The Calgary Flames are not historically good at winning on opening night. Ever since the early 2000s, Calgary just seems to be cursed in that first game of the season. They have lost in season openers with bad teams, and they have lost in season openers with good teams. It doesn’t seem to matter for the Flames.
This year, they will be playing the Edmonton Oilers on the road on October 8. They are currently on a three-game winning streak in season openers and haven’t lost since breaking their record-breaking 12-game losing streak back in 2022–23. Can the Flames keep the good times rolling?
A look at the numbers
According to NHL Records, out of all the active franchises in the NHL, the Flames have the fourth-lowest point percentage in season openers at just 39%. The only teams lower are the New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, and the Seattle Kraken.
It is worth mentioning that if we include the Atlanta Flames in that statistic, the Flames’ point percentage actually increases. In Atlanta’s short eight-season stint in the NHL, they went 2–2–4, giving them a percentage of exactly 50%. Combined, they land at 40.4% which is still lower than the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 41.7%.
It doesn’t get better if you look at more recent history, either. In the last 20 seasons, the Calgary Flames have gone 4–16–0 in season openers. As a comparison, if we were to look at some of the worst records in opening games/weeks across the NFL, NBA, and MLB, you can see below where the Flames land. Fans of any of these teams could probably tell you that this isn’t very good company to be in.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes” – Mark Twain
At the end of the day, this is a mostly meaningless stat. The first game of the season very rarely reflects how the rest of the season goes. The Flames lost their season opener back in 2003–04 and tied their first game in 1988–89, but broke their 12-year winless streak in a year that they missed the playoffs.
At the same time, though, if you look at the other teams featured on the graphs above. The only team of the bunch that has really had any real success is the New York Islanders, and even they haven’t won a Cup since Wayne Gretzky was 22 years old. Clearly, there is a small connection between teams that often lose the first game of the season and long-term mediocrity. If the goal for the Flames is to get out of the mushy middle for good, it starts on October eight in Edmonton.
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