Gaudreau, Iginla, Tkachuk headline Flames’ quarter-century team

The Calgary Flames have had no shortage of talented players who helped shape the team’s identity, especially in their recent history.

The NHL unveiled its picks for the Flames’ quarter-century team, paying tribute to members who played a big part in the team’s competitive years.

Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Jarome Iginla join defencemen Mark Giordano, Robyn Regehr and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff on the first team.

The quarter-century team is made up of five skaters (three forwards, two defencemen) and one goalie who played for the franchise after Jan. 1, 2000.

Iginla’s 456 goals, 487 assists and 943 points lead Calgary since Jan. 1, 2000. He twice scored 50 goals in a season for the Flames, surpassed 40 goals four times, reached the 30-goal mark 11 times and led the team to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004.

Gaudreau was selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, playing eight seasons with the Flames, and is fifth in team scoring with 609 points (210 goals, 399 assists) in 602 games. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were tragically killed on Aug. 29 when police said a suspected drunken driver struck them while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in South Jersey.

Tkachuk was selected sixth overall by the Flames in 2016 and recorded 382 points in 431 games. After playing six seasons in Calgary, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he would go on to win a Stanley Cup last season.

During his time in Calgary, Giordano led all defencemen in games played, goals, assists and points. He also captured the Norris Trophy in 2019 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2020.

Regehr played 826 games over 11 seasons in Calgary. He was drafted 19th overall in 1998. He played the fourth-most games in franchise history and was known for his punishing defensive game and averaged a team-leading 26:27 per game during the team’s Stanley Cup run.

The second team features current captain Mikael Backlund and defenceman Rasmus Andersson, along with general manager Craig Conroy, Sean Monahan, Dion Phaneuf and Jacob Markstrom.