Top 5 Captains In Calgary Flames History

By Shaun Lavery

Top 5 Captains In Calgary Flames History

JaromeIginla(Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports) — While the Calgary Flames may not have the history of other Canadian franchises such as the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens, they certainly have their own history to be proud of. They’ve made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final three times, winning it in the 1988-89 season, and losing in 1985-86 and 2003-04. Here are the club's five best captains of all time.

5. Theo Fleury

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game

5. Theo Fleury

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game — Fleury was a member of the Calgary Flames for 11 seasons and served as captain for two. While he wasn’t the best at wearing the "C” in terms of leadership, he is certainly one of the greatest Flames ever, so it is hard to excuse him from this list. He played 1,084 career games, and had 1,088 points. He won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in his rookie season and was the organization’s all-time leading scorer for 10 years.

4. Jim Peplinski

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game

4. Jim Peplinski

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game — Although he doesn’t have the scoring titles and offensive accolades like others on this list, Peplinski was an ironman throughout his whole career. He only missed 24 games in nine full seasons as an NHL player, and served as co-captain alongside legend Lanny McDonald. He appeared in 711 NHL games, and was at one time the team’s leader in career games played.

3. Joe Nieuwendyk

Calgary Flames v Montreal Canadiens

3. Joe Nieuwendyk

Calgary Flames v Montreal Canadiens — Serving as team captain for parts of four seasons with the Calgary Flames from 1991-95, Nieuwendyk is one of the best Flames to ever play the game despite leaving the team due to contract issues in 1995. He appeared in 577 games as a member of the Calgary Flames, and amassed 616 points with the club. When he was traded to the Dallas Stars, the Flames received Corey Millen and Jarome Iginla.

2. Jarome Iginla

Nashville Predators v Calgary Flames

2. Jarome Iginla

Nashville Predators v Calgary Flames — Iginla may be the best player to ever wear the flaming C, let alone captain. The only thing he needed to be pushed to No. 1 on this list is a Stanley Cup, but for now, his 1,192 career points in 1,350 games will keep him at a very respectable No. 2. Considering he still has a couple of years left in him, maybe he can make a return to Calgary one day and retire with the team he spent parts of 17 seasons with.

1. Lanny McDonald

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game

1. Lanny McDonald

2011 Heritage Classic - Alumni Game — It is fitting that the captain who raised the franchise’s only championship is the best captain in team history, but that’s not the only reason why McDonald is the best. He spent eight seasons with the Flames and collected 408 points while in Calgary. He’s also one of the lucky players who was able to retire a champion. He was also a great leader, the best trait of a captain in the NHL.

Shaun Lavery is a Calgary Flames writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, or add him to your network on Google.

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