# 2003–04 Calgary Flames season

The 2003–04 Calgary Flames season was the 24th National Hockey League (NHL) season in Calgary, and the 32nd for the franchise in the NHL. The Flames ended a seven-year playoff drought, qualifying for the post-season for the first time since 1996. The Flames defeated three division winners en route to an appearance in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. The Flames were defeated in the finals by the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. The run to the finals captured the imagination of the city, while the Red Mile celebrations gained international attention for the "Mardi Gras-like" atmosphere as up to 80,000 people celebrated in the streets after each playoff game.
Head coach Darryl Sutter succeeded Craig Button as the Flames' general manager. Sutter made numerous changes to the roster as he worked to remake the Flames into a fast, physical club. Chris Drury was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for Rhett Warrener and Steve Reinprecht before the season began. A knee injury to starting goaltender Roman Turek led Sutter to trade for Miikka Kiprusoff, a player he knew from his days with the San Jose Sharks. Kiprusoff responded to the deal by posting an NHL record low goals against average of 1.69.
The Flames were led offensively by Jarome Iginla, who tied Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash for the league lead with 41 goals as the trio shared the Rocket Richard Trophy. Iginla represented the Flames at the 54th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Minnesota, and was named a second team all-star for his performance during the season. Iginla's charity work and leadership both on and off the ice led to his also being awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and NHL Foundation Player Award.

## Regular season

After struggling with an injury to starting goaltender Roman Turek in the first game of the season, an early November trade for San Jose Sharks third stringer Miikka Kiprusoff sparked the Flames, as Kiprusoff led Calgary into the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Defenceman Mike Commodore became a cult hero for his unruly red mop of hair during the playoffs, leading many fans to wear red afro wigs to playoff games. Craig Conroy brought a team building idea from his days with the St. Louis Blues, having the team award a green hard hat to the hardest working player each time the Flames won. As the exercise gained popularity, fans also began wearing green hard hats to the arena themselves.
The Flames allowed the fewest short-handed goals during the regular season, with just 2.

### Season standings

Northwest Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | PTS |
| 1 | 3 | Vancouver Canucks | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 2 | 4 | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 235 | 198 | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | Calgary Flames | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 4 | 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 5 | 10 | Minnesota Wild | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Western Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | P- Detroit Red Wings | CE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 11 | 2 | 255 | 189 | 109 |
| 2 | Y- San Jose Sharks | PA | 82 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 255 | 183 | 104 |
| 3 | Y- Vancouver Canucks | NW | 82 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 235 | 194 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Colorado Avalanche | NW | 82 | 40 | 22 | 13 | 7 | 236 | 198 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Dallas Stars | PA | 82 | 41 | 26 | 13 | 2 | 194 | 175 | 97 |
| 6 | X- Calgary Flames | NW | 82 | 42 | 30 | 7 | 3 | 200 | 176 | 94 |
| 7 | X- St. Louis Blues | CE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 191 | 198 | 91 |
| 8 | X- Nashville Predators | CE | 82 | 38 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 216 | 217 | 91 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Edmonton Oilers | NW | 82 | 36 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 221 | 208 | 89 |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | NW | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 188 | 183 | 83 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Kings | PA | 82 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 9 | 205 | 217 | 81 |
| 12 | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | PA | 82 | 29 | 35 | 10 | 8 | 184 | 213 | 76 |
| 13 | Phoenix Coyotes | PA | 82 | 22 | 36 | 18 | 6 | 188 | 245 | 68 |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | CE | 82 | 25 | 45 | 8 | 4 | 177 | 238 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Blackhawks | CE | 82 | 20 | 43 | 11 | 8 | 188 | 259 | 59 |
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest
P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Playoffs

