Saint John Flames
| Saint John Flames | |
|---|---|
| City | Saint John, New Brunswick |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Operated | 1993–2003 |
| Home arena | Harbour Station |
| Colours | Red, White, Gold & Black |
| Affiliates | Calgary Flames |
| Franchise history | |
| 1977–1987 | Maine Mariners |
| 1987–1993 | Utica Devils |
| 1993–2003 | Saint John Flames |
| 2005–2007 | Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights |
| 2007–2009 | Quad City Flames |
| 2009–present | Abbotsford Heat |
| Championships | |
| Division Championships | 2: 1997–98, 2000–01 |
| Conference Championships | 2: 1997–98, 2000–01 |
| Calder Cups | 1: 2000–01 |
The Saint John Flames were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate.
The Saint John Flames won the 2001 Calder Cup Championship on home ice at Harbour Station on May 28, 2001 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the farm team of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flames won the series four games to two with a final score of 1–0. The Flames also played in the Calder Cup Finals in 1998, losing to the Philadelphia Phantoms. With their 2001 victory, the Saint John Flames became the second AHL team based in New Brunswick to win the Calder Cup, the first being the New Brunswick Hawks of Moncton in 1982 against the Binghamton Whalers. This came after other AHL teams based in New Brunswick tried to compete for the cup and lost.
The franchise was relocated to Omaha, Nebraska in 2005 where it played for two seasons as the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights before relocating once again to Moline, Illinois for the 2007–08 season to become the Quad City Flames, and finally relocating to Abbotsford, British Columbia for the 2009–10 season. At the time, the St. John's Maple Leafs were left as the last remaining Atlantic Canadian AHL club. Subsequently, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved their affiliate to Toronto. The Saint John market is currently served by the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs.
The Saint John Flames originally used a logo of a stylized red and yellow flame that closely resembled that of the Calgary Flames, with a hockey stick and the word "FLAMES" in red letters at the bottom. In 2000, the team's logo was changed to that of a fire-breathing dragon, with the colours being red and orange. This was a rare instance of an AHL team not having the same basic logo (albeit with some modifications) as its NHL affiliate in terms of having the same name. Even the Fredericton Express, in a city not far from Saint John and in the same province, used a logo closely resembling that of one of its two NHL affiliates, the Quebec Nordiques (the other affiliate of the Express was the Vancouver Canucks).
Season-by-season results
Statistics source:[1]
Regular season
| Season | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Overtime Losses | Points | Goals For | Goals Against | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 80 | 37 | 33 | 10 | — | 84 | 304 | 305 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 1994–95 | 80 | 27 | 40 | 13 | — | 67 | 250 | 286 | 4th, Atlantic |
| 1995-96 | 80 | 35 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 85 | 272 | 264 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 1996–97 | 80 | 28 | 36 | 13 | 3 | 72 | 237 | 299 | 2nd, Canadian |
| 1997–98 | 80 | 43 | 24 | 13 | 0 | 99 | 231 | 201 | 1st, Atlantic |
| 1998–99 | 80 | 31 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 71 | 238 | 296 | 4th, Atlantic |
| 1999–00 | 80 | 32 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 80 | 267 | 283 | 2nd, Atlantic |
| 2000–01 | 80 | 44 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 100 | 269 | 210 | 1st, Canadian |
| 2001–02 | 80 | 29 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 75 | 182 | 202 | 5th, Canadian |
| 2002–03 | 80 | 32 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 203 | 223 | 4th, Canadian |
Playoffs
| Season | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | L, 3–4, Moncton | — | — | — |
| 1994–95 | L, 1–4, P.E.I. | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | W, 3–1, St. John's | W, 4–1, Fredericton | L, 3–4, Portland | — |
| 1996–97 | L, 2–3, Hamilton | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | W, 3–1, St. John's | W, 4–2, Portland | W, 4–1, Hartford | L, 2–4, Philadelphia |
| 1998–99 | W, 3–0, Lowell | L, 0–4, Fredericton | — | — |
| 1999–00 | L, 0–3, Lowell | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | W, 3–0, Portland | W, 4–1, Quebec | W, 4–1, Providence | W, 4–2, W.B.S. |
| 2001–02 | Out of Playoffs | |||
| 2002–03 | Out of Playoffs | |||
Career Leaders
Goals: 89 (Ladislav Kohn, 1994–03)
Assists: 152 (Marty Murray, 1995–01)
Points: 230 (Marty Murray, 1995–01)
PIM: 851 (Derick McKinnon, 1994–98)
Chris Dingman
Affiliates
- Calgary Flames (1993-2003)