With the Toronto Raptors celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2014-15, Josh Lewenberg and TSN. Randall Cobb Super Bowl Jersey .ca take a look back at the franchises first two decades with weekly Top Five lists, counting down the standout and signature players and moments in team history. Today, we look back at the best trades and the general managers who made them. 1. Acquired the draft rights to Vince Carter and cash from Golden State for the draft rights to Antawn Jamison - June 24, 1998 (Glen Grunwald) The most important trade in Raptors history was merely a formality. Yes, Toronto selected Jamison, who would switch hats with his college teammate on draft night, but it was Carter the Raptors had targeted all along. Of the two, Jamison actually had the better body of work at UNC and was known to be the Warriors preference, selecting fifth overall. So Grunwald, drafting for the first time as general manager, nabbed the forward with the fourth pick, immediately swapping him for some cash. Sold after watching his pre-draft workouts, Grunwald saw something in Carter and his instincts didnt deceive him. While Jamison would go on to have a very good 16-year career, Carter was the franchise-altering star the Raptors desperately needed coming off a horrendous season. 2. Acquired Kyle Lowry from Houston for Gary Forbes and a first-round pick - July 11, 2012 (Bryan Colangelo) Although Lowry had been on Colangelos radar for some time - with this trade, or a variation of it on the table weeks before the trigger was ultimately pulled - the Rockets point guard was his consolation prize. To think what might have been if the Raptors courtship of the deteriorating Steve Nash had come to fruition? What condition would the organization be in now and where might Lowrys career have taken him? The trade that never was - a vetoed deal to send him to the Knicks 17 months later - also deserves mention here. In the end, Lowrys move to Toronto worked out better than anyone could have imagined and with the Rockets retooling at the time, the price was minimal. Houston would end up repackaging Torontos pick to Oklahoma City in the James Harden deal and the Thunder selected centre Steven Adams 12th overall in a weak 2013 draft. 3. Acquired Antonio Davis from Indiana for the draft rights to Jonathan Bender - Aug. 1, 1999 (Grunwald) Giving up a first-round pick, let alone a lottery selection, is always a calculated risk but Toronto was playing with found money in 1999. In a three-team trade youll find further down on this list, the Raptors gave up a young Chauncey Billups and acquired a future first-round pick from Denver, a pick that turned out to be the fifth overall selection. Coming off their best season to date, Carters rookie year, the Raptors needed immediate help and Pacers veteran Antonio Davis fit the bill. Davis would become an all-star in Toronto and help lead the team to three straight playoff appearances, while the oft-injured Bender - a high schooler chosen by Indiana with the traded pick - never came close to reaching his potential before his career was cut short. 4. Acquired Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems from Milwaukee for Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukic - Aug. 18, 2009 (Colangelo) Contending for championships with a veteran roster, particularly in the frontcourt, the Pistons gave up on a young Amir Johnson, the NBAs last player to be drafted straight out of high school. In the summer of 2009, they dumped him on the Bucks, another team with playoff aspirations, who repackaged him a couple months later hoping to get some immediate help in veteran Carlos Delfino. The Raptors had retained Delfinos rights when he left the league to play in Russia but he was not likely to suit up for them again. For basically nothing, Colangelo was happy to scoop up a 22-year-old Johnson, with very little milage on his tires despite four years in the association. Weems became a serviceable rotation player but the prize was Johnson, who has been a fixture in Torontos lineup for six seasons and counting. 5. Acquired Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons from Sacramento for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray - Dec. 9, 2013 (Masai Ujiri) There was no wizardry at work here. As Ujiri likes to say, he and his staff had no idea how this leap of faith would pan out. They certainly had no idea it would produce the type of results it has. Some believe it was a first step in the tank-job that never was. Regardless, Rudy Gay had to go if the Raptors were going to break out of no mans land and head in either direction. With Gay gone, the team - up until recently - came together in a way that cant be quantified, Lowry and DeMar DeRozan blossomed into stars and the loot they got back in return proved valuable, primarily Vasquez and Patterson, who inked new deals this summer. The Raptors have a regular season record of 69-36 since the trade. Best of the rest: 6. Acquired Charles Oakley and Sean Marks from New York for Marcus Camby - June 25, 1998 (Grunwald) Just barely missed the top five. Oak arrived at the perfect time, bringing the veteran leadership and toughness Grunwald was looking to add to his young core. Camby become a defensive staple for New York and helped lead them to a Finals appearance. Mutually beneficial deal. 7. Acquired Michael Williams, Zeljko Rebraca and two first-round picks in a three-team trade with Denver and Minnesota for Chauncey Billups and the rights to Tyson Wheeler - Jan. 21, 1999 (Grunwald) Why is this so high? Well, Billups - coming off a rough rookie season - wasnt exactly Mr. Big Shot yet and those first-rounders the Raptors got in return turned out to be pretty useful. The Nuggets pick - fifth overall in 1999 - was swapped for Antonio Davis, while Minnesotas produced Morris Peterson 21st overall in 2000. 