Calgary's defeat of the Vancouver Canucks in the first round was the first playoff series victory for the Flames since they won the Cup in 1989. Jarome Iginla scored two goals and assisted on Martin Gelinas' overtime winner in game seven, sending fans in Calgary into the streets to celebrate the victory. The Flames pulled off an even bigger upset in round two, knocking off the Presidents' Trophy winning Detroit Red Wings in six, including back-to-back 1–0 shutouts in the final two games. Once again, Gelinas scored the overtime winner on a rebound on a play set up by Iginla. In doing so, Gelinas became the first player in NHL history to record three career OT winners to end a series.
The third round series pitted the Flames against head coach Darryl Sutter and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff's old team – the San Jose Sharks. After jumping out to a 2–0 series lead on the road, the Sharks returned the favour, defeating Calgary twice at home. After blanking the Sharks in San Jose in game five, the Flames returned home with a chance to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. Led once again by Iginla and Gelinas, the Flames cruised to a 3–1 victory. Gelinas once again scored the series-clinching goal, this time in the second period, to return the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since winning it in 1989; this was the first Finals appearance by a Canadian team since the 1994 Vancouver Canucks lost to the New York Rangers. In addition, the Flames became the first team to defeat the 1st, 2nd and 3rd seeded teams in their conference en route to the Stanley Cup Finals (which was only repeated in 2012 by the Los Angeles Kings).
The Final versus Tampa Bay became known for controversy. First, referee Kerry Fraser was pulled from his game six assignment in Calgary after drawing the ire of Flames fans following several calls in game four that upset the local fans. Fraser would instead officiate game seven in Tampa. The officiating in game four prompted a rant by Sutter, in which he alleged that the NHL did not want Calgary to win.
Late in game six, with the score tied, a shot that deflected off of Gelinas' skate was stopped by Tampa Bay goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin on the goal line. Later replays indicated that the puck may have crossed the line, however the play was not reviewed at the time, and the NHL would later rule the video was inconclusive, since the puck was in the air, not on the ice. Instead, the Lightning would win in double overtime, and go on to win game seven by a 2–1 score.
Despite the game seven loss, the playoff run lifted the city to a new high. Over 30,000 fans celebrated the Flames run at a rally at Olympic Plaza shortly after the Final had ended.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2003–04 regular season :
October: 4–4–0–1 (home: 2–2–0–0; road: 2–2–0–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
1October 9Calgary1–4VancouverTurek18,6300–1–0–00Recap
2October 11San Jose2–3CalgaryMcLennan17,0391–1–0–02Recap
3October 14Edmonton0–1CalgaryMcLennan16,0092–1–0–04Recap
4October 18Buffalo2–0CalgaryTurek14,1392–2–0–04Recap
5October 21Calgary3–2MinnesotaMcLennan18,0643–2–0–06Recap
6October 24St. Louis2–1CalgaryMcLennan15,4543–3–0–06Recap
7October 25Calgary4–2EdmontonMcLennan16,8394–3–0–08Recap
8October 28Calgary2–4ColoradoMcLennan18,0074–4–0–08Recap
9October 29Calgary3–4DallasOTSabourin18,2094–4–0–19Recap :
November: 5–4–1–2 (home: 4–2–1–1; road: 1–2–0–1)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
10November 1Columbus0–3CalgaryMcLennan14,5395–4–0–111Recap
11November 4Detroit3–0CalgaryMcLennan15,2595–5–0–111Recap
12November 7Minnesota3–0CalgaryMcLennan13,8395–6–0–111Recap
13November 9Calgary3–4ColumbusSabourin17,9575–7–0–111Recap
14November 12Calgary6–2ChicagoMcLennan11,9886–7–0–113Recap
15November 13Calgary1–4NashvilleSabourin9,6306–8–0–113Recap
16November 15Calgary1–2EdmontonOTMcLennan16,8396–8–0–214Recap
17November 18Toronto2–3CalgaryOTMcLennan17,5097–8–0–216Recap
18November 20Montreal1–2CalgaryKiprusoff16,1398–8–0–218Recap
19November 22Chicago1–2CalgaryKiprusoff15,5499–8–0–220Recap
20November 27Colorado6–5CalgaryOTKiprusoff ??9–8–0–321Recap
21November 29Vancouver4–4CalgaryOTMcLennan18,1599–8–1–322Recap :
December: 10–3–2–0 (home: 5–2–2–0; road: 5–1–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
22December 2San Jose1–3CalgaryKiprusoff13,05910–8–1–324Recap
23December 4Calgary4–1VancouverKiprusoff18,63011–8–1–326Recap
24December 5Minnesota1–2CalgaryKiprusoff14,66912–8–1–328Recap
25December 7Pittsburgh1–6CalgaryKiprusoff15,00913–8–1–330Recap
26December 9Calgary1–2MinnesotaKiprusoff18,56813–9–1–330Recap
27December 11Carolina0–1CalgaryKiprusoff14,11914–9–1–332Recap
28December 13Colorado1–1CalgaryOTKiprusoff16,80914–9–2–333Recap
29December 16Calgary3–2PhiladelphiaOTKiprusoff18,93115–9–2–335Recap
30December 18Calgary5–0BostonMcLennan10,65916–9–2–337Recap
31December 19Calgary2–1ColumbusKiprusoff16,56117–9–2–339Recap
32December 23Edmonton1–2CalgaryKiprusoff18,38918–9–2–341Recap
33December 26Vancouver2–0CalgaryKiprusoff18,41918–10–2–341Recap
34December 28Calgary2–1EdmontonKiprusoff16,83919–10–2–343Recap
35December 29Minnesota2–2CalgaryOTKiprusoff16,27919–10–3–344Recap
36December 31Colorado2–1CalgaryMcLennan18,46919–11–3–344Recap :
January: 6–8–1–0 (home: 2–4–0–0; road: 4–4–1–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
