most dominant goalies ever to never get a cup, and to no fault of his own.

He single handedly made a bad, bad team, look like a mediocre team for 4 or 5 seasons. Had we had a mediocre team to put him behind, he would have got a cup. One of the few players in the game that made his team significantly better.

All the best to you Kipper. Greatest Flame goaltender of all time by a massive margin.

So what now for Kipper kid? Does he start smoking and fishing?