# 1985–86 Calgary Flames season

The 1985–86 Calgary Flames season was the sixth season in Calgary and 14th for the Flames franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). It was a banner season for the Flames, who overcame a franchise record eleven game losing streak to finish 2nd in the Smythe Division and captured the franchise's first Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as Campbell Conference champions. In doing so, they became the first Calgary team to reach the Stanley Cup Finals since the Calgary Tigers in 1923–24. The Flames season ended at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, who defeated Calgary in five games in the final.
The season began with the departure of franchise leading scorer Kent Nilsson who was sent to the Minnesota North Stars in a trade. Rookie goaltender Mike Vernon emerged as the team's top goaltender and Joe Mullen was acquired in a major trade midway through the season. Gary Suter captured the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie while also being named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Suter was the team's lone representative at the 1986 All-Star Game. Hakan Loob captured the Molson Cup.
The Flames upset the heavily favoured Edmonton Oilers in the Smythe Division final to end the Oilers' hopes of winning a third consecutive championship. The series winning goal was scored into his own net by Oilers rookie Steve Smith. As Smith collapsed to the ice, Flames players celebrated the difference maker in what would finish as a 3–2 Calgary win. Smith's error remains one of the most legendary blunders in hockey history.

## Regular season

The Flames began the year with a similar roster as finished the 1984–85 season, with one major exception. Kent Nilsson, the franchise's all-time leading scorer, was dealt to the Minnesota North Stars for two draft picks. Nilsson was viewed as a player with immense talent who ended each season as a perennial disappointment in the playoffs. Though he scored 99 points the season before, the Flames received few offers before agreeing to send him to Minnesota. As the deal provided no immediate help for the team, co-captain Doug Risebrough anticipated that 1985–86 would be a transitional year for the Flames and the loss of Nilsson might force the team to play a more defensive style when compared to the team that finished second in league scoring the year previous.
The season opened in Calgary with a game against the Winnipeg Jets, the team that eliminated the Flames in the first round of the previous spring's playoffs. It ended with an 8–3 victory for the Flames, but not before a bench-clearing brawl resulted in the ejection of five players. Calgary was one of the top teams in the league in the early going, standing third overall on December 10 with a 15–8–3 record.
Four nights later, they were defeated by the Vancouver Canucks, 4–3, and continued losing for nearly a month. After the Hartford Whalers handily defeated the Flames 9–1 on January 7, 1986, to send Calgary to its 11th consecutive defeat, a franchise record, coach Bob Johnson promised changes. Among them was the recall of goaltender Mike Vernon from the Moncton Golden Flames, who was given the start ahead of Rejean Lemelin in their next game, against Vancouver. He held the Flames in the game long enough for Jim Peplinski to score in the first minute of overtime for a 5–4 victory that ended the eighth-longest losing streak in NHL history.
During the losing streak, on December 29, the Flames hosted Soviet team Dynamo Moscow in an exhibition game as part of the 1986 Super Series. Vernon was given the start for the game to let Lemelin rest and led Calgary to a 4–3 victory over Dynamo. It was the Flames' second victory in three years against a Soviet league club, and came despite what the team considered biased officiating by the Russian referee working the game.
The team enjoyed greater success in the second half of the season, finishing the final 40 games with a record of 22–12–5. Vernon established himself as the starting goaltender by mid February and finished the regular season with only three losses in 15 decisions. The Flames ended the season in second place in the Smythe Division, sixth overall in the NHL, with 89 points. Seeking to upgrade the team's offence as the playoffs approached, general manager Cliff Fletcher completed a six-player trade with the St. Louis Blues that brought Joe Mullen, a player who had scored at least 40 goals each of his previous two seasons, to Calgary. A second deal in March had the Flames acquire four-time Stanley Cup champion John Tonelli from the New York Islanders and initiated a war of words with Edmonton Oilers general manager and coach Glen Sather, who accused Islanders general manager Bill Torrey of trying to help Fletcher eliminate the Oilers in the upcoming playoffs.
Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 56 | 17 | 7 | 426 | 310 | 119 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 40 | 31 | 9 | 354 | 315 | 89 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 26 | 47 | 7 | 295 | 372 | 59 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 23 | 44 | 13 | 282 | 333 | 59 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 23 | 49 | 8 | 284 | 389 | 54 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

### Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Smythe Division
1985–86 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Calgary
—1−6−17−14−2−26−1−118−10−4
Edmonton
6−1−1—6−0−27−0−16−225−3−4
Los Angeles
1−70−6−2—1−5−25−2−17−20−5
Vancouver
2−4−20−7−15−1−2—3−3−210−15−7
Winnipeg
1−6−12−62−5−13−3−2—8−20−4
Vs. Norris Division
1985–86 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Calgary
1−22−0−10−2−11−22−16−7−2
Edmonton
3−03−02−11−1−12−111−3−1
Los Angeles
0−1−21−22−11−1−12−16−6−3
Vancouver
0−33−02−10−32−0−17−7−1
Winnipeg
1−23−02−11−21−1−18−6−1
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1985–86 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Calgary
1−21−1−11−21−21−25−9−1
Edmonton
2−11−23−03−02−111−4−0
Los Angeles
0−32−11−21−21−25−10−0
Vancouver
0−1−21−20−30−31−1−12−10−3
Winnipeg
0−31−21−21−22−15−10−0
Vs. Patrick Division
1985–86 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Calgary
2−0−11−1−12−11−22−13−011−5−2
Edmonton
3−01−0−21−22−12−10−39−7−2
Los Angeles
1−21−21−20−31−21−25−13−0
Vancouver
1−21−1−10−31−21−20−2−14−12−2
Winnipeg
1−20−2−11−21−21−21−1−15−11−2 :

