Do you remember Blake Comeau?

Every once in a while, we take a look at a player who once played for the Calgary Flames in a series called “A Flame From the Past.” This player has to have played a significant number of games for the Flames. I’ll put every Flames’ season into a Wheel of Names, and this time, it landed on the 2011-12 season. In this article, we’ll look at Blake Comeau.

Comeau was born in the somewhat remote town of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, adeptly named for the neighbouring Meadow Lake. The winger began his junior career with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets, playing three games with them in 2001-02. By 2002-03, he became a regular, scoring five goals and 23 points in 54 games, along with two goals and three points in 19 playoff games.

The Rockets went on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup that season, but fell in the semifinal to Hull Olympiques. Comeau’s next season was his draft year, and he turned in 10 goals and 33 points in 71 games, with four goals and six points in 17 playoff games as the Rockets fell in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Just like they do this season, the Rockets hosted the 2004 Memorial Cup, winning their first ever Memorial Cup. A month later, Comeau was drafted 47th overall by the New York Islanders.

Due to the National Hockey League lockout, Comeau returned to the Rockets for the 2004-05 season. In 65 games, he scored a career-best 24 goals with 47 points. In 24 post-season games, Comeau scored six goals and 18 points in 24 games, helping the Rockets win the Ed Chynoweth Cup for the second time in three years.

Thanks to that lockout, the greatest Memorial Cup in history was played, featuring the London Knights, Rimouski Océanic, Ottawa 67’s, and Rockets. Alongside Comeau was Hall of Famer Shea Weber, as the Rockets lost all four games they played. It cannot be understated how awesome this Memorial Cup was, and it’s one of my first hockey memories.

In his final junior year, Comeau scored 21 goals and a career-high 74 points, along with four goals and 13 points in 12 playoff games. As is the case with most junior teams, the Rockets best players aged out, as they were bounced in the second round. That gave Comeau time to play in the American Hockey League playoffs, where he picked up three assists for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The 2006-07 season was Comeau’s first full season as a professional, scoring 12 goals and 43 points in 61 games, earning a cup of tea with the Islanders, where he was held pointless in three games. Comeau played another 31 games in the AHL in 2007-08, but became a regular in the Islanders’ line, scoring eight goals and 15 points in 51 games. The following season, he scored seven goals and 25 points in 53 games.

By 2009-10, Comeau cemented himself as an NHLer, and he scored a then career-best 17 goals and 35 points in 61 games. He quickly surpassed the goal and point total in 2010-11, scoring a career-best 24 goals and 46 points in 77 games.

After 16 pointless games in 2011-12, Comeau was waived and claimed by the Flames, a pretty questionable decision on the part of the Islanders. He finished that season with five goals and 15 points in 58 games. During the lockout-impacted 2012-13 season, Comeau scored four goals and seven points in 33 games, but was then traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fifth-rounder in the 2013 draft. The Flames picked left-shot defenceman Eric Roy with that pick, who ironically was born in Meadow Lake.

To end the 2013-14 season, Comeau scored two goals and five points in nine games. His 2013-14 season was also spent with the Blue Jackets, where he scored five goals and 16 points in 61 games. Comeau also got his first taste of the NHL playoffs, as he was held pointless in six post-season games.

In the 2014 off-season, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring 16 goals and 31 points in 61 games that season, as well as his first playoff goal. The following off-season, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche, scoring 12 goals and 36 points in 81 games. In 2016-17, Comeau scored eight goals and 20 points in 77 games, then 13 goals and 34 points in 79 games during the 2017-18 season.

Comeau’s final team was the Dallas Stars. In 2018-19, Comeau scored seven goals and 18 points in 77 games, with a goal and an assist in 13 playoff games. During the pandemic-impacted 2019-20 season, Comeau scored eight goals and 16 points in 55 games before the shutdown. When play resumed, the Stars went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, with Comeau scoring two goals and seven points in 23 games, his final post-season action.

The 2020-21 season was Comeau’s final full-season in the league, scoring four goals and 14 points in 51 games. He played an additional six games in 2021-22, but hung up the skates at the conclusion of that season, ending a 15-year career.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.This article is brought to you by Platinum MitsubishiThis article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family-owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.The Mitsubishi Motors lineup includes the industry-leading Outlander and Outlander PHEV, as well as the compact Eclipse Cross and RVR models. New for February, take advantage of available 0% financing for up to 84 months on all in-stock 2025 Outlander PHEVs! Check out Platinum’s inventory here.