2000-2003 Flames fans (Pre-2003-2004 fans), what are some fond memories you have?

[Jordan!]

Ok, so this goes without saying again but for me I became a Flames fan in 2000 during the Flames Forever ST drive. Those 3 years were pretty brutal but I had such a great time as a fan.

-Iggy's 50 goal season was amazing, getting the NHL 2003 cover put The Flames on the map
-Roman Turek traded to CGY, I loved this big lug - I hated how he was dogged for taking a contract that by todays standard was nothing.. Of course him getting injured worked out.. Miikka Kiprusoff.. or something
-Re-aquiring Dean McAmmond and not being allowed to play him due to some stupid NHL rule
-Craig Conroy
-Valeri Bure being traded for Rob Niedscapades
-The first time we heard the Goal horn in OT with Savard scored in OT in the season opener
-Working at Superstore Signal Hill listening to Peter Maher while The Flames kept losing games
-CalgaryPuck game threads
-Getting excited about getting Season Tickets in August 2003 for the 2003-2004, too excited but I had a good feeling about that year.. I was right! CPers laughed at my bigtime about my excitement.

I lost touch with Flames fandom when Keenan was brought in and moved down to AZ permanently.

My dad is getting older now and I went to that 2003-2004 season with him almost in it's entirety so i've got a lot of good feelings rushing back of our memories going to games. I've never hated The Flames but I definitely lost touch with them in my heart. Glad it's coming back TBQH - I'll cry when the Saddledome is demo'd

[N-E-B]

Going to games as a kid and having an entire row to myself. I’d bring a ball and mini stick and just go nuts. It was awesome.

I also fondly remember being at the infamous Flames/Ducks brawl of ‘02. Even the fans were fighting each other.

[the-rasta-masta]

I remember it wasn't cool to be a Flames fan for the late 90s early 2000s. Nobody at school shared my love of the team.

I remember being not able to watch games after bedtime and listening to Peter Maher on my radio in my room. Running down in the morning to get the paper if I had fallen asleep to see what the scores were.

I remember when The Score was first on TV (I think it was called Headline Sports then) and it would just rotate through the scores of games in all major leagues. I'd sit at the TV for 15 minutes waiting for the Flames score to come up and see the stats of who had the goals and assists. No highlights or anything.

I remember my first game was the season before the renovated the Dome, and you used to be able to see the ice from the concourse everywhere. The whole dome was like the one end where the zamboni entrance is now. My dad made me leave early to beat traffic and I remember Joe Nieuwendyk scored the Flames 5th goal that game and I ran to the edge of the top of the concourse to watch the celebration. Game was against Anaheim, and was the first season of the pedestal jerseys.

[the-rasta-masta]

A few more came to mind after the first post.

I also remember the Iginla holdout, and seeing him in the stands watching the game. I'd never seen a player up close before and was surprised he was sitting in the seats like the rest of us.

One of the next games I attended was after the Dome reno and we got to sit in the presidents club, somebody had given my Dad the tickets. The Flames lost like 8-1 to the Oilers, but the night was memorable because I ran into Lanny McDonald on the way out and he gave me a signed image of him saying "See you in the NHL". Never made it Lanny!

[looooob]

I moved back to Calgary in 2000. for those first year especially my wife and I went to ALOT of Flames games, then kids came along, and it was less and less games in person (until the 04 playoffs where as a game pack holder we were able to put in a claim for the entire playoffs)..back onto the STH list from there


not alot of memories the main ones have essentially been pointed out


Everything about Iginla's 01-02 season. what a beast of a player. including the Olympic gold. I was staying at the same hotel as the Flames in Ottawa in early 2001- the Flames were off to a red hot start and Iginla was about to explode on the scene as one of the league's star players, but he wandered around the hotel lobby with zero fanfare. he stuffed a huge amount of cash into a collection box (united way or something like that) while I was checking out- I'm fairly positive I'm the only person who had any clue who he was



2. the Berube-Lowry-Vernon etc Ducks game


3. My wife winning the tricycle race at intermission and getting a signed Valeri Bure horsehead jersey for her troubles, and having to come back at the end of the year to race in the finals for a truck but by then several months pregnant LOL

[Buff]

There are things here and there between 2000-2003 that I may remember, but a few of those years are a bit of a blur to me. I followed the Flames, they've always been my team, but growing up in the 80s I was spoiled by cheering for a really good team. I didn't follow as passionately in the early 2000s as I did in the 80s and early 90s.

I remember Iginla hitting 50 and leading the league in goals and points.

I remember being upset at acquiring Conroy for Stillman. Then being upset at the Flames giving up too much to get Turek the following off season. I was sure Tkazcuk was going to still turn out to be good.

I remember the hot streak the Flames went on that next season. A couple friends and I were so excited that we were going to the playoffs after missing them for 4 years... Like, yeah, its early but how can we possibly miss them now? okay, so maybe the latter part of this isn't so fond.