## Schedule and results

1985–86 Schedule :
October: 5–5–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 1–3–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
1October 11Winnipeg3 – 8Calgary1–0–02
2October 13Calgary9 – 2Los Angeles2–0–04
3October 16St. Louis2 – 1Calgary2–1–04
4October 19Boston6 – 3Calgary2–2–04
5October 20Calgary5 – 8Winnipeg2–3–04
6October 23Washington2 – 4Calgary3–3–06
7October 25Calgary3 – 5Edmonton3–4–06
8October 26Detroit4 – 7Calgary4–4–08
9October 28Calgary3 – 5Edmonton4–5–08
10October 30Buffalo2 – 4Calgary5–5–010 :
November: 8–2–3 (home: 3–0–2; road: 5–2–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
11November 2Toronto2 – 4Calgary6–5–012
12November 5Calgary4 – 4NY IslandersOT6–5–113
13November 6Calgary5 – 2New Jersey7–5–115
14November 9Calgary5 – 4Washington8–5–117
15November 10Calgary1 – 5Buffalo8–6–117
16November 13Winnipeg3 – 3CalgaryOT8–6–218
17November 16New Jersey2 – 7Calgary9–6–220
18November 17Calgary5 – 4Winnipeg10–6–222
19November 19Minnesota3 – 3CalgaryOT10–6–323
20November 23Calgary3 – 4Montreal10–7–323
21November 26Calgary3 – 1Quebec11–7–325
22November 27Calgary5 – 2NY Rangers12–7–327
23November 30NY Islanders3 – 4Calgary13–7–329 :
December: 4–8–0 (home: 4–1–0; road: 0–7–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
24December 1Calgary3 – 5Edmonton13–8–329
25December 4Hartford5 – 8Calgary14–8–331
26December 6Chicago2 – 5Calgary15–8–333
27December 10Los Angeles5 – 6Calgary16–8–335
28December 12Los Angeles0 – 5Calgary17–8–337
29December 14Calgary3 – 4Vancouver17–9–337
30December 17Calgary3 – 4Pittsburgh17–10–337
31December 18Calgary3 – 4Hartford17–11–337
32December 20Calgary2 – 5St. Louis17–12–337
33December 22Calgary4 – 5ChicagoOT17–13–337
34December 28Philadelphia6 – 5Calgary17–14–337
–December 29Dynamo Moscow3 – 4CalgaryExhibition
35December 31Calgary3 – 6Minnesota17–15–337 :
January: 6–7–2 (home: 3–3–1; road: 3–4–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
36January 2Edmonton4 – 3Calgary17–16–337
37January 4Montreal6 – 5Calgary17–17–337
38January 5Calgary3 – 6Edmonton17–18–337
39January 7Hartford9 – 1Calgary17–19–337
40January 9Vancouver4 – 5CalgaryOT18–19–339
41January 12Calgary0 – 3Philadelphia18–20–339
42January 14Calgary4 – 3Washington19–20–341
43January 16Calgary2 – 3Boston19–21–341
44January 18Calgary7 – 4Detroit20–21–343
45January 19Calgary9 – 5Toronto21–21–345
46January 22New Jersey6 – 6CalgaryOT21–21–446
47January 25Pittsburgh2 – 5Calgary22–21–448
48January 27Los Angeles3 – 6Calgary23–21–450
49January 29Calgary4 – 4VancouverOT23–21–551
50January 31Calgary4 – 7Edmonton23–22–551 :
February: 7–3–2 (home: 4–2–2; road: 3–1–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
51February 1Edmonton4 – 4CalgaryOT23–22–652
52February 6Los Angeles2 – 7Calgary24–22–654
53February 9Calgary7 – 3Los Angeles25–22–656
54February 12Winnipeg2 – 4Calgary26–22–658
55February 14Buffalo3 – 3CalgaryOT26–22–759
56February 16Quebec6 – 3Calgary26–23–759
57February 18Boston4 – 7Calgary27–23–761
58February 20Toronto7 – 6CalgaryOT27–24–761
59February 21Calgary4 – 0Vancouver28–24–763
60February 23Calgary2 – 6Chicago28–25–763
61February 25Calgary4 – 1St. Louis29–25–765
62February 27Philadelphia4 – 7Calgary30–25–767 :
March: 7–6–2 (home: 3–1–1; road: 4–5–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
63March 1Vancouver2 – 3Calgary31–25–769
64March 2Calgary5 – 1Los Angeles32–25–771
65March 4Pittsburgh3 – 6Calgary33–25–773
66March 6NY Rangers5 – 2Calgary33–26–773
67March 9Calgary3 – 3DetroitOT33–26–874
68March 11Calgary4 – 8NY Islanders33–27–874
69March 12Calgary3 – 2NY Rangers34–27–876
70March 14Calgary2 – 6Quebec34–28–876
71March 15Calgary5 – 3Montreal35–28–878
72March 19Calgary5 – 6Minnesota35–29–878
73March 21Vancouver5 – 5CalgaryOT35–29–979
74March 23Calgary7 – 4Winnipeg36–29–981
75March 26Calgary3 – 7Los Angeles36–30–981
76March 28Winnipeg3 – 6Calgary37–30–983
77March 30Calgary2 – 4Vancouver37–31–983 :
April: 3–0–0 (home: 2–0–0; road: 1–0–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTRecordPoints
78April 1Vancouver5 – 6Calgary38–31–985
79April 4Edmonton3 – 9Calgary39–31–987
80April 6Calgary6 – 4Winnipeg40–31–989 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Playoffs

