“We were down 3-0 in the game and battled back, the place was jumping,” Stajan recently recalled. “I was lucky enough to score a late goal in that game, the arena absolutely shook.
“So many good memories here, but obviously with the personal tie-in, and playing in the playoffs that year, it was a fun time.”
What a time to score your first Stanley Cup playoff goal, too. And for a centre that played more than 550 games in a Flames sweater, it’s easy to understand just how cemented the C of Red - and that moment - are in his trove of favourite hockey memories.
“It was incredible,” Stajan said of the energy in the building. “I remember coming to Game 6, showing up at the rink. The fans were going all day getting ready for the game. We go out and do our warm-up and we play a little soccer before the game, you could hear the crowd already, the noise was already going and we were more than an hour before puck drop.
“You feel it in the city, especially in the playoffs you see jerseys everywhere, but when you come into the rink and come out onto that ice, it's an incredible feeling and it definitely gives you a boost to have that support.”
Since retiring as a player, Stajan has stayed in the organization, seen frequently on that Saddledome ice in his role as a skills consultant.
Peering around the rink, a different memory around each corner, he reminisces.
“I'm going to miss it. Since I got traded here and moved here in 2010 it's been 16 years where I came to work and got to play in the best league in the world, for one of the best franchises. The in-game atmosphere; I don't think there's anything like it in the league. So I think everybody's got to embrace it this year.
“I’m sure we're going to have a lot of great memories at the new rink here in Calgary. But there's a lot of memories at the Saddledome. It's gonna be definitely bittersweet to say goodbye to it, because it's a part of our lives, part of the city, the skyline.
"It's beautiful.”
