Calgary Flames Top 10: Johnny Gaudreau Moments

Jan 24, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view as NHL players line up during player introductions before the 2015 NHL All Star Game skills competition at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

This deserves an honorable mention, not as a Calgary Flames moment though he was wearing the team jersey.

All-Star games often aren’t the best in terms of the hockey on display with players seeking to keep themselves from getting injured or just generally not showing much interest.

However in recent times, the Skills Competition has been an absolute highlight reel of fun and personality for the guys involved.

Johnny Gaudreau had his own moment in the sun, courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers forward, Jakub Vorachek.

Mimicking an earlier play by Columbus Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen, who slotted home with the help of a young child sitting on the players’ bench; Vorachek pulled up short of the net and grabbed the diminutive winger to mimic the move.

The fact that this was Gaudreau in his rookie year with the Calgary Flames and who is dwarfed by most of the league’s other players wasn’t lost on those in attendance, as the crowd and players alike applauded the amusing spectacle of Gaudreau being man-handled into netting a goal.

Whilst as noted, the goal meant very little given it was in the Skills Competition, it showed the growing high regard the league’s other players had for the then first-year rookie.

Likewise, the crowd all recognized exactly who it was that Vorachek was bringing forward, such had been his prevalence prior to All-Star selection.

This moment in the sun was arguably a lot bigger than it may have been made out and could be argued as marking the beginning of him being considered a ‘franchise player’ for the Calgary Flames.

Next: #10: Showing Pre-Season Promise

Sep 30, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (53) skates against Colorado Avalanche during preseason action at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

By the time 2014 pre-season rolled around, the Calgary Flames knew they had someone truly special on their hands.

This was never more clear than against the Colorado Avalanche, as Johnny tucked in off the Calgary Flames wing and slotted a top-drawer shot home in front of a Calgary crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Sure this was pre-season and players might not have been up to full speed, full fitness or whatever other excuse you choose to throw at it, but Johnny demonstrated his shooting prowess as well as his speed and trickery with a stick in notching this Calgary Flames goal.

The level of confidence he showed in skating right past Colorado players showed right then and there that he wasn’t going to fear anyone in the National Hockey League and rather they should fear him.

To put it top-shelf over the goaltender’s shoulder demonstrated both great choice in shooting, as well as a level of control of the puck direction that some never master let alone someone so young.

If a goal like this in pre-season didn’t set the headlines alight, it wasn’t going to be long before he’d start demonstrating the same ability in the regular season for the Calgary Flames to truly set the headlines alight.

Next: #9: Gaudreau Toys With Senators Defense

Oct 28, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) skates around Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) in the first period at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

This is the sort of out-right brashness we’ve come to expect of Calgary Flames forward, Johnny Gaudreau.

It was on full display for all to see against the Ottawa Senators, as he toyed with their defensemen, dangling the puck behind the net.

On this occasion, it wasn’t enough to net a goal but it’s this innate ability to move the puck around like it’s glued to his stick, that creates chances.

Shockingly, given the skill-set he has on offer and his ability to play with opposing teams like this; Johnny Gaudreau, the person, away from the ice seems to be a very mild-mannered and well-spoken young man, based on all off-ice interviews and such seen in the media.

Given the skill at his disposal, there could be the temptation for the Calgary Flames winger to be a lot more cocky, confident and brash off-the-ice, but it seems he has a much smarter head on his shoulders than to allow that.

That is the making of a man. Ignoring all of the hockey hype, he is able to be, who we assume, is himself when he’s not out there wearing Calgary Flames red or white.

Of course, the fact that when he does pull on that Calgary Flames jersey, he can pull tricks like this isn’t a bad thing either. In fact, it makes for a great, fun player to sit back and watch!

Next: #8: The Gaudreau And Monahan Show

Dec 10, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Calgary Flames have not only a one-off talent in Johnny Gaudreau, but they have an offensive partnership in him and Sean Monahan that can be the cornerstone of the franchise for years.

Never was the chemistry between these two more evident than against the Buffalo Sabres; a perfect give-and-go play between the pair resulting in a goal for Johnny Gaudreau. The snap shot past Sabres’ goaltender Chad Johnson rounds off a play that can only be described as perfection between the two.

It wasn’t the first Calgary Flames goal created as a result of their combination play and it won’t be the last provided the Calgary Flames can keep the pair together.

Both guys seem to have a read on the other’s play and it evident in these types of link-up plays. Think of any great players and they have someone there providing the required support. Wayne Gretzky didn’t do it all solo. Neither did Maurice Richard. Nor does Sidney Crosby.

