Former Calgary Flames that won the Stanley Cup elsewhere

The Stanley Cup is really hard to win. Some of the greatest players in hockey history have had superb careers but didn’t manage to hoist the Cup – recent Hall of Fame inductee Jarome Iginla is a prime example of this.

But since the Calgary Flames entered the NHL in 1972 in Atlanta, several players failed to win a Cup with them but managed to capture that glory elsewhere. Here’s our handy guide to former Flames that won the Cup elsewhere.

Players that won as players elsewhere

As of the 2023 off-season, there are 28 players that (a) played for the Flames franchise and then (b) subsequently were engraved on the Stanley Cup via playing for another team.

• Kent Nilsson – 1987, Edmonton
  The first famous Swede in Flames history, Nilsson left via trade with Minnesota and eventually ended up in Edmonton. He’s one of just two former Atlanta Flames players to win a Stanley Cup.
• Jiri Hrdina – 1991 & 1992, Pittsburgh
  This savvy Czech migrated to Pittsburgh and captured back-to-back Cups with former Flames teammate Joe Mullen under former Flames coach Bob Johnson. He previously won the Cup with Calgary in 1989.
• Joe Mullen – 1991 & 1992, Pittsburgh
  Mullen was on the Flames’ 1986 finalist club and their 1989 championship edition. Like Hrdina, he moved to Pennsylvania and hoisted Stanley twice more.
• Gary Leeman – 1993, Montreal
  Leeman was one of three players involved in the 1992 10-man mega-trade between Calgary and Toronto to capture a Cup, and one of two to do so while still an active player. Not bad for one of the worst trades in Flames history.
• Rob Ramage – 1993, Montreal
  A Cup winner in 1989, Ramage was a supporting player on the last Canadian Cup win.
• Stephane Matteau – 1994, NY Rangers
  Matteau was a useful depth player for much of his career. Coincidentally, he was drafted with one of the two picks the Flames received from Minnesota for Kent Nilsson. The other? Joe Nieuwendyk.
• Mike Vernon – 1997, Detroit
  A finalist in 1986 and a Cup winner in 1989, Vernon remained in the NHL until 2002 (when he retired as a Flame). In-between, he captured a second Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.
• Jamie Macoun – 1998, Detroit
  Another member of the 1986 finalists and the 1989 Cup winners, Macoun left the Flames in the 1992 Doug Gilmour trade and ended up capturing a Cup with the Red Wings.
• Brett Hull – 1999, Dallas & 2002, Detroit
  A rookie standout in 1986-87 (after serving as a spare for the 1986 Cup Final run), the Flames flipped Hull to St. Louis as part of a trade that brought Rick Wamsley and Rob Ramage to town. Hull spent most of his career with the Blues, but won a pair of Cups later on with Dallas and Detroit.
• Joe Nieuwendyk – 1999, Dallas & 2003, New Jersey
  A crucial piece of the 1989 Cup team, Nieuwendyk hit a contract snag in Calgary and was traded to Dallas for Corey Millen and obscure WHL forward Jarome Iginla. He won a couple Cups before his career concluded.
• Brian Skrudland – 1999, Dallas
  Very briefly a Flame after being a trade deadline acquisition in 1993, Skrudland bounced around a bit before landing with Dallas. He won as a veteran depth piece for the Stars during their ’99 run.
• Chris Dingman – 2001, Colorado & 2004, Tampa Bay
  A first-rounder in 1994 that couldn’t carve out a consistent role in Calgary, he headed to Colorado in the Theoren Fleury trade. He carved out a nice career as a physical depth player, winning with the Avalanche in 2001 and with the Lightning in 2004 (against the Flames).
• Tommy Albelin – 2003, New Jersey
  A fixture of the Flames’ blueline throughout the late 1990ss, Albelin joined the Flames from the Devils and returned to the Garden State once his time in Alberta concluded.
• Martin St. Louis – 2004, Tampa Bay
  St. Louis played briefly for the Flames, but couldn’t quite find a regular role with the club. He departed and landed in Tampa, where he became one of their best players.
• Cory Stillman – 2004, Tampa Bay & 2006, Carolina
  A textbook example of a trade that ended up working for everybody: the Flames sent Stillman to St. Louis in exchange for two-way centre Craig Conroy. Conroy clicked with the Flames’ core group and had a great remainder of his career, while Stillman emerged as a great role player and won a couple of Stanley Cups.
• Mike Commodore – 2006, Carolina
  A depth piece on the 2004 Cup Finalist team, Commodore was traded to the Hurricanes and won a Cup after the lockout.
• Jean-Sebastien Giguere – 2007, Anaheim
  Another example of patience paying off; Giguere was an up-and-coming goalie for the Flames but couldn’t carve out a clear role with the club. He was traded to Anaheim and had a heck of a career, backstopping the Ducks to a Cup (after narrowly missing in 2003).
• Rob Niedermayer – 2007, Anaheim
  After spending some time with the Flames after a trade with Florida, Niedermayer headed west to join his brother, Scott, with the Ducks. They won a Cup together.
• Darren McCarty – 2008, Detroit
  A grinder through and through, McCarty won three Cups with Detroit, briefly joined the Flames, then returned to Detroit to win a fourth Cup.
• Brad Stuart – 2008, Detroit
  A journeyman blueliner, Stuart was a trade deadline acquisition in 2007. He left as a free agent, landed in Detroit, and won a Cup.
• Eric Godard – 2009, Pittsburgh
  Primarily a fighter, Godard spent a couple seasons with the Flames before landing in Pittsburgh. He didn’t dress during the 2009 playoffs, but got his name on the Cup.
• Andrew Ference – 2011, Boston
  A member of the 2004 Cup Finalist team, Ference was eventually traded to Boston where he won a Cup in 2011. (He famously gave his former Flames teammates a classy shout-out during the on-ice celebrations).
• Marc Savard – 2011, Boston
  Savard was the Flames’ top centre when he departed via trade during a feud with then-coach Greg Gilbert in 2002. After a stint in Atlanta, he landed in Boston. He suffered a nasty concussion and didn’t play during their 2011 Cup run, but he got his name on the Cup.
• Jamal Mayers – 2013, Chicago
  A journeyman physical forward, Mayers briefly played for the Flames after being part of the Dion Phaneuf trade. He eventually landed in Chicago, where he was a depth piece during their 2013 Cup win.
• Robyn Regehr – 2014, Los Angeles
  A defining player for the Flames during the 1990s and 2000s (and a 2004 Cup Finalist), Regehr landed in Los Angeles after a brief stop in Buffalo with the aim of chasing a Stanley Cup. Mission accomplished: he was a reliable depth piece during the Kings’ second crown.
• Alex Chiasson – 2018, Washington
  A really useful depth player, Chiasson briefly played for the Flames for a season. He landed with Washington afterwards, where he was a really useful depth player during their Cup win.
• Jay Bouwmeester – 2019, St. Louis
  Bouwmeester spent several season as a smooth-skating, minute-eating defender for the Flames. He was eventually traded to the Blues. He wasn’t quite at the height of his powers in 2019, he was a big piece of their team when they won in 2019.
• Curtis McElhinney – 2020 & 2021, Tampa Bay
  Affectionately nicknamed “McBackup” by Flames fans who weren’t great at spelling, McElhinney was a throwback – a true backup who relished and excelled in the role. He was Andrei Vasilevskiy’s understudy during Tampa’s back-to-back Cup victories.

