If either of the NHL’s teams in Alberta, Canada, were to be called the Flames, it might seem more logical if it were Edmonton, given its oil fields. The Calgary Flames, however, simply inherited the nickname when the Atlanta Flames relocated in 1980. Thus, they join such teams as the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz in keeping nicknames that don’t really fit their current communities. Flames, however, was an odd choice even when the team was in Atlanta, since it referred to a terrible event in city history, namely the fire that leveled Atlanta during the Civil War.
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