Top 3 Defining Moments from the Calgary Flames’ 2021-22 Playoff Run

The Calgary Flames’ season and hopes for a Stanley Cup this year have come to a close after they were eliminated in game five in the second round of the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers.

This season will go down as one of those, ” What If?” seasons, and certain aspects of this run will be remembered for years to come. Here are three of the many moments in the playoffs that will define this year’s postseason play when it comes time to look back at it.

3 – Brady Tkachuk the Flames Fan

The Ottawa Senators were unable to capture a playoff spot this season and rather than getting his golfing game started early, Senators captain, Brady Tkachuk used the festivities of the, “C of Red,” to show his support for his big brother.

The Tkachuk family was seen at most of the Flames’ games through the first and second round and Brady’s reactions, enthusiasm and love for drinking beers at the Saddledome were heavily represented on the live broadcast and all over Twitter.

Wouldn’t you do the same if you were in his shoes? Brady caught a bit of heat for his televised behavior with a little criticism coming from openly supporting another team in the league so heavily but more so by walking through the stands with a beer in his hand and two in his back pocket. The response? Perfect.

Brady signed an endorsement deal with Budwiser and played off the hate with grace. You better believe if and when Brady is in the same situation, Matthew will be just as supportive if he isn’t still playing in the postseason.

2 – Johnny Gaudreau’s Game 7 Game-Winner

The first round against the Dallas Stars was not as easy for the Flames as you may have thought it to be on paper. The Calgary Flames finished first in the Pacific Division and the Stars finished fourth in the Central Division but this series needed the full seven games to come to determine a winner.

Flames fans got to know Stars goaltender, Jake Oettinger much better than they intended to as he put on arguably one of the best postseason goaltending performances we have seen in recent years. In game seven, Oettinger stopped 64 Flames shots and stood his ground in overtime.

Scoring turned into a near-impossible task for the Flames with over 100 shot attempts and no real direction on how to beat the young goaltender. They finished up regulation tied up at two and it was Johnny Gaudreau that would turn out to be the overtime hero.

Gaudreau has been heavily criticized in the past for going quiet come postseason and with this being his first game ever wearing an A on his jersey, it was certainly not just one to remember but one to shut down the haters.

Being an UFA this offseason, Gaudreau’s future is unknown at the moment, but regardless of if he re-signs with the Flames or moves on to a new team, this goal will not be leaving the memory of fans anytime soon.

1 – Blake Coleman’s Overturned Goal

The biggest moment from this series that fans will not have a short memory about will, unfortunately, not be a positive one. Fans that remember Martin Gelinas’ apparent goal that would have won the Flames the Stanley Cup in 2004, got flashbacks watching the events of game five against Edmonton play out.

Here’s the situation, 5:54 to go in the third period in a possible elimination game for the Flames. The score is tied up at four and Coleman appears to have scored, to give you about six minutes to hang onto a lead to extend your playoff series at least to another game and stay alive. Instead, the goal is reviewed at length and overturned. Here’s a look at it.

The explanation for an overturning was due to a kicking motion by Coleman when he was driving the net. It has been heavily debated with the strongest argument being his skate blade was turned to the side as he was in the middle of stopping. Any kicking motion that could have happened occurred after the puck crossed the goal line.

The goal that could’ve been will be the sorest spot in the minds of fans and this will definitely not be the last it is spoken of. Despite the negative ending, there was a lot to celebrate from the Flames in their season and postseason run this year and fans have a lot of memories to carry them into the 2022-23 season and beyond.