Give Craig Conroy credit. He’s trying not to tip his hand ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. Conroy joined Dean “Boomer” Molberg and Rhett Warrener on Friday’s edition of the Barn Burner podcast for a 45-minute chat to discuss preparations for next week’s draft. And the biggest news item that Conroy let slip was that…
Friends, throughout the history of the Calgary Flames franchise, they’ve done a great deal of their team-building at the draft. And that’s not just through drafting and developing fine young hockey players, it’s also via trades made during the weekend of the entry draft. Sometimes, the Flames made amazing trades at the draft. Sometimes, though,…
Another home-town player is ready to be drafted in a couple weeks. 2026 NHL Draft prospect Cooper Williams is a Calgary native, who played a majority of his youth hockey career in Calgary. This left-handed forward has been a standout player throughout his entire career, known for his incredible hockey IQ, high-pressure play capabilities and…
Pals, there was a period of time where the Calgary Flames had issues with their first-round draft picks. There were chunks of time in the 1990s and 2000s where their first-rounders didn’t often become NHL regulars, or even play games. Well, those days are but a bad memory, as the Flames have been consistently productive…
Friends, pre-season is hockey is generally something to be endured, not enjoyed. Sure, you get to see some players pull on a Calgary Flames jersey for the first time and test out how close they are to being fully-fledged National Hockey League players, but the quality of hockey can be variable. When the NHL and…
Way, way back after the 2004-05 lockout, the National Hockey League and the players’ association hammered out a new collective bargaining agreement. As part of that agreement, they introduced a structure for conducting contract buyouts. Once a year – twice if a team has salary arbitration cases – teams have a window to buy out…
Calgary-born player, Carter Wilkie played his first pro season between the Wranglers and Rush and definitely used the season to get his feet wet in this new level of play. He was viewed as more of a part-time player but kept his head in it to be ready when he was called on. When he…
A lot of attention around the Calgary Flames is being paid to the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. And with good reason! The Flames own 11 picks, including two first-rounders, and it could be a very important two days for the future of the organization. But in less than two weeks, the annual free agency period…
The sixth overall pick. It’s not as high as the Calgary Flames had hoped to select in this year’s draft, but it’s where they landed. Unless they make some sort of blockbuster deal before, or on, June 26, that’s where they will make their pick. While the Flames will still select a highly touted player…
Gang, actions speak louder than words. And while the Calgary Flames may occasionally be hesitant to proclaim such, the hockey club is in a rebuild. Since Craig Conroy became general manager in 2023, he’s parted ways via trade with a slew of established, veteran National Hockey League players. And with Blake Coleman entering the final…
Way, way back in 1980, the Atlanta Flames moved north and became the Calgary Flames. And ever since then, a good chunk of their regular season and playoff games have been available – for free – on the public airwaves courtesy the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations. Saturday night hockey broadcasts began over the radio in 1931,…
The Stanley Cup has been handed out for the 2025-26 season and the National Hockey League ecosystem is getting ready for the hockey calendar to flip over to 2026-27. The Calgary Flames finished the 2025-26 season with a 34-39-9 record for 75 points, putting them at 29th overall – just ahead of the New York…
Friends, it is now June. We are now entering probably the final 12 months of Scotia Place construction – particularly given the official pronouncements of a potential May 2027 handover of the building in advance of the expected September 2027 opening of the new barn. With that in mind, let’s take a walk around the block…