In the 102-year history of the National Hockey League, 348 individuals have played 1,000 or more regular season games. 44 of them, or 12.6%, have played some part of their career with the Atlanta or Calgary Flames. We call these players Long-Timers.
Let’s take a look at Rob Ramage.
An Ontario kid, Ramage was a standout with the junior London Knights as a lad. He was signed as a free agent by the WHA’s Birmingham Bulls in 1978 before becoming the first overall pick in the 1979 NHL Draft, selected by the lowly Colorado Rockies. (Aside: he’s one of just five first overall picks to spend some time with the Flames – the others are Barry Gibbs, Mel Bridgman, Owen Nolan and Roman Hamrlik.