Tuesday chatting with Mike Keenan the question was asked about the importance of having home ice advantage in a playoffs.  He answered, “where you really like to have it, is if a series going to Game 7 in your rink.”

   When he was told Game 7′s haven’t meant much to the Flames in recent ventures, he asked, “The home team wins a great majority of the Game 7′s in the NHL.”

    Not if its the Flames in the Saddledome. When he was filled in on Game 7 history, Flames style, the coach started to feel better about not having home ice advantage in this series against Chicago. 

    The Flames haven’t won a Game 7 in the Saddledome since the Stanley Cup season of 1988-89 and even that one was a cliff-hanger. 

    When Joel Otto scored in the last minute of the first OT period against Vancouver in Game 7 in April of ’89, little did he know 20 years would pass without a Flame scoring a winning goal in the 7th game of a playoff series ine the Saddledome.

    Four times since then, the Flames have hosted Game 7, losing all 4.

   The most recent was 2006 against Anaheim.  The Flames won the NW Div pennant that season. Their first round series with the 6th seeded Ducks went the limit with the visitors capturing the series with a 3-0 win in Calgary.

     In 1995, it was an OT Game 7 in the ‘Dome with the San Jose Sharks on a goal by Ray Whitney eliminating the Flames after they had held a 3 games to 2 lead.

     The previous year, 1994,  it was an even more devasting Game 7 setback on home ice.  The Flames led Vancouver 3 games to 1 before the Canucks rallied with 3-straight OT wins including Game 7 in the Saddledome.

      In 1991, the Flames suffered another crushing Game 7 loss in the ‘Dome.  In Game 6 the Flames went into Edmonton facing elimination but when Theoren Fleury scored the famous celebration goal in OT, the series was headed back to Calgary for a Game 7.  The Flames grabbed a quick 3-0 first period lead over the Oilers.  The Oilers reduced it to 3-1 with a goal in the final minute in the first period.  The Oilers would rally to win 5-4 in OT to capture the series.

    Fact is the last 3 playoff series the Flames have won came when they didn’t have home ice advantage including a Game 7 win on the road in Vancouver in 2004.

    So, perhaps, it isn’t such a big deal that the Flames won’t have home ice advantage in this series vs the Blackhawks starting Thursday and Saturday in the Windy City.

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