I remember being proud of having a Flame (Iginla) be such a key player for Team Canada on the 2002 Olympic Gold medal team and he played on a team with three former Flames (Nieuwendyk, MacInnis and Fleury).

It was dark times but there were bright spots.

[JohnnyB]

Watching the games on TV with my grandparents, and the way my granny was always 100% partisan and always loved seeing one of the Flames physically crush an opponent.

Also, listening to the games on the radio, first with Ed Whalen and later with Peter Maher.

[Nammer403]

Freddy Braithwaite shooting the puck down the ice every time warmup was over

First game at the dome was late 90's (born 89)

For some reason early 2000's was a blur so going for late 90s memories

The Canadian Airlines plane flying around during intermission dropping stuff

Shoppers Drug Mart calendars

Channel 7 games

Cutting the flames schedule/calendar in the Calgary Sun for my grandpa - dont know if they still have that

[shogged]

Valeri Bure’s smiling face every time you walked into a macs store lol

[sketchyt]

Looking back, Sports at 11 could really go off the rails. And it was awesome.

[ColoradoFlamesFan]

I got two tickets to a game during the dark times. A friend lived close to the dome and he was having a party that night, so we parked at his place. It was February? So I wore cowboy boots (??). My date and I got to his house and I slipped on ice and landed on my head. Really hurt. Walked to the game, New Jersey was in town and it was Elvis night. They fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Not sure how accurate my memory is on this as I likely had a concussion
I married my date

[BigFlameDog]

Looong time flatlander Flames fan who moved to the area in '99 after 5 years in BC. No REAL internet back then so I barely got to see them play for 5 years unless they played the Canucks. I remember moving here and barely knowing the players and team after that stint out West, so excited to be close and able to go to some games and get back in touch. Started my relationship with Peter Maher and Barkley then Rogers the minute I arrived in Jan '99. I was listening to a game on the way in.

Remember being excited when Daryl came to coach, going to one off games before diving in for a game pack so I would qualify for playoff tickets during the '04 run. Very easy to get tickets from '99-2005/6. The run is where my wife, from Kelowna got sucked in and is now a die hard Flames fan. Game pack until 2018 when the kids hockey made getting to games too tricky.

Totally remember fluking off and being at Kipper's first game with his taped white mask and wondering who he was. He wasn't busy but a phenomenal first win vs. the Habs.

For some reason this sticks in my mind, maybe because I had the fancy work seats lol but I think it was 2002 when I saw Regehr turn into a beast. Game vs Toronto at home. Up until then Reggie was good but not overly mean (in my mind) and that game he terrorized the Leafs and in particular Owen Nolan....just mean arse corner and net front beatings. Didn't even actually get in a fight.

[Patek23]

I remember being literally the only poster pumped we acquired Kipprusoff.

I remember attending the Ducks/Flames brawl and screaming so loud I lost my voice.

I remember Rocky Thompson and the “ROCKY ROCKY ROCKY” chants. Every time he was on the ice it was like a scene from Slap Shot and he looked the part too.

[Jordan!]

The Flames/Ducks brawl was truly an unreal moment. That game thread was wild!

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Watching the games on TV with my grandparents, and the way my granny was always 100% partisan and always loved seeing one of the Flames physically crush an opponent.

Also, listening to the games on the radio, first with Ed Whalen and later with Peter Maher.

Ed never did radio.

Bart Daley (iirc) did the first year and the Peter took over.....for 33 years.


Eddie sure did TV though...."Helllo hockey fans" and used to drive me nuts with his "puck goes over top the net"...he would ALWAYS leave out the word "of".

That was at a time when we would get maybe 40 games a year on TV but also how i discovered satellite systems and all the free content one could possibly watch. Good old days for sure.

[calgaryred]

For me Flames hockey in the 80s was to date the best era to be a fan, they won playoff rounds, they won presidents trophy twice, and one cup.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[kyuss275]

Going to games with my dad at the corral. Hating Gretzky but loving Nilsson. Lol. Also Willie Plett was the bomb.

[flamingred89]

I remember really becoming a diehard fan during the Greg Gilbert 13-2-2 start(only for the massive disappointment that followed) and the Iggy Art Ross campaign. Being a kid at the time, my friends and I found out you could sneak into games by lingering around the smoke pits and sneaking in when a smoker came out. We thought we were badass because we never got caught. Looking back I bet the ushers knew, and didn’t care, because there were only ~13k fans in the stands. So many malts and sitting in the lower bowl like lil ballers. Good times.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

All I remember is how disliked the flames were. They were so uncool, all the kids hated them. Often felt like people went to games to see the opposition more than the home team.

[Jiggy_12]

Reading...give it a shot!
The Molson section
Craig MacTavish ripping Harvey’s tongue out
The unveiling of the new jerseys in 2003
Brawl with the Ducks
Valeri Bure