Calgary Flames 40 Days Until the Season Starts: #40 Alex Tanguay

There’s only a little over a month left until the regular season starts up again! With 40 days left, 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.

Last time we talked about a guy who has had a very long and successful career – just not necessarily in the NHL. That was #42 Sergei Makarov.

Today with just 40 days (!!) left until the regular season starts up again, let’s talk about a player who has gone somewhat back-and-forth between teams. Let’s take a look at #40 Alex Tanguay.

Who is Alex Tanguay?

Name: Alex Joseph Jean Tanguay

Birth place: Ste-Justine, QC, Canada

Position: LW

Shoots: Left

Birthdate: 1979-11-21

Height: 6’1” / 185 cm

Weight: 88 kg / 194 lbs

Drafted by: Colorado Avalanche, 12th overall 1998

Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:

After being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, Alex Tanguay only spent one season down in the QMJHL before getting the call up. And he would spend the rest of his career up at the NHL level. He scored his first NHL point in his first NHL game on October 5th, 1999. He was second in rookie scoring for that season with 51 points in 77 games.

The following season for Tanguay was much better. He scored 27 goals and recorded 77 points in 82 games and had an impressive +35. Something else exciting happened for the Avalanche that season, the 2000-01 season. They won their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

And Tanguay? I don’t know, I don’t think he was THAT important. I mean, he did only get 21 points in 23 playoff games and scored two goals in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, one resulting in the game-winner. You know, minimal things.

Here is a video of his goals in that game:

(The quality isn’t the best but this was 16 years ago).

As you can see in the stats above, his point production dropped a lot the following season. He did slightly rebound in 2002-03, but wouldn’t you if you were offered to the Boston Bruins early in the season, but the deal fell through? That must have been a bit of a shot at your ego, hey?

Good thing the deal never went through, because the following season, he improved even more. He had a career-high 79 points (which was ninth in the league). After suffering a knee injury, he still put up a respectable amount of points and was one of the Avs best players. But his playoff production wasn’t what the team would have liked and they decided to trade his rights over to the Calgary Flames (yay) in 2006.

However, he did only spend two years with the Flames because he wanted out. Him and Head Coach Mike Keenan didn’t quite get along and in just his second year with the club, he requested a trade. And in the off-season in 2008, home he went! Back to Quebec.

However, it wasn’t always a dream for Tanguay to play for the Montreal Canadiens. In fact, it was never a dream of his. Which may sound odd. Why would someone from the province not want to play for the team!? Well, for him, he was worried about the expectations of being a french-Canadian player in Montreal.

Via The Hockey News:

I’m a little nervous, being French Canadian and coming here and knowing about the expectations and stuff like that.But I’m not coming here to be the saviour. The team is excellent. It’s got a lot of firepower. They fell short a little last year (in the playoffs) and I’m just hoping to add to that and do my share to help them out.

Tanguay started off well with the Habs, but again, injuries got the best of him and he missed over 30 games from a shoulder injury. Because of that, the Habs didn’t re-sign him, and he chose to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning instead.

He struggled with the Lightning as well and hit some career lows. He at one point after a loss to a his former team, the Avs, he even said “I’ve forgotten how to play.”

Via Denver Post:

“I’ve forgotten how to play. I’m struggling right now.[…]I just have to keep working and get my game going again.

Now this back-and-forth with Tanguay comes into play. With Mike Keenan being gone and a new bench boss in town, Tanguay signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent. And during his last season with the Flames in 2012-2013, he would play with his former coach, Bob Hartley. The one who coached the Avs to a Stanley Cup in 2001.

However again, he didn’t play as much as he could have with the Flames because injuries got the best of him again. Now we get into some more back-and-forth. In 2013, Tanguay was traded back to his original team: the Colorado Avalanche. And he would later be joined by former Flames teammate, Jarome Iginla.

He wouldn’t spend too long with the Avalanche as he would be traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in February of 2016 to finish his career off with the Coyotes. Tanguay went unsigned last summer and is now working with the NHL Network.

Next: Flames Throwback Thursday: Game 6 Against the Canucks

Tanguay has only ever played internationally for his country on one occasion: in 1998 at the WJC. Canada finished eighth overall. But he does have something most kids dream about: Winning the Stanley Cup.

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