How the world was different the last time the Flames won in Anaheim
The Flames fell 3-1 to the Ducks on Tuesday, extending their road losing streak against Anaheim to 25 games. The last time the Flames won a regular season game in Anaheim was Jan. 19, 2004.
Let's take a look at how things were different in January '04:
The Ducks were still "Mighty"
Ah, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. We'd all love to see Anaheim sport their Disney-themed uniforms with more regularity. It wasn't until the 2006-07 season that the Mighty Ducks traded in their teal and purple uniforms for the black, gold, and orange to become simply the "Ducks."
Ties were still a thing
Tying is such a terrible way to end a hockey game, but at the same time, shootouts aren't a whole lot better. Perhaps the most annoying part of ties was the need for four columns to write out a team's record.
The Flames hadn't gone on their miracle Cup Final run yet
At the time of their Jan. 19 win, the Flames were 23-15-4-3. They would go on to finish sixth in the Western Conference, only to upset the Canucks, Red Wings, and Sharks before losing the Stanley Cup Final to the Lightning in seven games. Aside from Jarome Iginla in his prime, the Flames were led by a then-unknown Miikka Kiprusoff in goal and a 32-year-old Craig Conroy as their No. 1 center.
Anaheim was just coming off their own miracle Cup run
Although they failed to make the playoffs in 2003-04, the Mighty Ducks were just coming off a miracle Cup run of their own. Jean-Sebastien Giguere won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, despite his team losing the series 4-3 to the Devils. Mike Babcock was the team's head coach and Paul Kariya was the captain and leading scorer in 2002-03.
The 2004-05 NHL lockout hadn't happened yet
The infamous NHL lockout of 2004-05. It was the first year in league history when there was no champion. Sad, sad times.
Neither Crosby nor Ovechkin had played an NHL game
It feels like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been the faces of the NHL for an eternity. But in 2004, neither had played an NHL game. In fact, neither had even been drafted yet.
Connor McDavid just turned 7
McDavid, the new face of the NHL, was born Jan. 13, 1997, and therefore had just turned 7 years old. He was probably already playing against 10-year-olds - and probably skating circles around them.
Barret Jackman was the reigning Calder Trophy winner
Jackman? He's not even in the NHL anymore. You're probably assuming it was a weak rookie class, but he actually edged out Henrik Zetterberg and Rick Nash to earn Rookie of the Year honors.
There had only been two Harry Potter movies
On a pop culture note, only two Harry Potter movies had been released in theatres. "The Prisoner of Azkaban," the third installment in the series, wouldn't come out until later that year.
"Hey Ya!" by OutKast was the No. 1 song
Yes, that song is still extremely catchy.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)