CALGARY - Embarrassing, unacceptable, ugly and warts were the Calgary Flames’ own descriptors of what was going to be an occasion at the Saddledome.
asserted
what → go → 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.
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team → intend → 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.
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montage → commemorate → game
The Flames will move to Scotia Place next year.
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Flames → move → Place
But the sparkle began leaving the arena when the Kraken scored twice in a 32-second span nine minutes after puck drop.
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Kraken → begin → drop
Another Seattle goal with 30 seconds left in the period further dampened the vibe.
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goal → leave → vibe
After a scoreless second period, the Kraken pounced on Flames’ breakdowns to score two quick goals again early in the third.
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Kraken → pounce → 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.
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who → ’m → period
“You’re not going to win every night.
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You → go → ?
We’re going to have some tough ones.
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We → go → 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.
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ethic → go → ups
That’s unacceptable.
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That → ’ → ?
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.
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which → rank → 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.
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Flames → tie → building
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.
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Huska → block → work
“I feel like you saw all of our warts in one night,” Huska said.
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Huska → feel → night
“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.
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that → see → that
“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.
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they → have → things
The Flames were shut out for just the second time in a season-opener after falling 3-0 to Vancouver in 2002.
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Flames → shut → 2002
It was the most lopsided loss in a season-opener since falling 5-1 to the Canucks in 2015.
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It → fall → 2015
“It’s embarrassing,” said Zach Whitecloud, whose collision with defensive partner Yan Kuznetsov led to Seattle’s fourth goal on a breakaway.
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collision → ’ → breakaway
“I’m not sitting here saying that I’m not responsible for any of it.
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I → sit → 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.
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we → ’m → group
Defenceman Vince Dunn assisted on Seattle’s first goal and scored the second to draw the energy out of the building.
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Dunn → assist → building
“I’ve never really been at the Saddledome when it’s been that loud, to be honest, right from the start,” Dunn said.
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Dunn → say → start
“That was pretty cool to see just the energy of the crowd and obviously the commitment by everyone.
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That → see → 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.”
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it → ’ → that
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.
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who → acquire → Flames
The Flames also picked up the 33-year-old Strome at the trade deadline from Anaheim.
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Flames → pick → Anaheim
Both veterans were candid about Calgary’s failure to launch Thursday.
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veterans → launch → failure
“If you’re a professional athlete, you go home feeling good about this one, I mean, something’s wrong with you,” Strome said.
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Strome → ’re → you
“Good thing is we got a lot of proud guys.
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we → get → guys
I know a lot guys are pretty pissed off.
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guys → know → ?
“We’ve got great fan base.
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We → get → base
They come out and they support us like this tonight and to do that really sucks.”
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do → come → that
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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