Whilst I’m not comparing Gaudreau to any of these yet, the fact he seems to have found his attacking sidekick so early in his Calgary Flames career is only going to help propel the team forward.

Next: #7: A Boston Hat-Trick

Dec 4, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) celebrates with defenseman TJ Brodie (7) after the game winning goal against the Boston Bruins at Scotiabank Saddledome. The Flames won 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Whilst this hat-trick wasn’t his first for the Calgary Flames, it is likely a favorite of Gaudreau’s.

Given the time he spent with Boston College, to score a hat-trick with the Calgary Flames against the Boston Bruins is likely a memory he won’t soon forget.

This was also the first time he achieved a hat-trick at the home of the Calgary Flames, the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Speaking after the game with CBC, Gaudreau summed up the emotions. “Last year, I was fortunate enough to get a hat trick but it was in a different arena. I was fortunate to get one tonight. It’s always exciting seeing hats get thrown on the ice,” said the Calgary Flames winger.

Add in the fact the third goal was the game-winning goal for the Calgary Flames, in overtime no less and the feat is even more remarkable.

Not to forget his teammates either, it was a former Bruin in Dougie Hamilton providing the perfect pass to allow Gaudreau the shot on net.

A hat-trick at home, that wins the game in dramatic circumstances. What better way to cap a game against the team representing your collegiate home city.

Calgary Flames fans aren’t likely to forget Gaudreau’s first hat-trick in front of them; though they’ll surely be hoping it’s the first of many in Calgary.

Next: #6: Shining Under The Stanley Cup Spotlight

May 8, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) controls the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period in game four of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Stanley Cup Playoffs. Another combination play with Sean Monahan to net a Calgary Flames goal. This time Gaudreau offers up the assist, but not before turning a Ducks defenseman inside out.

Skating from center ice and sweeping the puck right across his body in moving past Lindholm, Gaudreau shows just how deft his touch is with the puck at his feet and a stick in his hands.

Not many players would have been able to pull off such a move in a regular season game, let alone in a high-pressure environment like a play-off game.

Also bear in mind, this wasn’t some rookie defenseman he was taking on. Hampus Lindholm at that point was coming off two seventy-eight game seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, as well as a forty-eight game year in the AHL. Despite his relative youth, hardly an inexperienced blue-liner.

Obviously, this one goal wasn’t enough to turn the series around as the Calgary Flames eventually saw themselves eliminated at the hands of Anaheim, but in that one moment Gaudreau showed his potential as a Stanley Cup game changer.

The obvious hope now is that he gets another chance and is able to do this in a Stanley Cup final for the Calgary Flames.

Next: #5: Number 100, Number 101, Number 102...

Dec 22, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) scores on Winnipeg Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson (34) during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Flames won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Not content just to score his 100th NHL point for the Calgary Flames, Gaudreau notched a hat-trick to score his 101st and 102nd points in the same game.

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To notch point number one hundred in just 115 career games for the Calgary Flames was quite remarkable. To notch a second hat-trick in the calendar month, even more so.

Johnny became the first Calgary Flames player since Jarome Iginla to achieve such a feat, which is esteemed company indeed.

Many Calgary Flames fans still can’t believe that this is a player drafted in the fourth round that is achieving such heights for them.

When they traded for Iginla, it was expected of him as a first round, eleventh overall pick. Most players from the fourth round aren’t even guaranteed to ever see NHL ice-time.

Against Winnipeg, Gaudreau shone for the Calgary Flames, notching three of the team’s four points as they sealed a 4-1 victory headed into the Christmas break.

One milestone achieved; the next seems likely to be one hundred regular season assists which could even be achieved in the 2015-16 season.

One hundred regular season goals might have to wait a little longer, though if he shows the form he showed against the Jets, maybe not as long as you’d think.

Next: #4: Two 'Battle of Alberta' Goals In Sixteen Seconds

Dec 27, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Johnny Gaudreau (13) scores a goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Viktor Fasth (35) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

If you’re going to score two in sixteen seconds, what better way to ingratiate yourself to the Calgary Flames fans than to do it against cross-province rivals, the Edmonton Oilers.

That’s exactly what Johnny Gaudreau did in his rookie season, offering up a pair of goals separated by mere seconds to mark a great return from the Christmas break for the Calgary Flames.

The first goal demonstrated Gaudreau’s positional sense; with the Oilers giving up the puck in their defensive zone. Johnny was the first to react, quicker than any Edmonton defenseman and that speed of mind and ability to be in the right place led to his first goal on the night.

