It has been a couple of days now since the Calgary Flames traded Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights. It was a deal that we had seen coming for months on end. I know there are a lot of people upset about how Andersson and his camp handled the deal, but at the end of the day, this is a business, and he tried to do what was best for him.
For me, I loved Andersson as a Flame. It was hard to see him go, even though we all know it was the best thing for the future of the Flames franchise and the direction they are headed.
From when he came up as a rookie in 2018 to the last game that he played for the team on Saturday, he brought so many great moments that I will never forget in his tenure as a Flame. He was a part of some of my favourite Flames teams. He was ultimately one of my favourite players to play for the franchise over the last decade.
In honour of Andersson’s incredible time in Calgary, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Here are some of Andersson’s best moments as a Flame.
Andersson’s first NHL goal
Andersson’s rookie season was a memorable one. The Flames had some expectations that season, but I am not sure that anyone expected them to finish atop the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. Andersson played a key role that season.
He made his season debut in October of that season, and he never saw another AHL game after that. We had to wait a while for his first NHL goal, but it was all worth it in the end. It was a game in December against the Philadelphia Flyers. Quite frankly, it was a game the Flames were dominating. But they found themselves down 5–3 with just over a minute to play, thanks to another Mike Smith masterclass.
The Flames had pulled their goalie and were putting on the pressure. Johnny Gaudreau pulled a defender towards him and teed up Andersson for a one-timer from the point. Andersson let a bomb fly. It found the back of the net behind Anthony Stolarz to bring the Flames to within one.
The Flames mobbed Andersson, and it gave them the life they needed for one last push. With less than ten seconds remaining in regulation, Sean Monahan would nab a rebound in front. The Flames, like they did that entire season, found a way to come back and tie the game.
The game went into overtime. It didn’t last long, as a big save from David Rittich sprung the Flames on a rush. Gaudreau would put a rebound home to give the Flames a huge win. It is one of those games that I will never forget. It was a rollercoaster of emotions all night. If Andersson hadn’t scored, the Flames would have lost that game. That was just the beginning of big goals for Andersson in a Flames uniform.
A rocket in the playoffs against the Dallas Stars
Let’s rewind a little bit more to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022. It was a pivotal game four against the Dallas Stars. The Flames were trailing in the series 2–1, even after dominating the first three games. They found themselves in a hole against a very structured Stars team with Jake Oettinger playing otherworldly.
The game was tied at zero about halfway through the second period. The Flames were doubling the Stars up in shots and had a 5-on-3 power play to boot. They were working the Stars but were not able to beat Oettinger. That was until Andersson and Matthew Tkachuk began to play catch on the right side of the ice. They exchanged two passes each before Tkachuk teed up Andersson to let a rocket go. A perfect shot beat Oettinger over the blocker side and gave the Flames a 1–0 lead. It was a game where it felt like the Flames were never going to score. Andersson’s goal gave the Flames the lead and the life they dearly needed in that game.
The Flames would go on to dominate the rest of that game. They would win the game 4–1, and they tied the series up at two apiece. As we all know, the Flames would go on to win that series in seven. We all talk about the goals that Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane scored in that series. Yet, without that go-ahead goal by Andersson in game 4, there is no guarantee that the Flames would have made it that far. It could have been one of the biggest goals he has scored so far in his career.
The stare-downs, all of the stare-downs
Andersson has always been a player who likes to be a bit cocky or arrogant on the ice. He never shied away from getting into the thick of a battle or exchanging pleasantries with the other teams. At the beginning of last season, however, he began to bring the opposition’s fans into the battle with him.
In the first game of the 2024–25 season, the Flames were facing off against the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames were being embarrassed. It was 4–1 for the Canucks after just the first period, and it stayed that way until almost the end of the second. That was until Andersson took a drop pass from Nazem Kadri before cutting through a defender and ripping the puck past Thatcher Demko to bring the Flames within two.
Andersson wasted no time with his new celebration. He headed right towards the glass and stopped in front of a fan. Andersson just stared the fan down for a few seconds before his teammates mobbed him.
Many, including myself, thought that this was pretty much a one-time thing. It was a rivalry game at the beginning of the season while playing on the road. We all thought wrong. Just a few days later, against the Edmonton Oilers, Andersson would score again, and he would once again break out the stare-down celebration. Then, for the rest of the season, and this season, every time Andersson scored, he would seek out an opposing team’s fan and hit them with the signature “Andersson Stare-Down.”
I personally loved it. Whenever he scored, it was always something to look forward to and seeing the reactions of the fans he would stare down was priceless. I really do hope he brings that with him to Vegas; it really shows off his flair and character. There is truly no one like Andersson.
Andersson’s goal for Johnny Gaudreau
The 2024–25 season was probably one of the most emotional NHL seasons I have ever watched. Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic passing came just before the start of that season. For the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames, we knew it would be a season full of emotions for both teams.
It was December 3rd, 2024, and the Blue Jackets were in Calgary for the first time without Gaudreau since his passing. The Gaudreau family was in attendance, and there was a wonderful tribute to Gaudreau before the game. Both teams came to centre ice for the ceremonial puck drop with Andersson, Mikael Backlund and Sean Monahan all at the centre of it. I can’t even comprehend how these guys played a full hockey game after all of this.
Halfway through the second period, and with the Flames on the power play, Backlund would walk to the middle of the ice before finding Andersson for a one-timer. Andersson would fire it into the top corner to give the Flames a 1–0 lead. Instead of going for the stare-down, Andersson would seek out the Gaudreau family in the crowd and point to them, as that entire night was for them and for Johnny.
The goal would stand as the game winner. That game was the Flames’ 13th win of that season, and in the post-game, Gaudreau would be given the game’s #1 Star and Andersson and Backlund would bring out Gaudreau’s father, Guy, onto the ice to honour his late son. It didn’t end there, as Guy was later brought into the dressing room by Andersson to have him congratulate the team.
It was an emotional game to watch, and the Flames that played with Guadreau in Andersson, Backlund, Blake Coleman and Dan Vladar all being the focal points of that game was so fitting. Andersson scoring that goal was just right. If you were to ask him, he might say it was his favourite goal of his career.
Thank you for all the great times, Rasmus
As I mentioned earlier, Andersson really grew to be one of my favourite players to play for the Flames. He was a fighter, a competitor, and from everything I have read and listened to about him over the years, he is just as good a human off the ice as a player he is on the ice.
The Flames drafted and developed Andersson into a fantastic piece for the team. He delivered in every way and then some since he broke into the league in 2018. He was one of just three pieces remaining from the old core that I grew up watching and loving, and now that he has moved on, I can’t help but reflect on all the great times I had watching him as a member of the Flames.
Rasmus, thank you for everything you gave to this team and the city over the last ten years. You will truly be missed as a player of this team, and I wish you nothing but the best as a Golden Knight.
