American Hockey League (1984-1987)
Tombstone
Born: 1984
Re-Branded: 1987 (Moncton Hawks)
First Game: October 13, 1984 (W 8-3 vs. St. Catharines Saints)
Last Game: April 21, 1987 (L 7-3 vs. Adirondack Red Wings)
Calder Cup Championships: None
Arena
Moncton Coliseum (6,818)11985-86 American Hockey League Media Guide
Opened: 1973
Branding
Team Colors: Red, White & Gold21985-86 American Hockey League Media Guide
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners: Fred Gaudet, Cecil MacDonald, Gary O’Neill, John Ritcey, Terry Taylor, George Urquhart and Robert Irving
NHL Affiliations:
- 1984-1987: Calgary Flames
- 1985-1987: Boston Bruins
Attendance
Tap (mobile) or mouse over chart for figures. Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: 1994-95 American Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book
Background
The Moncton Golden Flames were the top farm club of the NHL’s Calgary Flames during the mid-1980’s and were based in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. For the club’s final two seasons, the team also received players from the Boston Bruins in a shared affiliation.
The Golden Flames came into being during the summer of 1984 to replaced the departing Moncton Alpines (1982-1984) American Hockey League franchise. The Alpines were the top farm club of the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton shifted the club to Halifax, Nova Scotia in June of 1984, leaving Moncton (briefly) without a hockey team. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames lost their top farm team when the Central Hockey League went out of business in the spring of 1984, taking the Denver-based Colorado Flames down with it. The Flames swiftly moved into the newly vacated Moncton Coliseum to replace their defunct Colorado club.
Top Players
The Golden Flames ultimately sent dozens of future NHL regulars to both Calgary and Boston during their three-year run.
Gary Roberts, the Flames first round draft pick in 1984, spent parts of two seasons in Moncton between 1984 and 1986. Roberts would develop into an NHL All-Star and 50-goal scorer for Calgary.
Future Hockey Hall-of-Famer Brett Hull, the son of NHL & WHA superstar Bobby Hull, spent nearly the entire 1986-87 AHL season in Moncton. Hull was electrifying, scoring 50 goals and adding 42 assists in just 67 games. At the end of the season, he took home the AHL’s Dudley “Red” Garrett Memorial Award as the league’s best rookie.
Goaltender Mike Vernon spent all of 1984-85 in Moncton and struggled, posting a 10-20-4 record with a 3.92 GAA. He returned for a half dozen games in Moncton in 1985-86. But by the 1986-87 season Vernon managed to establish himself as Calgary’s top netminder.
Transitions
At the end of the 1986-87 season, Calgary ended its sponsorship of Moncton’s AHL club. Moncton kept the team, which became a Winnipeg Jets farm club known as the Hawks.
The Flames promoted former Golden Flames head coach Terry Crisp (Moncton ’85-’87) to coach the big club in Calgary in the fall of 1987. In March 1988, Calgary traded Brett Hull to the St. Louis Blues where he would achieve NHL superstardom and ultimately become the league’s 4th ranked all-time goal scorer (741).
Despite getting fleeced in the Hull deal, Calgary advanced to the Stanley Cup finals the following year with Crisp behind the bench, Vernon leading all NHL goaltenders in wins (37) and other former Moncton regulars such as Roberts and Joel Otto in key roles.
In May 1989 the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens to capture the first – and ,to date, only – Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Moncton Golden Flames Shop
Links
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