As we've learned in the past couple of seasons here in Calgary, defense is incredibly important and it helps to have good defensemen on your side. In four decades of Flames hockey, there have been a few really good defenders and a handful of great ones.
Here's the first half of our rundown of the ten best Flames defensemen in history.
#10: PHIL RUSSELL
Flame from 1978-79 to 1982-83
Phil Russell was a 30-point defensemen. He came over to the Atlanta Flames mid-season from Chicago in a seven-player deal, and I have to think the idea was to bring a bit of veteran leadership to the young club.