37January 3Vancouver3–1CalgaryMcLennan18,26919–12–3–344Recap
38January 5Calgary5–0NY RangersMcLennan18,20020–12–3–346Recap
39January 6Calgary3–2NY IslandersMcLennan12,57621–12–3–348Recap
40January 8Calgary1–3ChicagoMcLennan10,86521–13–3–348Recap
41January 10Florida2–4CalgaryMcLennan16,80922–13–3–350Recap
42January 13Calgary1–4TorontoMcLennan19,31022–14–3–250Recap
43January 14Calgary3–3WashingtonOTMcLennan14,53722–14–4–351Recap
44January 17Dallas3–2CalgaryTurek17,90922–15–4–351Recap
45January 19Calgary5–1AnaheimTurek13,14623–15–4–353Recap
46January 20Calgary1–4Los AngelesTurek18,11823–16–4–353Recap
47January 22Nashville0–4CalgaryTurek16,62924–16–4–355Recap
48January 24Tampa Bay6–2CalgaryTurek17,10924–17–4–355Recap
49January 27Calgary2–1PhoenixTurek ??25–17–4–357Recap
50January 28Calgary1–4San JoseTurek15,11925–18–4–357Recap
51January 30Chicago5–3CalgaryTurek17,13925–19–4–357Recap :
February: 7–5–1–0 (home: 4–2–1–0; road: 3–3–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
52February 1Anaheim4–6CalgaryMcLennan15,18926–19–4–359Recap
53February 3Los Angeles4–4CalgaryOTMcLennan14,16926–19–5–360Recap
54February 5St. Louis2–1CalgaryTurek15,38926–20–5–360Recap
55February 10Atlanta2–5CalgaryKiprusoff16,54927–20–5–362Recap
56February 11Calgary3–2VancouverTurek18,63028–20–5–364Recap
57February 13Anaheim1–2CalgaryKiprusoff17,74929–20–5–366Recap
58February 15Calgary2–1MinnesotaKiprusoff18,56830–20–5–368Recap
59February 19Calgary1–4MontrealKiprusoff21,27330–21–5–368Recap
60February 21Calgary1–2OttawaTurek18,50030–22–5–368Recap
61February 22Calgary1–3New JerseyKiprusoff17,73330–23–5–368Recap
62February 24Calgary2–0ColoradoKiprusoff18,00731–23–5–370Recap
63February 26Detroit2–1CalgaryKiprusoff18,86231–24–5–370Recap
64February 29Phoenix2–4CalgaryKiprusoff17,57932–24–5–372Recap :
March: 9–5–2–0 (home: 4–2–1–0; road: 5–3–1–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
65March 2Calgary4–2St. LouisKiprusoff15,57133–24–5–374Recap
66March 3Calgary1–2DetroitTurek20,06633–25–5–374Recap
67March 5Calgary1–5DallasKiprusoff18,53233–26–5–374Recap
68March 7Calgary7–1ColoradoKiprusoff18,00734–26–5–376Recap
69March 9Edmonton1–1CalgaryOTKiprusoff18,47934–26–6–377Recap
70March 11Ottawa2–4CalgaryKiprusoff17,86935–26–6–379Recap
71March 13Calgary4–4NashvilleOTKiprusoff17,11335–26–7–380Recap
72March 14Calgary3–0St. LouisTurek19,52336–26–7–382Recap
73March 16Calgary4–1DetroitKiprusoff20,06637–26–7–384Recap
74March 18Columbus0–2CalgaryKiprusoff17,47938–26–7–386Recap
75March 20Nashville3–1CalgaryKiprusoff18,43938–27–7–386Recap
76March 22Dallas4–0CalgaryKiprusoff17,72938–28–7–386Recap
77March 24Calgary4–0PhoenixTurek18,49639–28–7–388Recap
78March 25Calgary2–3San JoseKiprusoff15,58839–29–7–388Recap
79March 27Los Angeles2–3CalgaryOTKiprusoff18,41940–29–7–390Recap
80March 31Phoenix0–1CalgaryKiprusoff18,41941–29–7–392Recap :
April: 1–1–0–0 (home: 0–0–0–0; road: 1–1–0–0)
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPtsRecap
81April 2Calgary3–2Los AngelesKiprusoff18,24742–29–7–394Recap
82April 4Calgary1–2AnaheimTurek17,17442–30–7–394Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2004 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Vancouver (3) – Flames win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 7Calgary3–5VancouverKiprusoff18,630Vancouver leads 1–0Recap
2April 9Calgary2–1VancouverKiprusoff18,630Series tied 1–1Recap
3April 11Vancouver2–1CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Vancouver leads 2–1Recap
4April 13Vancouver0–4CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Series tied 2–2Recap
5April 15Calgary2–1VancouverKiprusoff18,630Calgary leads 3–2Recap
6April 17Vancouver5–4Calgary3OTKiprusoff19,289Series tied 3–3Recap
7April 19Calgary3–2VancouverOTKiprusoff18,630Calgary wins 4–3Recap :
Western Conference Semifinals vs. Detroit (1) – Flames win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 22Calgary2–1DetroitOTKiprusoff20,066Calgary leads 1–0Recap
2April 24Calgary2–5DetroitKiprusoff20,066Series tied 1–1Recap
3April 27Detroit2–3CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Calgary leads 2–1Recap
4April 29Detroit4–2CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Series tied 2–2Recap
5May 1Calgary1–0DetroitKiprusoff20,066Calgary leads 3–2Recap
6May 3Detroit0–1CalgaryOTKiprusoff19,289Calgary wins 4–2Recap :
Western Conference Finals vs. San Jose (2) – Flames win 4–2
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 9Calgary4–3San JoseOTKiprusoff17,496Calgary leads 1–0Recap
2May 11Calgary4–1San JoseKiprusoff17,496Calgary leads 2–0Recap
3May 13San Jose3–0CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Calgary leads 2–1Recap
4May 16San Jose4–2CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Series tied 2–2Recap
5May 17Calgary3–0San JoseKiprusoff17,496Calgary leads 3–2Recap
6May 19San Jose1–3CalgaryKiprusoff19,289Calgary wins 4–2Recap :
Stanley Cup Finals vs. Tampa Bay (1E) – Lightning win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 25Calgary4–1Tampa BayKiprusoff21,674Calgary leads 1–0Recap
2May 27Calgary1–4Tampa BayKiprusoff22,222Series tied 1–1Recap
3May 29Tampa Bay0–3CalgaryKiprusoff19,221Calgary leads 2–1Recap
4May 31Tampa Bay1–0CalgaryKiprusoff19,221Series tied 2–2Recap
5June 3Calgary3–2Tampa BayOTKiprusoff22,426Calgary leads 3–2Recap
6June 5Tampa Bay3–2Calgary2OTKiprusoff19,221Series tied 3–3Recap
7June 7Calgary1–2Tampa BayKiprusoff22,717Tampa Bay wins 4–3Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics

