With the role of the enforcer nearing extinction in the NHL, it has been a while since the Calgary Flames had a player with the potential to drop the gloves on any given night. The recently departed Milan Lucic was certainly capable but oftentimes struggled to find a willing combatant.
However, while they haven’t had an enforcer over the past few years, they have boasted some great ones throughout their franchises’ history. Here is a look at five of the best that have donned Flames colours.
Brian McGrattan
Brian McGrattan was an enforcer in every sense of the word, as he had very limited skill offensively but was always willing to drop the gloves. Not only did he drop them, but he often came out of his many fights as the winner.
McGrattan spent the 2009-10 season with the Flames and returned later on for three seasons from 2012 to 2015. He suited up for 137 games in Calgary, scoring just eight goals and 15 points but recording 239 penalty minutes. He was and remains a popular figure in the city of Calgary.
Chris Simon
Though remembered as being one of the better fighters the game has ever seen, it often gets forgotten that Chris Simon also had some skill. The 51-year-old once had a 29-goal season with the Washington Capitals in the 1999-00 campaign.
That skill remained when Simon joined the Flames near the 2004 trade deadline, as he scored three goals and five points in 13 regular season games and followed it up with five goals and seven points in 16 playoff outings. He went on to play just one full season in Calgary, where his offensive production tapered off a bit, but his ability to beat up opponents remained elite as ever.
Sandy McCarthy
While he may not be as well remembered throughout the entire NHL community as other enforcers, Flames fans know just how tough Sandy McCarthy was. Standing at six-foot-three, 225 pounds, he was a nightmare for opposing teams to play against.
McCarthy played the first four and a half seasons of his NHL career with the Flames, during which he had 170 penalty minutes or more on three occasions. In the two seasons he failed to hit that mark, he only suited up for 37 and 33 games.
Ronnie Stern
Ronnie Stern is another player the Flames had who could chuck them but fails to get the recognition he should. The 56-year-old joined the Flames partway through the 1990-91 season and made an immediate impact, registering 69 penalty minutes in just 13 regular season games.
The very next season, Stern had 338 penalty minutes and was also able to contribute offensively with 13 goals. In fact, during his five full seasons as a Flame, he hit the double-digit marker in goals three times.
Tim Hunter
Seeing Tim Hunter’s name on this list won’t come as a surprise to anybody. Hunter spent most of his 815-game career in a Flames sweater, dropping the gloves at every opportunity. His 3146 career penalty minutes rank eighth in NHL history, while his 2,405 penalty minutes in a Flames uniform are first in franchise history.
Like McGrattan, there wasn’t much in terms of skill when it came to Hunter’s game, but he was undoubtedly one of the league’s best enforcers during his peak years. Flames and Oilers fans alike will forever remember the epic bouts between him and Dave Semenko in the 1980s.
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