"It feels great": Kiprusoff ecstatic to have number retired by Flames
The Calgary Flames announced on Tuesday that they will be retiring Miikka Kiprusoff’s No. 34, and the 46-year-old couldn’t be happier.
This seemed long overdue, as many view Kiprusoff as the best goaltender in Flames franchise history. While the former Finnish netminder admitted he never really thought about the possibility, he was very excited when he learned the news.
“It was a weird feeling when I first heard about it,” Kiprusoff said in an interview on Flames TV. “It’s the biggest honour you can get, I was kind of speechless at first. It feels great, it’s unbelievable. I’m so happy.”
As excited as he is for himself, Kiprusoff seems even more excited to have his two sons, Aaro and Oskar, present for the ceremony.
“My younger son, he was so young, but he’s a proud Canadian. He has a Canadian passport,” said a grinning Kiprusoff. “He’s a soccer player and his dream is to play on the Canadian soccer team. Now he’s into hockey too. It’ll be fun to bring them there.”
Things have obviously changed with the Flames since Kiprusoff’s retirement after the 2012-13 season. Recently, his former teammate in Craig Conroy was named as the organization’s new general manager, while Jarome Iginla has joined the front office as a special advisor. Kiprusoff is confident that both will have success in their respective roles.
“I think Conny is going to be great, and Iggy too,” Kiprusoff said. “Great to see them two be working with the Flames.”
Kiprusoff was relatively unknown when acquired by the Flames in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in 2003. At that time, nothing much was expected of him, but he quickly proved what he was capable of after arriving in Calgary. He led the Flames to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final that same season, and took home the Vezina Trophy the next.
Thanks to his nine great seasons in Calgary, Kiprusoff sits atop the Flames’ all-time goalie wins list with 305, as well as number one in games played with 576. During that time, he recorded a very impressive 2.46 goals against average, along with a .913 save percentage. Suffice it to say, his jersey being sent to the rafters is very well deserved.
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