The Flames began the 1986 Stanley Cup playoffs with a Smythe semi-final match-up against the Winnipeg Jets, the team that eliminated them in the first round the previous season. Calgary won the best-of-five series in three consecutive games, eliminating the Jets on a Lanny McDonald overtime goal in the third game. The victory set up a best-of-seven Smythe Division final against the two-time defending champion Edmonton Oilers who swept the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round. The Flames opened the series in Edmonton with a 4–1 victory, the first loss the Oilers had suffered on home ice in 18 playoff games.
The two teams traded victories through the first six games, leading to a deciding seventh game in Edmonton. The Flames stepped out to an early 2–0 lead before the Oilers tied it. Disaster then struck Edmonton at the 5:14 mark of the third period. Oilers' rookie defenceman Steve Smith, attempting to play the puck from behind his own goal line, accidentally shot the puck off Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr's skate and into his own net. As Smith collapsed to the ice in shock, the Flames celebrated the goal that was ultimately credited to Perry Berezan. He was the last Flame to touch the puck, though he was no longer on the ice when it went in. The Oilers were unable to come back, losing the game, 3–2, series, 4–3, and ending their hopes of winning a third consecutive Stanley Cup. Smith's blunder remains one of the most legendary errors in NHL history.
The Campbell Conference Final against the St. Louis Blues was also a back and forth affair in which the Flames take a 3–2 series lead into the sixth game in St. Louis. Calgary led the sixth game 5–2 with 12 minutes to play before three quick goals by the Blues sent the game into overtime. Doug Wickenheiser scored to win the game for the Blues. The comeback came to be known as the Monday Night Miracle in St. Louis. The Flames rebounded in game seven, winning 2–1 to claim the first Clarence S. Campbell Bowl in franchise history as Campbell Conference champions. The victory also sent the Flames to their first Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first time a team representing the city played in the final since the Calgary Tigers lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals.
Their opponent in 1986 was also the Canadiens in what constituted the first all-Canadian final since 1967. Calgary opened the series with a 5–2 victory at home in the battle of rookie goaltenders: Vernon against Patrick Roy. Montreal evened the series with a 3–2 overtime victory in game two in which Brian Skrudland set an NHL record for the fastest overtime goal in playoff history when he scored nine seconds into the extra frame. Already missing three key players in Carey Wilson, Colin Patterson and Nick Fotiu due to injury, the Flames lost their top scorer in Joe Mullen to a neck injury during a game two loss. The Canadiens also won the third game as the series shifted to Montreal, and 1–0 Calgary loss in game four pushed the Flames to the brink of elimination. Montreal broke out to a 4–1 lead in the fifth game, at Calgary, before the Flames made a comeback attempt. They scored with less than four minutes remaining, and then moved within one goal when Mullen – who returned for game five wearing a neck brace – scored with 46 seconds remaining. A desperate push for the tying goal fell short when Roy made several key saves as time expired. Montreal celebrated the 23rd Stanley Cup championship in their franchise history as the fans loudly chanted "thank you Flames, thank you Flames" in appreciation of their team's efforts.
1986 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Smythe Division Semi-final vs. Winnipeg – Flames win 3–0
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTSeries
1April 9Winnipeg1 – 5CalgaryCalgary leads 1–0
2April 10Winnipeg4 – 6CalgaryCalgary leads 2–0
3April 12Calgary4 – 3WinnipegOTCalgary wins 3–0 :
Smythe Division Final vs. Edmonton – Flames win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTSeries
1April 18Calgary4 – 1EdmontonCalgary leads 1–0
2April 20Calgary5 – 6EdmontonOTSeries tied 1–1
3April 22Edmonton2 – 3CalgaryCalgary leads 2–1
4April 24Edmonton7 – 4CalgarySeries tied 2–2
5April 26Calgary4 – 1EdmontonCalgary leads 3–2
6April 28Edmonton5 – 2CalgarySeries tied 3–3
7April 30Calgary3 – 2EdmontonCalgary wins 4–3 :
Campbell Conference Final vs. St. Louis – Flames win 4–3
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTSeries
1May 2St. Louis3 – 2CalgarySt. Louis leads 1–0
2May 4St. Louis2 – 8CalgarySeries tied 1–1
3May 6Calgary5 – 3St. LouisCalgary leads 2–1
4May 8Calgary2 – 5St. LouisSeries tied 2–2
5May 10St. Louis2 – 4CalgaryCalgary leads 3–2
6May 12Calgary5 – 6St. LouisOTSeries tied 3–3
7May 14St. Louis1 – 2CalgaryCalgary wins 4–3 :
Stanley Cup Finals vs. Montreal – Canadiens win 4–1
GameDateVisitorScoreHomeOTSeries
1May 16Montreal2 – 5CalgaryCalgary leads 1–0
2May 18Montreal3 – 2CalgaryOTSeries tied 1–1
3May 20Calgary3 – 5MontrealMontreal leads 2–1
4May 22Calgary0 – 1MontrealMontreal leads 3–1
5May 24Montreal4 – 3CalgaryMontreal wins 4–1 :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Battle of Alberta

The Battle of Alberta dominated the Flames' focus late in the season as they continued to struggle against their provincial rival. The two-time defending champion Oilers were nearly unbeatable against Calgary, losing just five of 31 matchups over three years. Calgary's frustration against Edmonton was highlighted by a mid-season game where, after a large brawl that resulted in the ejection of five players from the game, Calgary's Doug Risebrough ended up in the penalty box with Marty McSorley's Oilers jersey. Risebrough shredded the jersey with his skates before tossing it back onto the ice. Oilers' coach Glen Sather, enraged by the act, called Risebrough "childish" and threatened to send him a $1000 bill to replace the sweater.
Realizing Calgary's path to the Stanley Cup would go through Edmonton, coach Bob Johnson devised a seven-point plan for beating the Oilers that focused on limiting Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Jari Kurri's creativity, limiting access to the left side of the ice where the Oilers' top stars liked to skate, leaving their physical players on the ice by not engaging them and utilizing Neil Sheehy and Colin Patterson in roles designed to frustrate the Oiler players. Johnson first utilized the strategy in a late season game that ended in a 4–4 tie. The Flames then defeated the Oilers 9–3 in their final regular season meeting, a game that ended with another brawl and accusations by both teams that the other was sending their goons out after talented players.
The rivalry extended into the stands in the second game of the Smythe Division final in Edmonton. During the game, trainer Bearcat Murray went into the stands to rescue his son Al, also a trainer for the Flames, and tore ligaments in his leg in the process. Al had gone into the stands in an attempt to retrieve Gary Suter's stick, which had been knocked into the crowd and was being hidden by Oiler fans. Fearing for his son's safety, Bearcat jumped into the fray himself, suffering the injury. While being wheeled into an ambulance, Murray blew kisses for the cameras. The incident caught the attention of a group of fans in Boston, who formed the "Bearcat Murray Fan Club", and began showing up at the Boston Garden wearing skull caps and oversized moustaches mimicking Murray's looks when the Flames played there. The Flames lost players on the ice during the physical series as well, as Carey Wilson required surgery to remove his spleen after he was "skewered" by Steve Smith, according to Johnson. Suter had his season ended after suffering torn ligaments in his knee following a low hit by Mark Messier.
When the seventh game ended in victory, Flames fans in both Calgary and at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton spilled onto the streets in celebration. The "C of Red" was born in that playoff series as fans responded to a promotion to wear the colour with such enthusiasm that many stores across the city sold out of red clothing. The effect was most pronounced during games, where nearly every fan in the Saddledome was in red. The C of Red inspired the Winnipeg Jets to create their White Out the following year.

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
| | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Player | # | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Dan Quinn | 10 | 78 | 30 | 42 | 72 | 44 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 10 |
| Lanny McDonald | 9 | 80 | 28 | 43 | 71 | 44 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 30 |
| Gary Suter | 20 | 80 | 18 | 50 | 68 | 141 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Al MacInnis | 2 | 77 | 11 | 57 | 68 | 76 | 21 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 30 |
| Hakan Loob | 12 | 68 | 31 | 36 | 67 | 36 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 6 |
| Joel Otto | 29 | 79 | 25 | 34 | 59 | 188 | 22 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 80 |
| Jim Peplinski | 24 | 77 | 25 | 35 | 59 | 214 | 22 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 107 |
| Carey Wilson | 33 | 76 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Steve Bozek | 26 | 64 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 24 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 32 |
| Doug Risebrough | 8 | 62 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 169 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 38 |
| Joe Mullen$^†$ | 7 | 29 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 4 |
| Perry Berezan | 21 | 55 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 39 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Paul Reinhart | 23 | 32 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 15 | 21 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 4 |
| Jamie Macoun | 34 | 77 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 81 | 22 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
| Richard Kromm$^‡$ | 22 | 63 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Colin Patterson | 11 | 61 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 22 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 10 |
| Steve Konroyd$^‡$ | 3 | 59 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eddy Beers | 27 | 33 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Neil Sheehy | 5 | 65 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 271 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 79 |
| Tim Hunter | 19 | 66 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 291 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 108 |
| Gino Cavallini$^‡$ | 6 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Charlie Bourgeois$^‡$ | 28 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 128 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paul Baxter | 4 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 194 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 55 |
| John Tonelli$^†$ | 27 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 22 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 49 |
| Terry Johnson$^†$ | 6 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 71 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 64 |
| Rejean Lemelin | 31 | 60 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Yves Courteau | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Bradley | 14 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Fotiu | 22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 |
| Mike Vernon | 30 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Robin Bartell | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Dale DeGray | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mark Lamb | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Rik Wilson$^†$ | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Marc D'Amour | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mike Eaves | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Brett Hull | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^A$ Mullen scored 44 goals and 90 points combined between St. Louis and Calgary, both totals led the Flames over a full season. $^B$ Eaves came out of retirement May 4, 1986, to replace Carey Wilson, who was injured in the Stanley Cup playoffs. $^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Calgary. Stats reflect time with the Flames only. $^‡$Traded mid-season.

### Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
| | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Player | # | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Mike Vernon | 30 | 18 | 921 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 52 | 1 | 3.39 | 21 | 1229 | 12 | 9 | 60 | 0 | 2.93 |
| Marc D'Amour | 1 | 15 | 560 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 3.43 |
| Rejean Lemelin | 31 | 60 | 3369 | 29 | 24 | 4 | 229 | 1 | 4.08 | 3 | 109 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3.85 |

## Awards and honours

Listed at five feet, nine inches tall by NHL Central Scouting, defenceman Gary Suter was considered too small for the NHL and went unselected at both the 1982 and 1983 NHL Entry Drafts. Suter moved on to the University of Wisconsin where Flames scouts noted that he had grown two inches and was a leading player for his team. Calgary selected him with their 9th round selection in 1984. He joined the Flames in 1985–86 and quickly established himself as the team's top defenceman in the eyes of his coaches and teammates. Suter finished the season with 18 goals and 68 points and was awarded the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in addition to being named to the All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Suter was the Flames' lone representative at the 1986 All-Star Game. Suter's 68 points was the second highest total by a rookie defenceman in league history, behind Larry Murphy's 76.
League awards :
| Player | Award |
| Gary Suter | Calder Memorial Trophy |
| Gary Suter | NHL All-Rookie Team |
| Team awards |||
| Hakan Loob | Molson Cup |

## Transactions

The draft-day trade that sent franchise scoring leader Kent Nilsson to Minnesota, along with a third round selection, for second round draft picks in 1985 and 1987 was immediately controversial in Calgary as players and fans were divided on the merit of dealing Nilsson. While some players felt the trade was inevitable, others expressed their disappointment at the move, including co-captain Lanny McDonald, who wondered how the team would replace Nilsson's offensive production. Former teammate Willi Plett supported the trade, noting Nilsson's inconsistency: "Maybe I shouldn't be saying this, but trading a player like him, it never hurts you."
The Flames completed a second significant trade in February, acquiring scoring forward Joe Mullen along with defencemen Terry Johnson and Rik Wilson from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Ed Beers, Charlie Bourgeois and Gino Cavallini. The Flames had targeted Mullen, who had scored 40+ goals each of his previous two seasons and had 28 for the Blues at the time of the deal, believing he could be a game breaker for them heading into the playoffs.

