Ice hockey in Calgary The history of ice hockey in Calgary , Alberta , Canada , extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta . Imported from eastern Canada , the game ' s popularity rapidly grew in the city , with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada ' s national championships . Calgary is known today as one of Canada ' s best ice hockey cities with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen receiving immense support from the city . The Calgary Oval X - Treme is one of the most dominant women ' s ice hockey teams in the country , while Junior A ice hockey is also well supported with two teams in the city . Calgary is home to the Mac ' s AAA midget hockey tournament , one of the most prestigious midget hockey tournaments in the world which has seen dozens of future NHLers play in this city before their professional careers began . History . Early days . The first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta took place in Calgary on January 4 , 1893 between two city teams : the " Town Boys " and the " Tailors " . The game was played with seven players aside and the Town Boys won 4 - 1 . Shortly after , the Town Boys met a challenge from a team of Northwest Mounted Police officers , losing 4 - 0 before avenging the defeat in a rematch . In 1898 , the first " Battle of Alberta " took place in Edmonton , as the Edmonton Thistles faced a team made up of members of the Calgary fire brigade . The match turned violent and a brawl saw Calgary ' s E . D . Marshall lose an eye in a stick swinging incident . Calgary Tigers . Major professional ice hockey arrived in the prairies in the 1921 with the formation of the Western Canada Hockey League . The Calgary Tigers brought five future Hockey Hall of Fame players to the city in Barney Stanley , Red Dutton , Rusty Crawford , Herb Gardiner and Harry Oliver . During the Tigers ' six year run , they captured three regular season titles and two playoff championships . In 1924 , the Tigers challenged the National Hockey League ' s Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup . The Tigers lost , however , in two straight games with scores of 6 - 1 and 3 - 0 , Howie Morenz scoring a hat - trick in the first game and another goal in the second for the Canadiens . It was nearly sixty years before Calgary again challenged for ice hockey ' s holy grail . The Tigers ceased operations in 1927 , succumbing to the costs of maintaining an all - star lineup . Following the demise of the Tigers , no major professional club would emerge in Calgary until the 1975 arrival of the World Hockey Association . Calgary Stampeders . In the year following World War II , the Calgary Stampeders brought home Calgary ' s first , and only , Allan Cup national senior championship with a four games to one series victory over the Hamilton Tigers . The 1945 - 46 Stampeders were a powerhouse club , compiling a record of 42 - 9 - 5 , culminating in a 1 - 0 victory in the fifth and deciding game against Hamilton , played before a sold - out crowd of over 6 , 000 at the Edmonton Gardens in Edmonton . The Stampeders cwonree Western Canada Senior Hockey League titles in the league ' s six year run . After having a new arena , the Stampede Corral , built for them in 1950 , the Stampeders turned professional in 1951 , spending the next twelve years in the Western Hockey League , which was at the time the top professional circuit in the west . The Stampeders won the 1954 WHL championship in Calgary . The team folded in 1963 after succumbing to the financial pressures of operating in such a widespread league . Junior ice hockey . Alberta Junior Hockey League . Junior ice hockey in Alberta began to take shape in 1963 when the Alberta Junior Hockey League was formed , partially to check the dominance of the Edmonton Oil Kings at the time . The five team loop featured two teams from Calgary - the Calgary Cowboys and Calgary Buffaloes . The Buffaloes were the early powerhouse of the league , winning the AJHL ' s first two championships in 1964 and 1965 . The two teams struggled against the Western Canada Hockey League , however , and in 1965 , the Cowboys merged with the Buffaloes before folding altogether in 1969 . The AJHL returned to Calgary in 1971 when the Calgary Canucks was formed . The Canucks was the brainchild of Doug Eastcott , and was created as an outlet to give Calgary area youngsters a place to play without sacrificing their education . Acting as an extension of the Calgary minor hockey association , the Canucks restricted themselves to only three out - of - town players for many years . The Canucks have become one of the most dominant clubs in the AJHL , having won nine AJHL championships , two Doyle Cup s and , led by Dany Heatley , the Centennial Cup in 1995 as Canadian Tier II national champions . Nearly 50 former Canucks have gone on to play in the NHL , including Heatley , Mike Vernon , Jason Smith , Doug Houda and Craig Adams . In 1978 , a second team in Calgary was added as the Calgary Chinooks relocated from Pincher Creek . The team became the Spurs two years later , but never found the same success as