Jarome Iginla's 41 goals placed him in a tie for the league lead, earning him his second Rocket Richard Trophy. Iginla shared the award with Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk and Columbus' Rick Nash, both of whom also scored 41 goals. Iginla also led the league in playoff goals, as his total of 13 was one better than Tampa's Brad Richards and Ruslan Fedotenko. Iginla led the team in scoring for the fourth consecutive season,
Miikka Kiprusoff, acquired from the San Jose Sharks early in the season, set a modern NHL record low goals against average of 1.69 in 39 games played. He recorded five shutouts in the playoffs, a franchise record. Kiprusoff's performance with the Flames led to his being named the starting goaltender for team Finland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he led the Finns to the championship final.

### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
* Bold text denotes league leader.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 12 | Jarome Iginla | RW | 81 | 41 | 32 | 73 | 21 | 84 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 13 | 45 |
| 22 | Craig Conroy | C | 63 | 8 | 39 | 47 | 13 | 44 | 26 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 12 |
| 16 | Shean Donovan | RW | 82 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 14 | 72 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| 23 | Martin Gelinas | LW | 76 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 10 | 70 | 26 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 10 | 35 |
| 4 | Jordan Leopold | D | 82 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 8 | 24 | 26 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| 37 | Dean McAmmond | LW | 64 | 17 | 13 | 30 | 9 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Matthew Lombardi | C | 79 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 4 | 32 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| 19 | Oleg Saprykin | LW | 69 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 1 | 41 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| 27 | Steve Reinprecht | C | 44 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Chris Clark | RW | 82 | 10 | 15 | 25 | −3 | 106 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| 32 | Toni Lydman | D | 67 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 6 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 28 | Robyn Regehr | D | 82 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 74 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 20 |
| 7 | Chuck Kobasew | RW | 70 | 6 | 11 | 17 | −12 | 51 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| 11 | Stephane Yelle | C | 53 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 24 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −1 | 16 |
| 44 | Rhett Warrener | D | 77 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 8 | 97 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 21 | Andrew Ference | D | 72 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 53 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| 3 | Denis Gauthier | D | 80 | 1 | 15 | 16 | 4 | 113 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 24 | Ville Nieminen† | RW | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 55 |
| 33 | Krzysztof Oliwa | LW | 65 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −8 | 247 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −1 | 6 |
| 15 | Chris Simon† | LW | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 74 |
| 26 | Josh Green‡ | LW | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −3 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Marcus Nilson† | LW | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 26 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| 15 | Blair Betts‡ | C | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Steve Montador | D | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 50 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Dave Lowry | LW | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −6 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 6 |
| 20 | Lynn Loyns† | LW | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 46 | Jason Morgan‡ | LW | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Miikka Kiprusoff† | G | 38 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 15 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 0 |
| 29 | Jamie McLennan‡ | G | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 50 | Dany Sabourin | G | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Roman Turek | G | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 2 | Mike Commodore | D | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 25 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| 25 | Martin Sonnenberg | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Brennan Evans | D | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltending

* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Flames only.
* Bold text denotes league record. Italics denotes franchise record.
| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 34 | Miikka Kiprusoff† | 38 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 966 | 65 | 1.69 | .933 | 4 | 1655 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 710 | 51 | 1.85 | .928 | 5 | 2301 |
| 29 | Jamie McLennan‡ | 26 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 587 | 53 | 2.20 | .910 | 4 | 1446 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Roman Turek | 18 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 463 | 40 | 2.33 | .914 | 3 | 1031 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 0 | 19 |
| 50 | Dany Sabourin | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 66 | 10 | 3.55 | .848 | 0 | 169 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | King Clancy Memorial Trophy | Jarome Iginla |
| League (annual) | Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy | Jarome Iginla |
| League (annual) | NHL second All-Star team | Jarome Iginla (Right wing) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Jarome Iginla |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Month | Miikka Kiprusoff (December) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Miikka Kiprusoff (December 8) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Defensive Player of the Week | Miikka Kiprusoff (February 16) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Shean Donovan (December 8) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Offensive Player of the Week | Jarome Iginla (January 12) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Matthew Lombardi |
| Team | Molson Cup | Jarome Iginla |
| Team | Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award | Martin Gelinas |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Matthew Lombardi | October 9, 2003 |
| First game | Dany Sabourin | October 29, 2003 |
| First game | Brennan Evans | April 27, 2004 |
| 1,000th game played | Martin Gelinas | December 9, 2003 |
| 25th shutout | Roman Turek | January 22, 2004 |
| 750th game coached | Darryl Sutter | February 5, 2004 |

