Forget the new millennium.

For Albertans, the real new millennium arrived more than a decade ago on May 25, 1989. That's when the Calgary Flames, born 18 years earlier in the deep south, came of age in the far north, and won hockey's ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.

The Cup was actually won in Montreal when the Flames posted a 4-2 victory over the Canadiens, who had only won 23 more Cups in their storied history. For Calgary, it was their first. The ensuing celebration, one of the greatest in Calgary's history, remains forever embedded in the minds of Alberta hockey fans. Ditto the endearing image of mustachioed Lanny McDonald parading around the Montreal Forum, exulting with the Cup itself. Unfortunately, hockey's long and exciting tradition in Calgary had never included a National Hockey League team and the city had long been overshadowed by the immense presence, on the ice and off, of their neighbors to the north, the imposing Edmonton Oilers. That all changed with the Cup triumph. NHL hockey in Calgary traces its roots to the date of June 24, 1980, when the Atlanta Flames relocated from the sunshine of Georgia to the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. Considering the thousands of miles involved, it was a relatively seamless transition. Buy Calgary Flames Tickets.