the Canucks . In 1990 , the Spurs ceased operations ; however their assets were purchased by a new ownership group that rebranded the club the Calgary Royals . The Royals captured their single AJHL title in their inaugural season , but have failed to repeat that success . Western Hockey League . Three years after the arrival of the AJHL , another league , the Western Canada Junior Hockey League was formed . It was considered a " rebel league " by the Canadian Hockey Association , and thus not permitted to play for the Memorial Cup . The seven team loop featured five teams that defected from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League along with the Edmonton Oil Kings , and an expansion team for Calgary , the Calgary Buffaloes . The Buffaloes were dismal in the league ' s inaugural season in 1966 - 67 season , finishing just 4 - 47 - 5 . The franchise renamed itself the Calgary Centennials the following year , and had moderate success in the mid - 1970s , winning three division titles and reaching the league finals once . It relocated to Billings , Montana in 1977 to become the Billings Bighorns . That franchise continues today as the Tri - City Americans . Future NHLers John Davidson , Bob Nystrom and Mike Rogers played for the Centennials . The Centennials were immediately replaced by the Calgary Wranglers , who relocated from Winnipeg , Manitoba . Like the Centennials , the Wranglers never became a top team in the league , though they did reach the finals in 1980 - 81 . Declining interest in the team because of of the popularity of the Calgary Flames led to the Wranglers moving south to Lethbridge , Alberta in 1987 to become the Lethbridge Hurricanes . Doug Houda , Kelly Kisio , Dana Murzyn and current Flames head coach Jim Playfair are among the former Wranglers who made the NHL . Despite a long standing belief that major - junior ice hockey could not compete with the professionals , the WHL again placed a team in Calgary in 1995 . The Calgary Hitmen were owned by , among others , Theoren Fleury , Joe Sakic and Bret Hart , after whom the team was named . The Hitmen created an immediate controversy with their logo , featuring a stylized " Jason Vorhees " type mask and distinctive pink and grey jersey colours . Despite its immense popularity , the WHL initially forbade the Hitmen from using the logo , deeming the look too violent , but relented a year later . The Hitmen currently use an updated version of the original logo . The Hitmen were abysmal in their first two seasons , winning just 33 games combined . The team also faced further controversy when head coach Graham James resigned after being charged with , and later convicted of , sexually abusing two of his players when he was with the Swift Current Broncos . In 1997 , the Hitmen were purchased by the Calgary Flames . The team ' s fortunes improved immediately , as the Hitmen won their division in 1997 - 98 , and the following season , the Hitmen captured the league championship in just their fourth season . The Hitmen advanced all the way to the 1999 Memorial Cup title game before losing in overtime to the host Ottawa 67 ' s 7 - 6 in a thrilling final . The Hitmen have not managed to duplicate that success , but in recent years have showcased many good , young players who have helped Canada dominate the World Junior Hockey Championship . Andrew Ladd and Ryan Getzlaf were members of the dominating club that won gold in the 2005 tournament in Grand Forks , North Dakota , while goaltender Justin Pogge led Canada to a surprise defense of their championship in the 2006 tournament in Vancouver . Ladd also became the first Hitmen graduate to win the Stanley Cup , which he did with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 . The Hitmen have also become one of the most popular junior teams in Canada , leading the WHL in attendance four consecutive years , including a Canadian Hockey League then - record average of 10 , 062 in 2004 - 05 , the first junior team to ever average over 10 , 000 fans per game . World Hockey Association . In 1971 , a fledgling operation known as the World Hockey Association announced its intention to compete against the NHL as North America ' s second major league . Among the original franchises announced for the league was the Calgary Broncos , who were to play out of the Stampede Corral and were expected to form a strong rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers . Although the Broncos participated in the first WHA draft , the franchise never played , folding prior to the WHA ' s inaugural season . Following the demise of the Broncos , the Oilers were renamed the Alberta Oilers , with the intention of splitting their home games between Calgary and Edmonton . Likewise , this plan failed to materialize and ' Alberta ' was quickly dropped from the Oilers ' name . In 1975 , the WHA finally did arrive in Calgary , as the Vancouver Blazers relocated to the Stampede City to become the Calgary Cowboys . The Cowboys finished the 1975 - 76 season with a respectable 41 - 35 - 4 record , upsetting the Quebec Nordiques in the playoffs before losing to the eventual Avco