an interesting list. given that Peplinski was an original Flame who owned the jersey for a decade, fascinating to see that there is still a pretty compelling list of names that followed
first off- scratch Iginla and Conroy,previous winners in their natural numbers
do not associate Gauthier with 24
always thought Hentunen was one game away from not sucking- untrue as it turned out
several of us hoped for more from Wiemer
Niemo- forgot to mention him, doesn't deserve to be forgotten
Hamonic- another one of the all time good guys to play for the Flames, but no
Hudler- I get it, led the team in scoring twice , was a useful veteran bridge on a transitional team and provided entertainment on and off the ice, but no
Peplinski- clear one here. One of 3 key draftees from the 79 draft, the other two lost their numbers (Reinhart, Hunter) but not here . hard to define as a player, could play the rough stuff and stick up for teamates, but hardly an enforcer, had a 30 goal season early on that left you hoping for a bit more offence, could slot in anywhere and play a role- ran shotgun with Otto and Mullen on the team's 'top line' on the first deep run, had to celebrate the cup in his jammies as a co-captain, also played in the 88 Olympics before returning for cup glory which was a nice touch. Not a great color guy, and not sure quite what to make of the public Pepper but certainly has remained a loyal part of the local fabric
Last edited by looooob; 04-19-2020 at 09:15 AM.
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Exp:
Pepper...all day long.
Maybe the single biggest heart and soul guy this team ever employed.
He was somewhat limited skill wise (though far from a plug) and even in his pugilistic abilities, but nothing ever stopped him from becoming engaged where and as necessary.
Obvious team leader, only ever played for Calgary starting in their initial season in town, huge contributions to the city post playing career and a hell of a nice man.
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Gotta go with Pepper. The man was a little before my time but growing up in Calgary he was the most noticeable Alumni in the community. That alone is enough to get him my vote, let alone what he did on the ice.
Conroy will always be number 22 in my eyes, and I loved what Hudler did here, but a 2 year tenure isn't enough to compete with Pep's legacy
Gotta go with Pepper. The man was a little before my time but growing up in Calgary he was the most noticeable Alumni in the community. That alone is enough to get him my vote, let alone what he did on the ice.
Conroy will always be number 22 in my eyes, and I loved what Hudler did here, but a 2 year tenure isn't enough to compete with Pep's legacy
Wasn't Hudler here for 4?
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Random quirky 88-89 fact. Even though Peplinski is thought of as a bit of an after thought on that team, having watched the final from the pressbox,
he had 38 points that year (not earth shattering). exact same number of points as the teams 'top2' LWs that year Roberts (playing with Nieuwendyk and Loob) and Patterson (playing with Gilmour and Mullen). Rightside was definitely where the action was at the time
just walking back through Peppers career- really ever year he was the teams approx 5th - 7th scoring forward or so(including some deep teams), a classic middle six guy for a long time
Peplinski for sure that guy was a great leader for the Flames and fricking huge! Hudler was a very good player but Pepper meant so much more to the Flames.
Pepper is a beast even to this day. But I gotta go with what I know... and that's Jiri Hudler. So clutch in 2015.
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"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
Easily Pepper. Great heart and soul player for the organization as well as a big part of the alumni. A lot of people remember him as a character/grinder style of player but he had a 30 goal, 67 point season and had a few productive seasons.
Nobody could drop a ‘g’ in an interview like Jim. He would say everythin and strenth and a bunch of others. Just one more thing that endeared him to fans in the 80s and 90s.
Covid Jersey Vote - Best #24 Flames History
