2009–10 Calgary Flames season
The 2009–10 Calgary Flames season was the 30th season for the Calgary Flames, and the 38th for the Flames franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flames entered the season with a new head coach as Brent Sutter replaced Mike Keenan. The year opened with the 2009 NHL Entry Draft on June 26–27, as the Flames selected defenceman Tim Erixon with their first selection. 2009 also marked the debut of the Flames' new American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, as the franchise has relocated from the Quad Cities to the British Columbia city.
| 2009–10 Calgary Flames | |
|---|---|
| Division | 3rd Northwest |
| Conference | 10th Western |
| 2009–10 record | 40–32–10 |
| Home record | 21–16–4 |
| Road record | 19–16–6 |
| Goals for | 204 |
| Goals against | 210 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Darryl Sutter |
| Coach | Brent Sutter |
| Captain | Jarome Iginla |
| Alternate captains | Robyn Regehr Rotated monthly: Dion Phaneuf Daymond Langkow Craig Conroy Jay Bouwmeester Cory Sarich Olli Jokinen |
| Arena | Pengrowth Saddledome |
| Average attendance | 19,289 (100.0%) Total: 790,849 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Jarome Iginla (32) |
| Assists | Jarome Iginla (37) |
| Points | Jarome Iginla (69) |
| Penalty minutes | Brandon Prust (98) |
| Plus/minus | Mark Giordano (+17) |
| Wins | Miikka Kiprusoff (35) |
| Goals against average | Miikka Kiprusoff (2.31) |
While the Flames led the Northwest Division early in the season, an extended slump left them in the eighth and final playoff position by the Olympic break. As a result, general manager Darryl Sutter completed several trades in a bid to improve the team's fortunes. Dion Phaneuf was one of seven roster players sent to other teams between January 31 and the March 3 trade deadline. The 2010 Winter Olympic tournament interrupted the season during February. Jarome Iginla won his second Olympic gold medal with Team Canada, while Miikka Kiprusoff and Niklas Hagman won bronze medals with the Finnish team. Iginla and Daymond Langkow each played their 1,000th games in February.
The Flames continued to struggle after the Olympic break; they finished the season in tenth place in the West and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The result was disappointing for the organization, and led to media and fan speculation regarding the futures of Sutter and Iginla in Calgary.