The second is identical to many we’ve seen him score for the Calgary Flames, racing clear on a breakaway after a defense-splitting pass. These are the sorts of goals he’s coming up with even more regularly now the new three-on-three power play rules have been implemented.

He would also go on to notch a pair against the Oilers at the Scotiabank Saddledome on return from the Christmas break in 2015 as the Calgary Flames downed them 5-3.

There’s something about ‘Battle Of Alberta’ games that seems to spur Johnny on and long may it continue in Calgary Flames red.

Next: #3: First NHL Hat-Trick

Dec 22, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (5) celebrates with left wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) and teammates after scoring the winning goal in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings in the first period at Staples Center. The Flames defeated the Kings 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What better team to score your first hat-trick against than the reigning Stanley Cup champions? Johnny’s first natural hat-trick spurred the Calgary Flames to victory against the Los Angeles Kings on December 22nd, 2014.

Once again showing what makes him such a special player, Gaudreau didn’t just choose to score on the reigning champions. He chose to notch three goals on Jonathan Quick in the Kings net; the final two coming in the final 2:12 of the third period.

Sportsnet summed it up in an article published the day after the game, opening with the line ‘In a city defined by Hollywood star power, Calgary Flames rookie forward Johnny Gaudreau showed the Los Angeles Kings why he might be the NHL’s next big thing.’

Obviously just the writings of a sports news website, but it’s pretty high praise to consider a label as the ‘next big thing’, regardless of its source. It’s praise reserved for the minority and not the majority.

The hat-trick officially marked Gaudreau’s arrival as a big game player, but by this point it seemed rather obvious that he was one already.

Unfortunately for Gaudreau, it wasn’t a first NHL hat-trick scored in front of the home Calgary Flames fans, but rather in Los Angeles. As a result, it was a long wait (almost a year, in fact) before he experienced hats thrown onto the ice in celebration of the fact.

Next: #2: This Game's Going To Overtime!

May 5, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames fans celebrate goal by Calgary Flames left wing Johnny Gaudreau (not pictured) against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless of all the other goals he scores for the Calgary Flames; this one will surely be one of the most memorable for Johnny Gaudreau.

With the Calgary Flames trailing the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round and with only 19.5 seconds left on the clock in the third period, it was an all or nothing play.

Johnny Gaudreau stepped up and took his moment, firing the puck home past Frederik Andersen and sending the Scotiabank Saddledome into raptures.

The game-tying goal late in the third period served to take the life out of the Ducks and was exactly the spark needed for the Calgary Flames to bring the series back to 2-1 with a 4-3 overtime victory.

A timely goal can swing the momentum of a game or even a series. This goal most certainly swung the game as the Calgary Flames went on to win it, but ultimately had little effect on the end result of the series as the Ducks went on to take it 4-1 en route to a Western Conference Final appearance against eventual champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Few can argue that Johnny came up with the goods here when the Calgary Flames needed it most. To do it in front of the Calgary Flames fans in the ‘C Of Red’ made it all the more memorable.

But in the long run, it was a bittersweet goal, as the Calgary Flames run in the play-offs came to an abrupt end just five days later. Otherwise, it’d be the clear number one in Gaudreau’s Calgary Flames highlight reel.

Next: #1: Johnny Gaudreau Nets First Shot On Debut

Apr 13, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau (53) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom (35) during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

There’s not many Calgary Flames players that have notched a point on debut, even fewer that have notched their first NHL goal in their first NHL game, fewer still that do it with their very first shot.

Johnny Gaudreau, of course, managed all of that on his Calgary Flames debut against the Vancouver Canucks on April 13th, 2014.

It’s hard to look beyond such a debut for the Calgary Flames when you look at Johnny’s career highlights; that’s why this moment, despite the hat-tricks, the trickery and the speed has been picked as his top Calgary Flames moment.

Three days after the college season ended, and having notched the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in the NCAA, Johnny Gaudreau, alongside his Boston College line-mate, Bill Arnold debuted for the Calgary Flames.

By the time he debuted, it had became clear that the Calgary Flames had a talent on their hands. Few could question that. Whether he could handle the intensity and physicality of the National Hockey League was the big question on everyone’s minds.

He showed the hockey mind we’ve all come to love with his stick ready for the tip-in, after the shot in from the blue-line from Chris Breen was deflected by Joe Colborne.

The first of many Gaudreau goals for the Calgary Flames, and regardless of the fact the goal didn’t prove the spark for a comeback win against the Canucks, it marked the coming of a superstar.

Long may the goals keep coming in a Calgary Flames jersey for Johnny Gaudreau.

Have we missed a Johnny Gaudreau moment in our countdown? Let us know in the comments section below.