Duane Hicks, chief executive officer with the Calgary Flying Club, is an avid hockey fan. He played ice hockey for nearly three decades and has owned a AAA team. When he is not overseeing activities at the Calgary Flying Club, Duane Hicks enjoys attending Calgary Flames hockey games as a season ticket holder.
Over the last 43 years the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Calgary Flames have won more than 1,500 games and made 27 playoff appearances. The franchise enjoyed its most successful year during the 1988-1989 season, winning a franchise record 54 games for the best record in professional hockey.
The Flames opened the post season against the Vancouver Canucks. Despite having finished the season with a lackluster record of 33 wins, 39 losses, and eight ties, the Canucks secured an overtime victory in the first game of the playoffs to steal home court advantage. The Flames responded with a 5-2 win in game two, followed by a 4-0 shutout to reclaim home court advantage. The series ultimately went seven games, with the Flames prevailing in another overtime game.
Capitalizing on the momentum of a difficult opening round, the Flames swept the Los Angeles Kings in four games to take the division and advance to the conference finals. Calgary dropped just one game to the Chicago Blackhawks and progressed to its second Stanley Cup Finals appearance in four years.
In the final series of the season, the Flames matched up with the Montreal Canadiens. After a tight 3-2 win in the first game of the finals, Calgary fell 4-2, once again losing home court advantage before heading out on the road. This time they faltered in a double overtime contest, dropping consecutive games for the first time that post season. The Flames quickly regrouped, scoring 4-2, 3-2, and 4-2 victories to close out the series and take the Stanley Cup to Calgary for the first time in franchise history.
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