The 2001–02

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

season was the 22nd

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

in Calgary. It began with wholesale changes, as second year General Manager

Craig Button Craig J. Button (born January 3, 1963) is currently a ice hockey analyst for TSN and a former National Hockey League (NHL) executive. Early life and hockey family Born in Rochester, New York, Button entered the world of hockey at birth. His fa ...

continued to change the look of the team. In two separate draft-day trades, the Flames dealt goaltender

Fred Braithwaite Fred Brathwaite (born August 31, 1959), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown ...

and forwards

Valeri Bure Valeri Vladimirovich "Val" Bure (; rus, Валерий Владимирович Буре, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj bʊˈrɛ; born June 13, 1974) is a Russian-American former ice hockey right winger. He played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League ( ...

and

Jason Wiemer Jason Earl Wiemer (born April 14, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played for 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Wiemer was drafted 12th overall in the 1991 WHL Bantam Draft by the Portla ...

away, gaining back

Roman Turek Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Rob Niedermayer Robert Wade Niedermayer Jr. (born December 28, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 17 National Hockey League (NHL) seasons for the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sa ...

. The changes appeared to pay off, as the Flames stormed out to a 13–2–2–2 record, and first place in the division. The result prompted the Flames to sign Turek - a pending unrestricted free agent - to a long-term deal. The team, however, collapsed, winning only 19 of their remaining 63 games, finishing 4th in the Northwest Division, and out of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. The season ended with head coach

Greg Gilbert Gregory Scott Gilbert (born January 22, 1962) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Gilbert played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) before retiring to become a coach. Gilbert is a former head coach of the C ...

and top forward

Marc Savard Marc Savard (born July 17, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current head coach of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers (who o ...

in a bitter, public feud that included the latter demanding a trade late in the season and into the summer. Individually,

Jarome Iginla Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played over 1500 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Br ...

broke into the spotlight, leading the NHL in goals (52) and points (96). His season would land him the

Rocket Richard Trophy A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

, the

Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...

and the

Lester B. Pearson Award Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

. Iginla also finished second in

Hart Memorial Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, is an annual award for the most valuable player in the National Hockey League (NHL), voted by the members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. The original trophy was donat ...

voting, tied with winner

Jose Theodore Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

on points (434), but behind Theodore in first place votes (26–23). Iginla was also a member of

Canada's Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by total ...

team at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. He recorded two goals in the gold medal game against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, which Canada won 5–2 to claim their first ice hockey gold medal in 50 years.

Regular season

The Flames were involved in a tragic incident during their March 16, 2002, game in Columbus against the

Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

. During the second period of the contest, a slapshot by Columbus'

Espen Knutsen Espen Knutsen (born January 12, 1972) is a Norwegian former professional ice hockey player and currently the general manager of Vålerenga in the Norwegian GET-ligaen. He played five seasons in the North American-based National Hockey League (NHL), ...

was deflected into the crowd off the stick of Flames defenceman

Derek Morris Derek Morris may refer to: *Sir Derek Morris (academic), Provost of Oriel College, Oxford *Derek Morris (ice hockey) (born 1978), Canadian ice hockey defenceman *Derek Morris (jockey), 1990s UK and Irish based steeplechase rider in Adonis Juvenile ...

. The puck struck a fan, 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil, who was at her first NHL game. Though she was able to leave the game under her own power, the blow tore a vertebral artery and resulted in a blood clot.

She died ''She Died'' is a Filipino comic series written by Wattpad author HaveYouSeenThisGirl and illustrated by Enjelicious. The original, unedited story was first posted on the online literary site Wattpad. The story was the first one to get its own Fil ...

two days later; she was the first fan to die at a game in the NHL's 85-year history. Three months after the incident, the NHL instituted a policy requiring that protective netting be placed around the ends of each rink prior to the start of the 2002–03 season, a decision which both the Flames and Blue Jackets advocated. The Flames finished 11th in the Western Conference, 15 points back of the 8th place Vancouver Canucks.

Schedule and results

Player statistics

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.
Bold text denotes league leader.

Goaltenders

''Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average''

Transactions

The Flames were involved in the following transactions during the 2002–03 season:

Trades

Free agents

Draft picks

Calgary's picks at the

2001 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was the 39th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. As of 2022, the only remaining active players in the NHL from the 2001 draft class are M ...

Sunrise, Florida Sunrise is a city in central-western Broward County, Florida, United States, and is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 97,335. Sunrise was incorporated in 1961 and founded ...

. The Flames had the 11th overall pick, however traded it to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

in a swap that saw them gain the 14th pick. :Statistics are updated to the end of the

2014–15 NHL season The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Los Angeles Kings became the first team to miss the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup the previous season since the C ...

. ^† denotes player was on an NHL roster in 2014–15.

Farm teams

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint J ...

The baby Flames followed up their

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...

winning season with a disappointing 29–34–13–4 result in 2001–02, finishing in last place in the Canadian Division, missing the playoffs.

Blair Betts Blair Betts (born February 16, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers. Betts was born in Edmonton, Al ...

led the Flames with just 49 points, while

Dany Sabourin Dany Sabourin (born September 2, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Playing career Drafted in the fourth round, 108th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, he played four games with Calg ...

was the top goaltender in limited action.2001–02 Saint John Flames stats
hockeydb.com, accessed December 21, 2006.

Johnstown Chiefs The Johnstown Chiefs were a minor league ice hockey team located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, that played in the ECHL. The team was founded in 1987 in the All-American Hockey League, and moved to the East Coast Hockey League (now "ECHL") when that ...

The Chiefs finished the 2001–02

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

season with a 39–31–2 record, good enough for third place in the Northwest Division. They were knocked out of the playoffs in the second round by the

Dayton Bombers The Dayton Bombers were an ECHL ice hockey team located in Dayton, Ohio. The team most recently was in the North Division of the ECHL's American Conference. The Bombers originally played at Hara Arena from 1991 to 1996. The team moved to the Ervi ...

References

* Player stats: 2006–07 Calgary Flames Media Guide - 2001–02 stats, p. 110. * Game log:''
2001–02 Calgary Flames game log
on espn.com. * Team standings:''

at hockeydb.com. {{DEFAULTSORT:2001-02 Calgary Flames Season Calgary Flames seasons Calgary Flames season, 2001-02

Cal Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...