Anthony Mantha Dropped A Gordie Howe Hat Trick In His Flames Debut

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We're getting our regular first looks at some new faces in new places, and one of them is Anthony Mantha who made his Calgary Flames debut on Wednesday night and impressed by dropping a Gordie Howe hat trick in the Flames' upset win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Mantha split last season with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals and signed a one-year deal with Calgary over the offseason.

Obviously, we'll see how the other 81 games go, but I bet the Flames are pleased with their investment after game numero uno because Mantha had himself a night.

Mantha got his night started with a beauty of a shorthanded goal late in the first period with his Flames already trailing 3-0.

I think it's a safe bet that the Flames wouldn't mind seeing a few more of those this season.

The first period was an eventful one for Mantha. Not long after his goal, Vancouver's Brock Boeser scored to extend the Canucks lead again, and about a minute after that, Mantha dropped the mitts with Canucks forward JT Miller. 

And it was a good one.

Alright, for those playing at home, before the horn sounded to end the first period, Mantha had himself a goal (a shorty better yet) and a fight.

All he needed was an assist to complete a Gordie Howe hat trick, a rare feat that even Mr. Hockey only achieved twice in his decades-long 1,800-game-strong career.

Mantha sealed the deal with an assist on a goal from Martin Pospisil to bring the Flames within one early in the third. 

The Flames potted two more while the Canucks added one in the third, which sent this one to overtime, where Calagary's Connor Zary scored the game-winner.

It was a big debut for Mantha, but a great way to start the year for the Flames. I think most people still assume that the Pacific Division's top 3 will be some combination of Edmonton (who were blown out in their opener against Winnipeg by a score of 6-0), Vancouver, and Vegas. 

However, a gutsy win like that could mean that the Flames could be a factor this year.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.