## Transactions

Prior to the season, the Flames sent restricted free agent Chris Drury to the Buffalo Sabres for defenceman Rhett Warrener and forward Steve Reinprecht, whom the Sabres had acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, then included in the Drury trade. Warrener especially was seen as being a key player for the Flames as they attempted to qualify for the playoffs.
The acquisition of Miikka Kiprusoff proved to be a significant turning point for the Flames' season. Darryl Sutter dealt for Kiprusoff after starting goaltender Roman Turek suffered a knee injury that left him unable to play for several months. Kiprusoff stabilized the Flames' goaltending situation, producing a league record low goals against average.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 21, 2003 (2003-06-21) | To Calgary Flames 3rd-round pick in 20035th-round pick in 20036th-round pick in 2003 | To San Jose Sharks 2nd-round pick in 2003 |
| July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03) | To Calgary Flames Steve ReinprechtRhett Warrener | To Buffalo Sabres Steve BeginChris Drury |
| July 16, 2003 (2003-07-16) | To Calgary Flames 4th-round pick in 2004Future considerations | To Carolina Hurricanes Bob Boughner |
| November 16, 2003 (2003-11-16) | To Calgary Flames Miikka Kiprusoff | To San Jose Sharks 2nd round pick in 2005 |
| January 9, 2004 (2004-01-09) | To Calgary Flames Lynn Loyns | To San Jose Sharks Future considerations |
| February 24, 2004 (2004-02-24) | To Calgary Flames Ville Nieminen | To Chicago Blackhawks Jason MorganConditional draft pick in 2005 |
| March 6, 2004 (2004-03-06) | To Calgary Flames Chris Simon7th-round pick in 2004 | To New York Rangers Blair BettsJamie McLennanRights to Greg Moore |
| March 8, 2004 (2004-03-08) | To Calgary Flames Marcus Nilson | To Florida Panthers 2nd-round pick in 2004 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Matt Davidson | Columbus Blue Jackets | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 17, 2003 (2003-07-17) | Josh Green | Washington Capitals | | Free agency |
| July 30, 2003 (2003-07-30) | Krzysztof Oliwa | Boston Bruins | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 31, 2003 (2003-07-31) | Jesse Wallin | Detroit Red Wings | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 30, 2003 (2003-09-30) | Brennan Evans | Kootenay Ice (WHL) | | Free agency |
| February 19, 2004 (2004-02-19) | Jason Morgan | Nashville Predators | | Waivers |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| June 10, 2003 (2003-06-10) | Ladislav Kohn | Espoo Blues (Liiga) | Free agency (UFA) |
| June 17, 2003 (2003-06-17) | Mike Martin | Amur Khabarovsk (RSL) | Free agency (VI) |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Dave Huntzicker | | Contract expiration (UFA) |
| July 1, 2003 (2003-07-01) | Scott Nichol | Chicago Blackhawks | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 4, 2003 (2003-07-04) | Jean-Francois Damphousse | Montreal Canadiens | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 25, 2003 (2003-07-25) | Mike Mottau | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | Free agency (VI) |
| August 22, 2003 (2003-08-22) | Rick Mrozik | Buffalo Sabres | Free agency (VI) |
| September 5, 2003 (2003-09-05) | Darcy Verot | Washington Capitals | Free agency (VI) |
| September 10, 2003 (2003-09-10) | Levente Szuper | Worcester IceCats (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 15, 2003 (2003-10-15) | Shaun Sutter | Florence Pride (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 20, 2003 (2003-10-20) | Ryan Christie | Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 21, 2003 (2003-10-21) | Jan Vodrazka | Houston Aeros (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 18, 2003 (2003-11-18) | Craig Berube | Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) | Free agency (III) |
| November 18, 2003 (2003-11-18) | Blake Sloan | Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| December 31, 2003 (2003-12-31) | Jason Morgan | Nashville Predators | Waivers |
| March 6, 2004 (2004-03-06) | Josh Green | New York Rangers | Waivers |
| March 28, 2004 (2004-03-28) | Matt Davidson | DEG Metro Stars (DEL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| June 10, 2003 (2003-06-10) | Blair Betts | | Re-signing |
| June 10, 2003 (2003-06-10) | Andrew Ference | 2-year | Re-signing |
| June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25) | Steve Montador | 3-year | Re-signing |
| June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25) | Dany Sabourin | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 25, 2003 (2003-06-25) | Oleg Saprykin | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 15, 2003 (2003-07-15) | Stephane Yelle | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 16, 2003 (2003-07-16) | Steven Reinprecht | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 16, 2003 (2003-07-16) | Rail Rozakov | | Entry-level |
| August 11, 2003 (2003-08-11) | Toni Lydman | 3-year | Re-signing |
| September 9, 2003 (2003-09-09) | Mike Commodore | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 11, 2003 (2003-09-11) | Dave Lowry | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 12, 2003 (2003-09-12) | Rhett Warrener | 2-year | Re-signing |

