Flames of Atlanta

The Flames of Atlanta were a frankness from Hockey which evolved/moved in the National league of hockey of 1972 with 1980. The club was transferred to Calgary at the beginning of the season 1980-81 to become the Flames of Calgary.

History

The history of the Flames begins in 1968 when the businessman Tom Cousins and old the Gouverneur of the Georgia Carl Sanders buy a team of the National Basketball Association, the Hawks of Saint-Louis, and install it with Atlanta making of it the third frankness from professional major sport in the capital géorgienne. Hawks required an acceptable place to play; also made them one build the Omni Coliseum. This new establishment, property of Cousins and the remainder of the Omni Sports Group Consortium , belonged to the offer deposited with the LNH for obtaining a new frankness from hockey.

He was announced in November 1971, that is to say nine months after the end of the building work of Omni, that the town of Atlanta had been seen allotting a frankness from the LNH for the season 1972-73 and that hockey would extend towards the south. Several observers qualified this decision of absurdity and mild nutter, the hockey being a Scandinavian sport and, which more is, the basin of players having been strongly diluted by repeated expansions and the news Worldwide association of hockey. This expansion had not been envisaged by the leaders of the LNH, but wanting to counter the AMH, they decided to install concessions in two cities where adequate installations had just opened, Atlanta and Long Island (New York). The team began nevertheless her operations, naming the young person Cliff Fletcher as managing director. This one, a little later named the first trainer-chief of the history of the Flames: the old star of the Canadian of Montreal Bernard “Bang Bang” Geoffrion.

The team proves to be pleasant surprised at her first season, her success putting back on the brilliance of the guards lately high-speed motorboats daN Bouchard and Phil Myre, on a solid defensive ensured by Randy Manery and Pat Quinn as on a good attack between the hands of Rey Comeau, of the captain Keith McCreary, Larry Romanchych and Bobby Leiter. In spite of its inexperience as a team, the Flames obtain success in first half of the season with a card of 20-19-8, mainly which had with the performances of their pair of guards. They unfortunately lost 19 their the last 31 matches to finish the season with 65 points, missing the series. But 65 points are a honourable performance for the young team, more especially as their cousins of expansion the Islanders of New York finished with 30 points of less, stagnating in the hollows of division Is.

The success of the team on and except ice continued the following season, with the fishing out of Tom Lysiak and Eric Vail, which quickly became the best fronts of the club. Lysiak led the markers of the Flames to his season recruit, at the end which the Flames finished 4th in Western division, securing a place in series (strongly contrasting with Islanders, which once again know one execrable season). They were unfortunately swept in first round by powerful the Flyers of Philadelphia.

The third season of the Flames was disappointing, the team not managing to cut a place in series. Contrary to the Fishing out amateur of the LNH 1973 where Fletcher had chosen immediate reinforcements, that of 1974 was particularly disappointing (only notable players being Guy Chouinard, the youngest player ever fished out, and Pat Ribble). The wounds slowed down the best veterans with the attack, Leiter and Romanchych, just as the old choice of first round Jacques Richard. Very popular Geoffrion desisted from its station and had to be replaced by the trainer-chief of the affiliated club of the Flames in the Central Hockey League, Fred Creighton. The season was not entirely black for the Flames however, because Lysiak continued its progression and Vail marked 39 goals at its season recruit, establishing a record of concession, to gain the Trophée Calder.

The team game improved of a notch the following season under the orders of demanding Creighton. The Flames recorded their first gaining season and were qualified again for the series. Lysiak continued to carry out the meters of the team while Fletcher brought depth to all the stations while going to seek the robust one attacking Bill Clement, Claude Saint-Saver, a product of the AMH, the marker Bill Flett and the pillar of defensive Larry Carriere. The second season of Vail was however curtailed by the wounds and once again, the team drew her reverence in series quickly, being inclined vis-a-vis the Kings of Los Angeles in first round. The first signs of out-ice difficulty appear, the average number of spectators in Omni having decreased of 1000.

The season 1976-77 was marked by the addition of notable young people coming from the club-school of Tulsa. The talented one attacking Guy Chouinard was finally gauge of the LNH, and the defender Ken Houston and before Willi Plett started to terrorize the adversary by their physical play. The old men of the team (Quinn, Manery, Romanchych, Leiter and Kerry Ketter, amongst other things) found all taking elsewhere, leaving all the place with the young core of Lysiak, Vail, Plett and Chouinard.

As of 1977, superb guard daN Bouchard announces publicly that he wants to be the guard number 1 of the team and refuses to continue to share work with Myre. In 1978, Myre is exchanged with the former employer of Fletcher, the Blues of Saint-Louis, with the prolific marker Curt Bennett and the back Barry Gibbs against the before offensive one Bob MacMillan and the defender Dick Redmond. The assistance still continues to decrease of 1500 people, while the young Flames continue to be unable to cross the first round of the series.

1978-79 starts with an impressive card of 12-1-2, including 10 consecutive victories, and although the rate/rhythm was not preserved all the season, the Flames succeed despite everything a card of 41-31-8, that is to say 90 points, a record of concession. Although Lysiak largely contributed to the success of the team at the beginning of season, it was wounded for the first time of its career, which slows down its offensive production. It was yielded the Blackhawks of Chicago in an exchange to seven players which brought the talented Yugoslav center Ivan Boldirev, it fast Darcy Rota and to the reliable defender Phil Russell. Chouinard finishes the season with 50 goals, the first and only player of the Flames of Atlanta to reach this plate, while MacMillan gains the Trophée Lady Byng.

1979-80 proves to be the last season in Atlanta. The lack of success of the team involves the end of the reign of Creighton to the bar of the team, whereas Al MacNeil arrives as substitute. Fletcher continues to add talent to the team, of which the splendid one attacking Swedish Kent Nilsson, the defender recruit Paul Reinhart, the Finnish defender Pekka Rautakallio and the veteran attacking Don Rising. The team takes part again in the series, but the history is still repeated - fast elimination with the preliminary round.

Omni Group Sports which cannot more financially support the club because of the fall of the sales of tickets, the rise in the costs of operation and the absence of a major contract of television, Cousins and the remainder of his consortium were very receptive with quoted by a group of Canadian business men carried out by the eccentric American contractor Nelson Skalbania. Cousins sold the club for 16 million dollars, a record at the time, and the frankness was installed with Calgary.

The Flames will have taken part in the series 6 times at their the first 8 seasons, a record only improved by the Nordiques of Quebec, the Oilers d' Edmonton and the Rangers of New York in all the history of the league, and they did not post a losing card after 1974. The success of the team continued following the removal, and the Flames of Calgary knew much success, gaining even the Coupe Stanley in 1989.

Leaders

Notable players

With the Temple of the Fame

None

Captains

Withdrawn numbers

None

Choice of first round

Note: This list excludes those made by the Flames from Calgary.

  • 1972: Jacques Richard (2nd on the whole)

  • 1973: Tom Lysiak (2nd on the whole)
  • 1974: no
  • 1975: Richard Mulhern (8th on the whole)
  • 1976: Dave Shand (8th on the whole)
  • 1977: no
  • 1978: Brad Marsh (11th on the whole)
  • 1979: Paul Reinhart (12th on the whole)

See too

Random links:Peter Lotich | Sepino | Sokolniki (subway of Moscow) | The Community of communes of the Heart of France | Danilo Wyss | Là_où_le_coeur_est_(1969_séries_télévisées)