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 . 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 . 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 final . 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 . 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 Oiler ' s 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 stats . Skaters . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; PIM = Penalty minutes " 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 " 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 Draft s . 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 . 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 . 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 .