Calgary Flames fail to make FanSided’s Fandom 250 list
By Ramina Shlah
We all know that Calgary Flames fans are obviously the best fans in the world. But unfortunately, they didn’t make this year’s Fandom 250 list.
This year, eight NHL teams made FanSided’s Fandom 250 list. Unfortunately, the Calgary Flames were not one of those eight teams. First, let’s explain what Fandom 250 is. In short, it’s the ultimate ranking of fandoms. This ranks anywhere from sports figures to sports teams to musicians to movies.
In the NHL section, the Pittsburgh Penguins ranked as the top team in the NHL. In the entire list, the Pens ranked 14th overall. I mean, winning back to back Stanley Cups is a big help. They moved up 56 spots from their ranking last year.
This is what Fandom 250 explained about the Pens:
"A quick look at the Penguin’s social media platforms tells you all you need to know about their fanbase. On Facebook, the team has an incredible two million followers to go with 1.68 million on Twitter. For comparison’s sake, the St. Louis Blues, who have been around for the same amount of time, have 629,000 Twitter followers. Pittsburgh also has an active sellout streak stretching to almost 500 games."
Related Story: Fandom 250: Pittsburgh Penguins fans named best in NHL
In the NHL section, only the Boston Bruins were the lone Original Six team not to make it. The Flames were one of four Canadian teams not to make the list. To see more about which NHL teams made it, Mike Dyce shows it here.
So why not the Flames?
Well, the Detroit Red Wings were the lowest ranked NHL team to make the list. They have 1.2 million Twitter followers. The Calgary Flames have less than half of that. The Flames have always been known as somewhat of an underdog type of team. But getting swept in the first round of the playoffs may have been a factor.
Fandom 250 was just brought into action last year. But maybe if it was brought in 2015, the Flames could have potentially made the cut. With the likes of small but impressionable Johnny Gaudreau having a fantastic rookie season and making a name for himself and with the Flames making the playoffs for the first time in six years, there were reasons for them to make it.
Not only did they clinch in 2015 in the second last game of the regular season vs. the LA Kings, but they also simultaneously eliminated the Kings from the playoffs in the process. The Kings were the defending cup champs and have won twice in the last three years. A team who hadn’t made the playoffs in six years eliminated them and basically had everyone on their side while they did it.
The Calgary Flames also made it to the second round of the playoffs that season – a feat they hadn’t done in over a decade.
This past season, the Flames made the playoffs, but they weren’t as exciting as they were in 2014-15. Their Battle of Alberta foes, the Edmonton Oilers, who ranked at #5 on the NHL list and 175th overall, had more reasons to make it. With the newest craze in Connor McDavid (trust me, I hated writing that too) and the Oilers making it to the playoffs for the first time in a decade, AND making it to the second round, everyone was watching them. And it was the first time any Oilers player was able to even Tweet about making the playoffs. So they definitely increased their Twitter activity.
Next: Has Glen Gulutzan lost the ear of the team?
It’s disappointing that the Flames didn’t make the list. But it’s a new season with some fresh new faces in the lineup and some sort of legend on the team as well. If they can keep up their momentum and keep the fans on their toes, they may be able to make the 2018 list. Fingers crossed!