As far as goaltending goes throughout Flames history, there’s only a few players for the fans/franchise to hang their collective hats on. The good news is those few players were AWESOME and Mike Vernon was one of the best.
The Flames would acquire the 5’9 goaltender in the 3rd round of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Calgary initially never had this pick, but they traded the Miracle On Ice hero Jim Craig to his hometown Boston Bruins in exchange for the 56th pick in the draft. That’s where Vernon was taken and that’s where the Flames franchise fortunes changed.