## Draft picks

The 2003 NHL entry draft was held in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21–22, 2003. The Flames selected nine players in the draft. Calgary selected offensive minded defenceman Dion Phaneuf with their first pick, ninth overall. Phaneuf's coach with the Red Deer Rebels described him as being a physical player on draft day. "This kid doesn't hit to hit. He hits to hurt. It's a mind-set that's rare in the game. At any level. You can't teach it, you can't fake it. You're either born with it, or you're not." Phaneuf quickly made an impact in the NHL, scoring 20 goals as a rookie in 2005–06, earning a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie. Phaneuf was nominated for the Norris Trophy as top defenceman in 2007–08, just his third year in the NHL.
| Rnd | Pick | Player | Nationality | Position | Team (league) | NHL statistics | NHL statistics | NHL statistics | NHL statistics | NHL statistics |
| Rnd | Pick | Player | Nationality | Position | Team (league) | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1 | 9 | Dion Phaneuf | Canada | D | Red Deer Rebels (WHL) | 1048 | 137 | 357 | 494 | 1345 |
| 2 | 39 | Tim Ramholt | Switzerland | D | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 97 | Ryan Donally | Canada | LW | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | | | | | |
| 4 | 112 | Jamie Tardif | Canada | RW | Peterborough Petes (OHL) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 143 | Greg Moore | United States | RW | University of Maine (Hockey East) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 173 | Tyler Johnson | Canada | C | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) | | | | | |
| 7 | 206 | Thomas Bellemare | Canada | D | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) | | | | | |
| 8 | 240 | Cam Cunning | Canada | LW | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) | | | | | |
| 9 | 270 | Kevin Harvey | Canada | LW | Georgetown Raiders (OPJHL) | | | | | |

## Farm teams
### Lowell Lockmonsters

After shutting down the Saint John Flames, the Flames entered into an agreement to share an affiliation with the Lowell Lockmonsters with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lockmonsters posted a 32–36–6–6 record, out of the playoffs with a 6th-place finish in the Atlantic Division.

### Las Vegas Wranglers

The Las Vegas Wranglers entered the ECHL as an expansion team, immediately entering an affiliation agreement with the Flames. The team was immediately competitive, finishing second in the Pacific Division with a 43–22–7 record. This did not translate into the playoffs however, as the Wranglers lost in the divisional semifinals.