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Flames fans boo Hanifin in his return to the Saddledome

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Mar 15 2024, 2:59 pm
Flames fans boo Hanifin in his return to the Saddledome
Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

Noah Hanifin doesn’t seem to have many Calgary Flames fans supporting him anymore.

Hanifin had spent the past six and a half seasons with the Flames, where he was a reliable top-four defenceman who contributed at both ends of the ice. The 27-year-old, who is a pending UFA, was traded nine days ago to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Daniil Miromanov and two draft picks.

It had become quite obvious that the Flames were going to trade Hanifin, though, to his credit, he continued to give his best effort each and every night. However, he also reportedly turned down a contract extension earlier in the season and was said to have “hijacked the process” when it came to a trade, as he and his agent told several interested teams he had no intention of re-signing with them.

The tactic had a serious impact on the return Conroy was able to get, and upset a lot of the Flames fan base. They let their feelings be known last night.


To the defence of Hanifin, some Flames fans felt differently, as he did get some cheers when the game first started.

The Flames were able to get the last laugh in this one, defeating the Golden Knights by a 4-1 final. Blake Coleman led the way with two goals, while Hanifin went -1 with two shots on goal in 31:16 minutes of ice time.

With the win, the Flames now trail the Golden Knights by eight points for the final wild-card position in the Western Conference. The odds aren’t at all in their favour, but the possibility of sneaking into the playoffs remains. They’ll look to put up another win tomorrow night in a game against the Montreal Canadiens.

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