20 years since the '04 run

[looooob]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Game 7 against the Nucks was heartbreaking but I remember telling all my buddies that we have a PP coming up in OT that we needed to score on. The PP was almost forgetten a the game tying goal was scored when both teams got a penalty

Loved seeing Jovocop's face when Gelinas scored. Especially since he went berserk when Cooke scored to tie up the game

if we had lost after the disaster that was the foreign body toss, missed empty net, Iginla stick tumble incident...that was WWE level stuff there

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Spoiler!

1999 should say

FOOT IN CREASE
NO CUP

[rohara66]

2004 was a time!

• Heading to the Dome after the Flames clinched their playoff spot to camp out for playoff tickets. Showed up with nothing but some booze and played street hockey all night with random strangers.
• Almost not graduating college after missing class the next day… whoopsie.
• Showing up to the dome hours early for rush seating.
• Triple OT game vs Canucks (damn you Brendan Morisson!). Dome running out of all food and drink. Being drunk… and then sobering up and being hung over by the time the game ended.
• Broken seats in the 300 sections. It was a dump up there.
• Partying literally every other night for 2 months…. Would kill me now.
• Watching away games at Shanks on their projector big screen.
• The red mile… all of it.
• Hanging out of sunroofs on the red mile.
• Buying 2 liter bottles of pop, dumping half out and topping up with booze and then heading to the red mile… we were young! Hah.
• Gelinas OT winner to knock Detroit out… gotta be my #1 in person Flames game memory. Ear drums popped. EPIC.
• Partying at some randoms house just off the red mile for Tampa game 6… and being so angry that everyone was still so positive about game 7. I knew it was over. And I knew it was it in.

As others have said it was a perfect storm… especially for being a 19 year old. Was a blast! And will never be duplicated.

Also turned me into a super fan. Don’t think I’ve missed more then a handful of Flames games since 2004.

[cannon7]

Was working in Indianapolis at the time, when the series came to Detroit you better believe I was going to those games. That 1-0 shutout in game 5 at Joe Louis with Kipper putting on a clinic was a particular standout.

[AC]

I went to almost every single home game that season, however I notably missed Game 3 vs Tampa (aka the home game we won)... I got to watch us lose because of the early 5 on 3 against in Game 4 and the BS in Game 6 though!

Oh, and Game 7 was my 16th birthday.

The rest of the run was incredible though. When Gelinas scored the OT winner to eliminate Detroit, I was 3 feet in the air already having jumped out of my seat as the loose puck slid across for the tap-in.

[gboom]

Happy to make playoffs
Even happier to actually be competing and taking the Nucks to game 7!!!
Disbelief on the whole Iginla tripping and falling and them tying it up late.
Anger when camera pans over to Jovo going bananas in the box and sinking feeling that this is probably the end of the road.
Pure elation when Gelinas hammers home the overtime winner!!!
That put me on cloud nine as a lifelong fan and holy smokes, it got so much better as that spring went on, I don’t think anything can replicate the spring of 04. I still get shivers when I hear the replays of Peter Maher and Charlie Simmer calling those spectacular series winning goals. Actually chokes me up a bit thinking about all those great memories

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by AC

I went to almost every single home game that season, however I notably missed Game 3 vs Tampa (aka the home game we won)... I got to watch us lose because of the early 5 on 3 against in Game 4 and the BS in Game 6 though!

Oh, and Game 7 was my 16th birthday.

The rest of the run was incredible though. When Gelinas scored the OT winner to eliminate Detroit, I was 3 feet in the air already having jumped out of my seat as the loose puck slid across for the tap-in.

I got into every single home game for at least the 3rd period, except for the finals… though I was never able to purchase a ticket. I miss paper tickets….

[Makarov]

This fataing beautiful man:

[OutOfTheCube]

Game 3 against the Canucks pre-game the Dome was as electric as I've ever felt it. It was my first live playoff game of any pro-sport and I'll always remember that feeling. People were going bananas when they came out for warm-up.

Game 4 against the Red Wings, Calgary was down 2-0 and then scored two quick goals to tie it up, Nieminen the second one. The TV broadcast cuts to commercial time-out, but if you were there you probably remember the 'CUUUUJOOOOO' jeer, easily the loudest and best goalie jeer I've ever heard or seen. Literally the whole arena at full volume.

I went to some Christian concert festival thing in Edmonton and game 3 of the finals was on the day of the concert. Was a little surreal to be watching the game on little concourse TVs in Rexall Place.

[Manhattanboy]

“We came to this place a proud team.

We are leaving this place a proud team.”

- Ville after game 7.

[rohara66]

Originally Posted by gboom

Disbelief on the whole Iginla tripping and falling and them tying it up late.
Anger when camera pans over to Jovo going bananas in the box and sinking feeling that this is probably the end of the road.
Pure elation when Gelinas hammers home the overtime winner!!!

Yea I remember watching this game in my parents basement. What an emotional roller coaster the end of that game was.

