Embarrassing, unacceptable, ugly and warts were the Calgary Flames’ own descriptors of what was going to be an occasion at the Saddledome.
A team intending to take a step forward and score more goals in 2026-27 dropped their final season-opener at the Saddledome with a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
Red T-shirts commemorating the farewell season at the Saddledome on every seat for fans and a soaring pre-game video montage of the 43-year-old building’s greatest moments made for a celebratory start to the game. The Flames will move to Scotia Place next year.
But the sparkle began leaving the arena when the Kraken scored twice in a 32-second span nine minutes after puck drop. Another Seattle goal with 30 seconds left in the period further dampened the vibe.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy seeks scoring boost in team’s final season in Saddledome
After a scoreless second period, the Kraken pounced on Flames’ breakdowns to score two quick goals again early in the third.
“I’m disappointed for the fans and for us because I know that’s not the product we want to put on the ice and especially in such a memorable season,” said forward Ryan Strome, who scored Calgary’s lone goal late in the third period.
“You’re not going to win every night. We’re going to have some tough ones. We’re going to have some ups and downs, but I think the work ethic and the compete and the non-negotiable slipped away. That’s unacceptable.
“It was just ugly.”
The Flames (34-39-9) ranked 29th among the NHL’s 32 teams and were the lowest-scoring last season, which accelerated general manager Craig Conroy’s youth movement and ushered some veteran players out the door.
Tied for the seventh-youngest opening day roster in the NHL, the Flames are leaning into their 20-somethings to drive progress ahead of the move to the new building.
But it was a demoralizing start for Calgary. After six penalties to Seattle’s one, while the Kraken blocked 20 shots to Calgary’s nine, Flames head coach Ryan Huska did not sugar-coat the work ahead.
“I feel like you saw all of our warts in one night,” Huska said. “You can see it from the management of the puck, that’s been an issue for us for a while, the penalties that we took, there’s a lot that showed up tonight.
“Our group has to, they’ve got to come out of their comfort zone and they can’t just do things they want to do.”
The Flames were shut out for just the second time in a season-opener after falling 3-0 to Vancouver in 2002. It was the most lopsided loss in a season-opener since falling 5-1 to the Canucks in 2015.
“It’s embarrassing,” said Zach Whitecloud, whose collision with defensive partner Yan Kuznetsov led to Seattle’s fourth goal on a breakaway. “I’m not sitting here saying that I’m not responsible for any of it. I’m at the top of the list, so hold each other accountable, go over what needs to go over, have those hard conversations, and we’ve got to grow as a group.
“That one in front of our home crowd, opening night last year at the ‘Dome, unacceptable.”
Defenceman Vince Dunn assisted on Seattle’s first goal and scored the second to draw the energy out of the building.
“I’ve never really been at the Saddledome when it’s been that loud, to be honest, right from the start,” Dunn said. “That was pretty cool to see just the energy of the crowd and obviously the commitment by everyone.
“It’s their last year in the building, so they’re obviously trying to support the team and whatnot, so I thought that was really huge to get them out of it and it’s good to start on the road like that, for sure.”
Whitecloud, who was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in January in the Rasmus Andersson trade, was given a letter as an alternate captain with the Flames.
The Flames also picked up the 33-year-old Strome at the trade deadline from Anaheim. Both veterans were candid about Calgary’s failure to launch Thursday.
“If you’re a professional athlete, you go home feeling good about this one, I mean, something’s wrong with you,” Strome said. “Good thing is we got a lot of proud guys. I know a lot of guys are pretty pissed off.
“We’ve got great fan base. They come out and they support us like this tonight and to do that really sucks.”
