Calgary Flames ran out of beer after Stanley Cup win so they asked for a Winnipeg detour

While things have changed in more recent years, hockey players have long had a reputation for enjoying a few beers — and the 1988-89 Calgary Flames were certainly no exception.

That team brought the Stanley Cup to Calgary for the first and only time in franchise history, defeating the Montreal Canadiens in six games and clinching the championship on the road.

While thousands of Calgarians filled the streets to celebrate, the Flames had a party of their own going on 30,000 feet in the air.

The team decided to fly home to Alberta immediately after winning the Cup rather than spend the night in Montreal. Everything was going just fine until they realized, somewhere around the halfway point of the flight, that they were running low on booze.

“I think it was somewhere about halfway home at 2 or 3 in the morning, and we’re asking Cliff [Fletcher] if we can stop in Winnipeg and get some more beer,” Flames enforcer Tim Hunter recalled on the Clearing The Crease podcast.

@clearingthecrease Tim Hunter tells the wild story about a Stanley Cup celebration in the sky! @ozooncanada – – – #clearingthecrease #hockeypodcast #timhunter #stanleycup #nhlplayoffs ♬ original sound – clearingthecrease

Landing the plane in Winnipeg to restock the beer would have made for an incredible story, but unfortunately for the Flames, it didn’t happen.

We know this thanks to Lanny McDonald, who shared the same story on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast earlier this year.

“We got halfway home from Montreal, five-and-a-half-hour flight, and this was like three in the morning,” McDonald explained. “We asked Cliff, ‘Can we land in Winnipeg? We’re out of booze.’ And Cliff said, ‘Guys, Winnipeg closes at 9. We’re only two from Calgary. No, we’re keeping going.’

“Well, we made up for it once we got home. I can guarantee it.”

@spittinchicletsAfter Lanny McDonald and the Flames won the Cup in Montreal they were out of booze on the plane by the time they reached Winnipeg 🍻♬ original sound – Spittin Chiclets

And really, what better way to celebrate the first Stanley Cup in franchise history than to run out of beer somewhere over the Prairies?

That 1988-89 Flames team remains absolutely iconic in Calgary, having accomplished something no other Flames roster has been able to do since: win the Stanley Cup.

The current Flames are still working their way through a rebuild, but with the organization slowly beginning to turn things in the right direction, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Calgary has another excuse to celebrate.

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