### Trades

| May 29, 1985 | To Calgary Flames 4th round pick in 1987 (Tim Harris) | To Toronto Maple Leafs Don Edwards |
| June 15, 1985 | To Calgary Flames 2nd round pick in 1985 (Joe Nieuwendyk) 2nd round pick in 1987 (Stéphane Matteau) | To Minnesota North Stars Kent Nilsson 3rd round pick in 1986 (Brad Turner) |
| January 16, 1986 | To Calgary Flames Tom Thornbury | To Quebec Nordiques Tony Stiles |
| February 1, 1986 | To Calgary Flames Joe Mullen Terry Johnson Rik Wilson | To St. Louis Blues Ed Beers Charlie Bourgeois Gino Cavallini |
| March 11, 1986 | To Calgary Flames John Tonelli | To New York Islanders Steve Konroyd Rich Kromm |
| March 11, 1986 | To Calgary Flames Nick Fotiu | To New York Rangers Future Considerations |
| March 11, 1986 | To Calgary Flames Tom McMurchy | To Chicago Black Hawks Rik Wilson |

### Free agents

| Player | Former team |
| D Robin Bartell | Canadian national team |
| LW Bob Bodak | Springfield Indians (AHL) |
| Player | New team |
| C Bruce Eakin | Detroit Red Wings |
| RW Jim Jackson | Buffalo Sabres |
| C Steve Tambellini | Vancouver Canucks |

## Draft picks

The 1985 NHL Entry Draft was held in Toronto, Ontario on June 15. The Flames used their first round pick, 17th overall, on American defenceman Chris Biotti. The team was surprised that he had fallen to them, believing Biotti to be the best defenceman available and expressing confidence he would be a star in the NHL. Their predictions ultimately proved unfounded. After spending two seasons at Harvard University, Biotti played three seasons for their minor league team in Salt Lake and another two in Europe before retiring. He never appeared in a National Hockey League game.
With the second round pick acquired from Minnesota in the Nilsson trade, Calgary selected East Coast Athletic Conference rookie of the year Joe Nieuwendyk from Cornell University. Labeled "Joe who?" by media and fans unsure of his potential, Nieuwendyk ultimately had the longest NHL career of any Flames' selection in this draft. He appeared in 1,257 games, scoring 1,126 points and won the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989, the Dallas Stars in 1999 and the New Jersey Devils in 2003, in addition to a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
| 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 | 17 | Chris Biotti | United States | D | Belmont Hill (USHS-Mass) | | | | | |
| 2 | 27 | Joe Nieuwendyk | Canada | C | Cornell University (ECAC) | 1257 | 564 | 562 | 1126 | 677 |
| 2 | 38 | Jeff Wenaas | Canada | C | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | | | | | |
| 3 | 59 | Lane MacDonald | United States | LW | Harvard University (ECAC) | | | | | |
| 4 | 80 | Roger Johansson | Sweden | D | IF Troja-Ljungby (Sweden) | 161 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 163 |
| 5 | 101 | Esa Keskinen | Finland | C | TPS (SM-liiga) | | | | | |
| 6 | 122 | Tim Sweeney | United States | LW | Weymouth-North (USHS-Mass) | 291 | 55 | 83 | 138 | 123 |
| 7 | 143 | Stu Grimson | Canada | LW | Regina Pats (WHL) | 729 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 2113 |
| 8 | 164 | Nate Smith | United States | D | N/A | | | | | |
| 9 | 185 | Darryl Olsen | Canada | D | St. Albert Saints (AJHL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 206 | Peter Romberg | West Germany | D | ECD Iserlohn (W. Germany) | | | | | |
| 11 | 227 | Alexander Kozhevnikov | Soviet Union | F | Spartak Moscow (USSR) | | | | | |
| 12 | 248 | Bill Gregoire | Canada | D | Victoria Cougars (WHL) | | | | | |