Cup champion Winnipeg Jets . The Cowboys second season was the franchise ' s last , as dismal attendance and a team that missed the playoffs led to the franchise folding following the season . The entire league itself would follow two years later , with four teams merging into the NHL . Calgary Flames . In 1980 , the National Hockey League finally arrived in Calgary , as a group , led by Nelson Skalbania , who purchased the Atlanta Flames and relocated them north . The Calgary Flames were the first NHL franchise to relocate from the United States to Canada . The purchase price of UA $ 16 million was the highest ever paid for an NHL team at the time . The Flames first season in the raucous Stampede Corral was a major success , as the team defeated both the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs before being defeated themselves by the Minnesota North Stars in the league semi - finals . In 1981 , the Flames traded for Lanny McDonald , then of the Colorado Rockies . McDonald ' s trademark moustache and his enthusiasm for the game defined the Flames throughout the 1980s . In 1982 - 83 , McDonald battled young superstar Wayne Gretzky for the league goal scoring title for the entire season . McDonald ' s tally of 66 goals - still a franchise record - fell just five markers short of Gretzky ' s total of 71 . Glory years . 1986 saw the Flames run to the Stanley Cup finals , capturing the organization ' s first Campbell Bowl before bowing out to the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the finals . The 1985 - 86 season is best known for the Flames shocking seven game upset of the powerhouse Oilers in the Smythe Division finals . The series winning goal was scored by Oilers ' rookie defenseman Steve Smith - on his birthday - after he banked the puck into his own net off the skate of goaltender Grant Fuhr . The upset ended the Oilers ' hopes of winning a third consecutive Stanley Cup . A decade later , Smith came to play for the Flames , eventually becoming team captain . In 1989 , the Flames captured their first , and only , Stanley Cup , avenging their loss in 1986 by defeating the Canadiens in six games . Despite dominating the league in 1988 - 89 , winning the President ' s Trophy as regular season champions , Calgary had to survive a major scare at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks , who despite finishing 43 points behind the Flames , took Calgary to overtime in the seventh game in the Smythe Division semi - finals . Calgary did not face serious competition in the rest of the playoffs , defeating the Kings , Blackhawks and Canadiens handily to capture Lord Stanley ' s Mug . McDonald , who scored his 500th goal and 1000th point during the season , retired following the season . Decline . After winning the Cup , the Flames faced a long decline through the 1990s and into the 21st century . Declining fortunes on the ice , escelating salaries , a low Canadian Dollar and management blunders saw the Flames fail to win a single playoff series following their Cup win until 2004 , while the team missed the playoffs seven straight years between 1997 and 2003 . On January 2 , 1992 , GM Doug Risebrough completed what is often regarded as one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history . Embroiled in a contract dispute with Doug Gilmour , Risebrough traded the disgruntled star to the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Rick Wamsley , Ric Nattress , Jamie Macoun and Kent Manderville for Gary Leeman , Michel Petit , Jeff Reese , Craig Berube and Alexander Godynyuk . The deal - one of the largest in NHL history - catapulted the formerly inept Maple Leafs into years of being a contender , while hastening the decline of the Flames . Not a single player acquired by the Flames was still with the organization two years later . Resurgence . The Flames finally emerged from their post - season drought in 2003 - 04 . Led by coach / GM Darryl Sutter , superstar forward Jarome Iginla and the emerging goaltending star Miikka Kiprusoff , the Flames shocked the ice hockey world by becoming the first team to defeat three division winners " en route " to the Stanley Cup Finals . The defeats of the Vancouver Canucks , Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks turned the Cinderella Flames into national heroes , while the parties on the Red Mile became international news . The Flames fell in the finals to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a hard - fought seven game series ; however , the result was not without considerable controversy . To this day , a debate rages as to whether a Martin Gelinas shot late in the third period of game 6 fully crossed the goal line before being kicked back out by Lightning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin . The play - which would have broken the tie in a game Tampa would later win in overtime to fend off elimination - was not immediately reviewed . The Flames followed up that season by winning their sixth division championship in 2005 - 06 , but were beaten in the first round of the playoffs by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks .