2000–01 Calgary Flames season
The 2000–01 Calgary Flames season was the 21st National Hockey League season in Calgary. It was a season for change, as the Flames let longtime general manager Al Coates go shortly before the draft and replaced him with highly touted Craig Button, previously with the Dallas Stars. The team also let head coach Brian Sutter go and replaced him with rookie coach Don Hay. Hay would only last 68 games before being fired and replaced by Greg Gilbert. The off-season also featured a "Save the Flames" ticket drive campaign, as owners warned that the team could be sold in the face of declining attendance and the pressures of doing business in American dollars while earning revenues in Canadian dollars. The threats brought fears of the Flames moving south, as the Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets had done in previous seasons. The goal was to increase the Flames' season-ticket base from its 1999–2000 low of 8,700 to 14,000. The drive was ultimately successful, with the team reaching its ticket goal and acquiring a new title sponsor for their home arena, the Saddledome, as Pengrowth Management took over the naming rights from the defunct Canadian Airlines. On the ice, the Flames continued