On Oct. 15, 1983, the Calgary Flames skated onto the ice for the first regular season game at the Olympic Saddledome and dropped a 4-3 decision to the Edmonton Oilers. More than four decades later, on Apr. 10, 2026, the Flames are set to play their final regular season game at the building.
The roster from that opening-night game reads like a snapshot of a different era in franchise history.
In goal, Reggie Lemelin got the start with Don Edwards behind him. The defence group featured Steve Konroyd, Paul Baxter, Keith Hanson, Kari Eloranta, Paul Reinhart and Jamie Macoun.
Up front were Mike Eaves, Doug Risebrough, Lanny McDonald, Hakan Loob, Steve Tambellini, Jamie Hislop, Dave Hindmarch, Tim Hunter, Jim Peplinski, Steve Bozek, Eddy Beers and Jeff Brubaker. Kent Nilsson was scratched with an injury, while Kari Jalonen and Mickey Volcan were healthy scratches.
McDonald had the distinction of scoring the first Flames goal in Saddledome history, burying a power play chance set up by Eddy Beers and Paul Reinhart. Hindmarch and Risebrough also found the net, but the Flames never got in front. Lemelin stopped 27 of 31 shots in the loss.
The game itself was anything but smooth. According to the Calgary Herald, the building’s early days came with plenty of small problems and not much flow.
There were 18 minutes of delays because the new glass panes kept popping out of their stanchions, forcing repeated fixes. Fans also had to deal with pigeons that had been nesting in the roof during construction.
Those birds were eventually chased out after a couple of weeks, only for a sparrow to get in soon after and stay until it, too, was removed weeks later.
Even the basics were still coming together. The zamboni was borrowed from the Stampede Corral across the street.
The media workroom reportedly had no electrical outlets, and the upper-level washrooms didn’t yet have working running water. Most of those issues were sorted out by the Flames’ second home game on Oct.
As for that first Saddledome lineup, the careers split in a few different directions.
Jeff Brubaker left as a free agent in 1984, followed by Steve Tambellini in 1985, Dave Hindmarch and Keith Hanson in 1986, Reggie Lemelin and Kari Eloranta in 1987, and Hakan Loob in 1989. Jamie Hislop retired in 1984, Mike Eaves in 1985, Doug Risebrough and Paul Baxter in 1987, Lanny McDonald in 1989 and Jim Peplinski in 1990.
Don Edwards was traded to Toronto in 1985, Steve Konroyd went to the New York Islanders in 1986, Eddy Beers was dealt to St. Louis in 1986, Steve Bozek also landed in St.
Louis in 1988, Paul Reinhart was sent to Vancouver in 1988 and Jamie Macoun went to Toronto in 1992. Tim Hunter was claimed in the 1992 expansion draft by Tampa Bay.
Five players from that first Saddledome game later became part of the Flames’ 1989 Stanley Cup team: Jamie Macoun, Lanny McDonald, Hakan Loob, Tim Hunter and Jim Peplinski. Doug Risebrough had already retired by then, but he was still on the championship staff as an assistant coach.
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