Calgary Flames 49 Days Until the Season Starts: #49 Matthew Lombardi

With 49 days left until the regular season starts up again, let’s take a look at a former Calgary Flames player with that number.

Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Everyday until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.

Yesterday, we talked about #50 Patrick Sieloff who has only ever played in one NHL game in his career thus far. Let’s change it up a bit for today and talk about a player who’s still playing hockey, just not in the NHL anymore.

With 49 days left until the regular season starts, let’s look at #49 Matthew Lombardi.

Who is Matthew Lombardi?

Name: Matthew Lombardi

Birth place: Montreal, QC, Canada

Position: C

Shoots: Left

Birthdate: 1982-03-18

Height: 5’11” / 180 cm

Weight: 88 kg / 195 lbs

Drafted by: Edmonton Oilers 215th overall 2000, Calgary Flames 90th overall 2002

Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:

After failing to sign with the Edmonton Oilers after he was initially drafted by them in 2000, he was eligible in re-entering the draft in 2002 where he was picked up by the Calgary Flames.Liking his speed, he made his NHL debut the following year. In the 2003-04 season, his rookie year, he played in 79 games and had 16 goals and 29 points.

That season, the Flames made the playoffs and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals! Where they unfortunately lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. I still cry about that, thanks for asking.

He played in 13 playoff games that season where he had one goal and six points. His post-season was unfortunately cut short when he suffered an elbow to the head during the second round against the Detroit Red Wings. He was sidelined for several months, which wouldn’t be too big of an issue since it was the lockout the following season.

During the 2008-09 season, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Olli Jokinen (the Flames also sent Brandon Prust and a first-round draft pick). As you can see from the stats above, Lombardi has played for several different teams. Including playing on an international stage.

Lombardi’s played for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship twice in his career. In 2007 where they won Gold and in 2009 where they won silver. When they won Gold, Lombardi led all Canadian skaters with 12 points and he had six goals. He was named one of Canada’s three best players during the tournament.

In 2013, Lombardi joined the National League A in Switzerland where he played with the Geneve-Servette HC for three seasons. He hasn’t played in any pro league since 2015-16, however he hasn’t announced his retirement yet either.

Next: Johnny Gaudreau's Case for the Non-Olympics

At 35 years old, you’ve gotta wonder if Matthew Lombardi still has some hockey left in him.

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