It’s not over yet: As Calgary teeters on the brink, here’s five historical inspirations

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The Flames prospects for a historic playoff turnaround against the dastardly Anaheim Ducks look decidedly bleak.

But if history (or Yogi Berra) tells us anything, it’s that it’s never over until it’s over.

Here’s a sampling of some historic comebacks that should (hopefully) inspire some hope in nervous Flames fans: The return of The King: Elvis Presley was the King of Rock and Roll, but his career had hit the skids in the 1960s as music fans flocked to the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones while Presley focused on his movie career. That all changed in 1968 with the “68 Comeback Special,” his first live performance in seven years.

The show, aired on NBC, was the network’s highest rated show of the year and propelled The King back into the spotlight.

‘Just watch me’: Pierre Elliott Trudeau is Canada’s third longest serving prime minister, in power for parts of three decades.

But the “Trudeaumania” of the 1960s didn’t last, and by 1979 declining poll numbers saw Trudeau ousted by Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark.

Nine months later, and after a non-confidence vote in the Tory budget, Trudeau once again ran as Liberal leader, reclaiming 33 seats and returning to Canada’s top job, where he served as prime minister until he stepped down in 1984. That other Winter War: Hockey may be a winter sport but the snowy season can wreak havoc on plans for military conquest. In 1939, the Soviet Union’s massive Red Army rolled into tiny Finland, determined to annex the Nordic nation.

Despite a Soviet invasion force of some 450,000 men, easily dwarfing their foes, the Finns used logs and crowbars to slow tanks while snow-camouflaged soldiers on skis used Molotov cocktails on the invaders.

Hostilities came to an end with the Moscow Peace Treaty, which ceded 11 per cent of Finnish territory and 30 per cent of their economic assets, but maintained self-rule. Never bet against an iron will: Before he donned Iron Man’s armour or picked up Sherlock Holmes’ magnifying glass, Robert Downey Jr. had watched a promising career derailed by addiction.

The actor landed an Oscar nomination for 1992’s Chaplin but between 1996-2000 he found himself in several run-ins with law enforcement on drug charges.

It wasn’t until 2008 that he landed firmly back on his feet, landing the lead role of Tony Stark in Iron Man. From bust to boom: Calgary is no stranger to slumps, but in the 1980s, a major recession quickly followed by a second downturn spurred by plunging oil prices dashed the dreams of those working in the energy-based economy.

Compounding the pain was a crushing drop in housing prices amidst high interest rates, forcing many to foreclose on their home.

But the city would rebound in the ’90s as oil prices skyrocketed, ushering in a major economic boom that ultimately saw the Ralph Klein government pay off the province’s debt.