I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday but I remember everything about the ending of that game, my parents basement, who I was watching with, etc.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by looooob

I remember discovering a quirky fact (and posting it on CP at the time) that gave me some weird hope (even though I didn't really believe it myself)


essentially I determined that at least in the post expansion era every team with (I think I have this right) the NHL goal scoring leader and the top goalie (I can't remember if that was defined by GAA or something else) made it to at least the semi-finals. Well the Flames had that combination (and boy did they ever as the playoffs unfolded) and I guess my thought process was all world goalie and an elite finisher can take you along way


I also somehow decided (again as you point out this was pre salary cap and a lot of the top dogs in the West were still running like 2 hall of fame centers on their top 2 lines) was that in Conroy and Yelle we had 2 guys that could stand up to elite centers defensively (again I didn't really actually believe it but I said it)


glad it worked out!

Yeah, especially because we had seen it. Most of the years that the Flames missed the playoffs prior to 2004 the Canucks or Oilers got in, and they could maybe win a round but always run into either peak Dallas, Colorado or Detroit.

So the Flames would face the same outcome once they played Detroit.

[CSharp]

Great memories of the 2004 Cup run for the Flames. Just keep going back to that year because so many great things happened that year! Just seemed like it just happened yesterday. I still remember Flames acquiring Ville Nieminen from the Hawks and hearing him say, "I'm going to the playoffs" with a huge smile on his face. That was incredible! Then, when I went to work with my vintage home white jersey on and proudly displaying it everywhere I went in the downtown core. People would ask if I want to sell my jersey. That vibe in and around Calgary was insane! What a great time! That actually kicked off the start of the boom years in Calgary.

[Funkhouser]

I had recently moved to Montreal and was jealous of the parties back home, especially after years of supporting the Flames through mediocracy.

For Game 7 I got invited to a party
"Come to this loft party, the guy is from Calgary and likes to party"
The guy:

Spoiler!

Needless to say...we partied.
He turned off the tv before the cup was awarded and loaded up a copy of Rock em Sock em to ease the pain.

[3thirty]

Such great memories...

Game 7 vs Vancouver my Dad and I running around their basement and into the backyard like lunatics when we won in OT.

My girlfriends (now wife's) 18th birthday was game 1 vs Detroit. I remember all the experts saying it would be a Detroit sweep, and we won in OT, raced out of Shanks North and it was daylight and early. Shock to the system as we were absolutely wasted and hadn't seen sunlight in 5+ hours.

Then I think I got a job at Tequila nightclub around round 3 and working at a bar on 17th ave/the Red Mile was insane.

Was able to go to at least 1 game in each round with my Dad and or friends and had some of the best memories.

Went on the waitlist for ST after that year and have had them ever since.

[Huntingwhale]

I use to work at the former BW hotel on Bonaventure. We had a TV in the bar I could see from where I worked at front desk. Will never forget the OT period starting Game 7 vs VAN as soon as my shift finished. Watched the entire thing until Gelinas won it. Driving home, hearing and being a part of all the cars honking...unreal.

We had 2 front desk so after that I always asked to work the other front desk since it was way less busy and I had a private TV there. Watched many games while working in peace, never had to worry about missing due to my shift. One of the best memories was Montador scoring in OT while I was on the phone doing a reservation and screaming at the customer when we scored. They had no idea what was going on. Tried explaining but it was an American guest who had no idea what I was talking about.

During the TB series, we had a game when a wedding booked at the venue since it was in June. At one point the entire wedding group was in the lobby watching the game. Eventually the bride came out and asked us to turn off the TV since it was ruining her day. As everyone then shifted to the pub down the hall, I turned it back on and continued watching. Good times.

Obviously memories of going to the red mile, almost falling off of a roof near Feroshees (sp) record store that was there at time, the endless crowds of people pissing in alleys, high 5ing and rockin' with the homeless, and running from the cops and hiding in an alley after a brawl broke out and 2 of my friends got arrested.

Way too many good memories, given that the team didn't win. Heartbreaking because that mofo was IN!

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

I use to work at the former BW hotel on Bonaventure. We had a TV in the bar I could see from where I worked at front desk. Will never forget the OT period starting Game 7 vs VAN as soon as my shift finished. Watched the entire thing until Gelinas won it. Driving home, hearing and being a part of all the cars honking...unreal.

All 1 minute and 25 seconds?

[Robbob]

I got married that summer in late June. Between the wedding and that run, it was just a surreal and enjoyable period of time. We also lived off 17th at the time, so we would walk to and from every game.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by butterfly

All 1 minute and 25 seconds?

I remember when the third period ended, a buddy of mine called me up and said he was going to drive over to my place to watch the OT. He lived about 20 minutes away from me. Needless to say, he missed the goal.

[Gaskal]

Oh man. I remember actually crying a little bit when Iginla tripped on that jersey to miss the EN and BMo tied the game with a handful of seconds left. Then minutes later running out to the street to scream when Gelinas stuffed it in.

My parents couldn't pronounce 'Kiprusoff' either. They ended up called him "Keepers out", which I thought was hilariously appropriate.