5 random players you forgot were on the Calgary Flames

1. Brian Skrudland

In 14 NHL seasons, Skrudland won two Stanley Cups (1986 with Montreal, 1999 with Dallas) and went to two additional finals (1989 with Montreal, 1996 with Florida).

He and his Habs opposed the Flames on those first two journeys. As a rookie in the 1986, Skrudland scored his first career playoff goal a record nine seconds into overtime to avenge a Game 1 loss, then struck again in the Game 5 championship clincher.

Then in an odd twist, he missed Montreal’s next championship after being traded to Calgary at midseason in 1993.

Skrudland’s stay with the Flames yielded only 16 regular season and six playoff games. Left unprotected for the subsequent expansion draft, he went to the Panthers for the next four years. He captained Florida from the franchise’s launch before playing the bulk of at least one season apiece for the Rangers and Stars.

The Blueshirts were the only other team that did not take Skrudland along on a ride to the Cup final. But his run with the Rangers in 1997-98 was a much longer 59 games.

Skrudland’s split season with Montreal and Calgary was also one of the few in his prime that did not yield any Selke Trophy votes. As a Canadien, he garnered attention as a two-way forward for five consecutive years (1986-87 to 1990-91).

After he transferred from the Flames to the Panthers, he returned to the Selke ballot for three more years, finishing as the second runner-up in 1993-94. His scoring rate also pivoted back northward, yielding his first double-digit-goal and 40-point season in three and four years, respectively.

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