Players who won as staff elsewhere

There are six players that (a) played for the Flames franchise and then (b) subsequently were engraved on the Stanley Cup via working for another team as staff following their playing careers.

• Bill MacMillan – 1980, NY Islanders
  A reliable defensive forward for many years, the late MacMillan was part of the original Atlanta Flames club in 1972. He finished his career with the New York Islanders and got into coaching after retirement, winning a Cup as an assistant coach to Al Arbour in 1980.
• Jeff Reese – 2004, Tampa Bay
  Another piece of the cursed Doug Gilmour trade, Reese eventually retired and became a pretty well-regarded goaltending coach. He was on Tampa Bay’s staff when they beat the Flames in 2004.
• Mike Sullivan – 2016 & 2017, Pittsburgh
  A savvy defensive forward, Sullivan spent a bit of time with the Flames. Upon retirement, he became a well-regarded head coach and won back-to-back Cups with the Penguins.
• Brian MacLellan – 2018, Washington
  A member of the 1989 Cup team as a player, MacLellan became Washington’s general manager and won a Cup in 2018.
• Al MacInnis – 2019, St. Louis
  Another member of the 1989 Cup team, MacInnis finished his lengthy career with the Blues and became an advisor after retiring. His name went on the Cup when the Blues won in 2019.
• Craig Berube – 2019, St. Louis
  Another piece of the Gilmour trade, Berube won a Cup as head coach of the Blues in 2019.

Staff who won as staff elsewhere

There are three individuals that (a) worked for the Flames franchise as staff and then (b) subsequently were engraved on the Stanley Cup while working for another team as staff.

• Bob Johnson – 1991, Pittsburgh
  A legendary college coach, Johnson led the Flames to a Cup Final appearance in 1986. After a brief stint with USA Hockey, he led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 1991 before eventually passing away after a battle with cancer. (His name was engraved on the Cup in 1992, as well, as the Penguins paid tribute to their late coach.)
• Al Coates – 2007, Anaheim
  Hired by the Flames after their arrival in Calgary in 1980, Coates did basically everything except coach during his 20 years with the Flames, including spend five seasons as GM. He was an advisor with the Ducks during their 2007 win.
• Darryl Sutter – 2012 & 2014, Los Angeles
  A former Flames head coach and GM, Sutter won a pair of Cups with the Kings after narrowly missing a Cup with the Flames in 2004.