Although some may not view it as a true rivalry, the animosity between the Calgary Flames and the Anaheim Ducks is deeply rooted, especially when examining their history of on-ice confrontations.
Encounters between these teams have a tendency to escalate quickly, resulting in numerous fights and intense disputes during games.
One specific altercation stands out, which, while not widely remembered in the NHL, exemplifies the fierce hatred shared between the two franchises.
On December 8, 2001, during a tense game where the Flames were trailing the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4-0, frustration mounted for the Flames as they struggled to score against former teammate Jean-Sebastian Giguere.
The Incident Begins
Late in the third period, Flames enforcer Craig Berube sparked the situation by delivering a blatant hit on Giguere behind the net, prompting an immediate reaction from the goaltender and teammate Niclas Havelid. Berube was assessed a double-minor penalty for roughing, but the events quickly escalated.
Minutes later, Ducks enforcer Kevin Sawyer retaliated with a cheap shot on Flames goaltender Mike Vernon, igniting a brawl that involved Flames defenseman Robyn Regher.
Jarome Iginla also fought Denny Lambert, emphasizing the chaos that engulfed the ice, as referees hesitated to intervene despite multiple opportunities.
Before the scattered equipment could be collected, Dean McAmmond knocked Oleg Tverdovsky to the ice, further intensifying the situation and leading to the ejection of both players.
Penalties Pile Up
The penalties from this fracas included five minutes for fighting for both Kevin Sawyer and Denny Lambert, with Lambert receiving a ten-minute misconduct and a game misconduct, totaling 27 penalty minutes for the night.
Iginla was handed five for fighting and a game misconduct, while McAmmond received a ten-minute misconduct, and Regher was given five for fighting.
In a strategic move, Ducks coach Bryan Murray had undersized superstar Paul Kariya serve the five-minute major assigned to Sawyer, keeping the all-star safely in the penalty box as chaos reigned.
Renewed Chaos
As the penalties were being announced over the public address system, the situation erupted again right off the faceoff. Calgary’s Steve Begin charged at Ruslan Salei, leading to a pairing of combatants throughout the rink.
Centers Marty McInnis and Dennis Gauthier engaged, while Bob Boughner squared off with Vitaly Vishnevsky. Clark Wilm also found a way to get involved.
Even as new fights broke out off the ensuing faceoff, Rob Niedermayer engaged in a fight with Anaheim’s Mike Leclerc, resembling more of a dance than a brawl. Future Duck Toni Lydman also joined the fray, tussling with Pavel Trnka along the boards.
With both teams reduced to three skaters on each side, Calgary sent Ronald Petrovicky to face off against Anaheim’s Dan Bylsma, who would later coach the Penguins. This confrontation led to a fierce scrap with both sides exchanging solid punches.
Penalties Announced
During this latest fight, the loudspeaker finally announced penalties for earlier altercations. Salei and Vishnevsky received five-minute fighting and match penalties, while McInnis was handed a fighting major.
Calgary’s Begin faced two minutes for instigating, five for fighting, and a game misconduct, while Boughner and Gauthier received two for instigating, five for fighting, and ten-minute misconducts along with game misconducts. Mark Wilm was also assessed a ten-minute misconduct.
Additionally, Pavel Trnka, Mike Leclerc, Rob Niedermayer, and Toni Lydman each received five for fighting. The sheer number of penalties was overwhelming, but the game was far from over.
After the puck dropped again, play continued for a while with both teams skating three-on-three. Eventually, the Ducks opted to kill the clock, passing the puck around in their own zone.
Scott Nichol took issue with this strategy and attacked Oleg Tverdovsky, prompting Giguere to leave his crease to confront Nichol, resulting in his ejection and ending his shutout bid, which was then credited as a shared shutout with backup Steve Shields.
By the 18:00 mark, only two skaters occupied the Calgary bench—a rarity in any NHL game. As play resumed, Calgary’s captain Dave Lowry inadvertently threw the puck over the glass, leading to a minor penalty for delay of game. This opened the door for Berube, just released from the penalty box, to re-enter the fray.
Following the faceoff, Berube resumed his role as instigator, throwing punches at Jeff Friesen. Sergei Krivokrasov and Craig Conroy paired off, though no punches were thrown. At the 21:16 mark, only one skater was present on the bench, an even rarer sight.
The game continued until the final horn, granting the Ducks the victory but not without one last altercation as Igor Kravchuck took a run at Krivokrasov, eliciting an aggressive response from the Anaheim forward.
The final statistics were staggering, with both teams totaling 309 penalty minutes and 19 fighting majors. Calgary set a record for the second-highest penalty minute total by a single team in a period in NHL history, amassing 190 minutes.
Craig Berube led the night with 33 penalty minutes, followed closely by Scott Nichol with 31, while Dennis Gauthier and Bob Boughner each contributed 29. For Anaheim, Denny Lambert led with 27 minutes, while Kevin Sawyer and Ruslan Salei added 17 and 15, respectively.
Considering the extent of this brawl and their shared playoff history, it’s intriguing to ponder why these two teams haven’t developed a more intense rivalry, especially given the frequent heated exchanges and competitive spirit in their matchups.
