This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1988-89 Calgary Flames red jersey is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Calgary Flames uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Calgary Flames products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd. 1988-89 was a Stanley Cup winning season for the Calgary Flames.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Hockey League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NHL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

The Calgary Flames were the class of the NHL Smythe Division in 1988-89. Their closest division rival was now the Los Angeles Kings, not the Edmonton Oilers. The Smythe division landscape changed drastically in the off-season when the Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings for financial reasons. The Flames took full advantage of the Oilers loss capturing their second straight President's Trophy with a solid 54-17-9 record.Lanny McDonald, playing his final season, was hoping his Stanley Cup dreams would be realized after 16 stellar years of service in the NHL. In the first round of playoffs the Flames were tested early and were pushed to a 7th game by the Vancouver Canucks. Game 7 went into overtime and the Flames dreams of a Stanley Cup stood in peril before Joel Otto scored the game winner to send the Flames on to the division finals. In the Smythe Division Finals the Flames would find things easier as they swept the Los Angeles Kings in 4 straight games. Moving on to the Conference Finals the Flames continued to roll, they need just 5 games to get past the Chicago Blackhawks and into the Stanley Cup Finals.In the finals the Flames faced the Montreal Canadiens in a rematch of the 1986 Stanley Cup final. After spitting the first 2 games at home the Flames battled the Canadiens into overtime in Game 3 at the historic Montreal Forum. However, the Flames would fall in overtime 4-3. Facing the prospect of falling behind 3 games to 1 the Flames need a huge effort in Game 4. And a huge effort is what they got as they beat the Habs 4-2 to even the series at 2 games apiece. In Game 5 at the Saddledome the Flames jumped out early as Jim Otto lit the lamp 28 seconds into the game, the Flames would go on to win the game 3-2 surviving a 3rd period flurry by the Canadiens. In Game 6 at Montreal the Flames took a 2-1 lead as Lanny McDonald found the back of the net in the 2nd period. What would turn out to be McDonald's last goal would turn out to give the Flames the lead for good as Doug Gilmour scored twice in the 3rd period to give the Flames a 4-2 win and their first Stanley Cup. The Flames became the first road team to win the cup at the Montreal Forum. Defenseman Al MacInnis won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP and an emotional Lanny McDonald embraced the Stanley Cup; a fitting end to a great NHL career.When Lanny McDonald and the rest of the Flames won the cup they were wearing their red road jerseys like the one showcased here. Please note that during the finals the Flames and Canadiens wore a Stanley Cup commemorative patch on their left shoulders. It is our belief that the custom of both teams wearing a year-specific Stanley Cup patch began in 1988-89 and has continued ever since. The NHL uses a similar patch each year on the Cup finalists uniforms. The patch features an image of the Stanley Cup, with the two conference names and a year reference.