It was a day many Calgary Flames fans had circled on their calendar. The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was supposed to be the first glimmer of hope in a dark few years in Calgary. As is tradition, things managed to somehow get even darker as the Flames fell down to 6th overall, with the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks claiming the top two picks in the draft.
It would be an understatement to say yesterday’s lottery results were a crushing blow to an already fragile fan base in Calgary. To put things into perspective, the Flames will bid adieu to their arena of 43 years next summer, and yesterday’s lottery results ensured the ‘Dome will never see a single top-three pick in it’s entire history.
43 years of bad luck
The Saddledome officially opened its doors in 1983. Since then, it has been home to the Calgary Flames for 43 consecutive years, making it one of the longest tenured buildings in NHL history. This coming season will represent the 43rd season the Flames have played in the historic building. Throughout those 43 years, the Flames will have made zero top-three draft picks. In other words, the Saddledome will come and go without a single homegrown top-three pick in its entire 43-year history. A truly remarkable feat.
Missed opportunities
So, in those 43 years, how many times have the Flames missed the playoffs and also missed out on a top-three selection? Let’s break down the numbers.
| Season | Draft Slot |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 6th |
| 1996-97 | 6th |
| 1997-98 | 6th |
| 1998-99 | 9th (Traded down to 11th) |
| 1999-00 | 9th |
| 2000-01 | 11th (Traded down to 14th) |
| 2001-02 | 9th (Traded down to 10th) |
| 2002-03 | 9th |
| 2009-10 | 13th (Traded pick) |
| 2010-11 | 13th |
| 2011-12 | 14th (Trade down to 21st) |
| 2012-13 | 6th |
| 2013-14 | 4th |
| 2015-16 | 6th |
| 2017-18 | 12th (Traded pick) |
| 2020-21 | 13th |
| 2022-23 | 16th |
| 2023-24 | 9th |
| 2024-25 | 16th (Traded pick) |
| 2025-26 | 6th |
Overall, the Flames have missed the playoffs 20 times since moving into the Saddledome in 1983. Across those 20 seasons in which they missed the playoffs, they picked inside the top 10, 11 times. However, despite landing in the top 10 a total of 11 times, they managed just one single pick inside the top four in 2014. The other 10 times, the Flames picked in the 6-10 range.
It’s frankly remarkable that a team that has missed the playoffs as much as the Flames over the past 43 years has somehow managed to dodge a top-three pick every time. It’s perhaps even more remarkable that they’ve somehow picked in the top five just once, and have made a whopping six selections at sixth overall.
An unfortunate past
44 years of Flames hockey will have taken place when the Saddledome officially closes its doors next year. In those 44 years, the building won’t see a single homegrown top-three pick walk through its doors. Yesterday’s nightmare lottery result was just another disappointment in a long list of them over the Saddledome’s historic tenure.