8. Acquired Doug Christie and Herb Williams from New York for Willie Anderson and Victor Alexandar - Feb. 18, 1996 (Isiah Thomas) Christie, a Raptor for almost five seasons, helped bridge the gap between the Stoudamire (Thomas) and Carter (Grunwald) eras. An under-the-radar acquisition that produced one of the franchises most reliable, all-around performers. 9. Acquired Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall and Lonny Baxter from Chicago for Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams and Chris Jefferies - Dec. 1, 2003 (Grunwald) Grunwald had hoped the addition of Rose and Marshall could rejuvenate his sinking team and keep Carter happy in Toronto. Although things turned out differently, the two vets had productive, albeit brief Raptor tenures while Davis and JYD were expendable nearing the end of their careers. 10. Acquired Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a first and two second-round picks from New York for Andrea Bargnani - July 10, 2013 (Ujiri) The inevitable divorce. Still hard to believe Ujiri was able to snag three picks for the disgruntled Bargnani. Will be years before we know the value of them and can truly evaluate this deal. But, for now, getting basically anything for the former first-overall pick is cause for celebration. 11. Acquired Lou Williams and Lucas Nogueira from Atlanta for John Salmons and a second-round pick - June 20, 2014 (Ujiri) Still early but so far so good. Williams is in pre-injury form once again and should contend for a Sixth Man of the Year award before hitting free agency while the Hawks cut Salmons immediately to save some cash. 12. Acquired T.J. Ford from Milwaukee for Charlie Villanueva - June 30, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelo got the point guard he coveted in Ford, an important piece in Torontos first division title, while selling high on Charlie-Vs rookie season. 13. Acquired Kevin Willis from Houston for Roy Rogers and two first-round picks - June 9, 1998 (Grunwald) Like Oakley, Willis helped change the culture of a team on the rise, mentoring Carter and McGrady in their early years. Nothing came of the picks they gave up on the deal - Rockets selected Bryce Drew and Mirsad Turkcan. 14. Acquired Keon Clark, Tracy Murray and Mamadou Ndiaye from Denver for Kevin Willis, Garth Joseph, Alexandar Radojevic and a second-round pick - Jan. 12, 2001 (Grunwald) With the 38-year-old Willis serving his purpose, Grunwald exchanged him for a dynamic centre 13 years younger in Clark and two-time Raptor Tracy Murray. 15. Acquired Antonio Davis from New York for Jalen Rose and a first-round pick - Feb. 3, 2006 (Wayne Embry) Taking over for the recently dismissed Rob Babcock, Wayne Embry pulled the trigger on a move that would free up significant cap space for soon-to-be new GM Bryan Colangelo. Rose still had a full year on his deal while Davis contract - originally given to him by the Raptors - was set to expire. 16. Acquired Rasho Nesterovic from San Antonio for Eric Williams, Matt Bonner and a second-round pick - June 21, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelos second trade turned out to be a big step in his express rebuild. Nesterovic started 73 games for the division-winning Raptors club that year. Doubt anyone was sorry to see Eric Williams go. 17. Acquired Alvin Williams, Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, two firsts and one second-round pick from Portland for Damon Stoudamire, Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers - Feb. 13, 1998 (Grunwald) Inheriting the GM gig from Thomas, Grunwald made the best of a tricky situation after Stoudamire forced his hand in demanding a trade. Although Anderson refused to wear a Raptors jersey, he was immediately exchanged for an asset in Billups, while Alvin Williams blossomed into one of the franchises most important players. 18. Acquired Mike James from Houston for Rafer Alston - Oct. 4, 2005 (Rob Babcock) Babcocks only appearance on this list. Although it was mostly for naught - aside from earning him a big contract with Minnesota - James lone campaign in Toronto was one of the best single season performances in team history. 19. Acquired Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones from Phoenix for Hedo Turkoglu - July 14, 2010 (Colangelo) Ball. 20. Acquired Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley from Utah for Rafael Araujo - June 8, 2006 (Colangelo) Colangelos first trade. He could have dumped Hoffa for Kim Kardashian and it would have made this list. Jack Armstrongs picks: 1. Vince Carter for Antawn Jamison 2. Kyle Lowry for Gary Forbes and a first-rounder 3. Antonio Davis for Jonathan Bender 4. Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray 5. Charles Oakley and Sean Marks for Marcus Camby Tony Brown Super Bowl Jersey .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge. Aaron Jones Super Bowl Jersey CALGARY - Flames goaltenders Reto Berra and Karri Ramo faced a daunting task at training camp last September. Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. It was a tall order and the Flames struggled at the start of the season. But there finally appear to be signs that the team may be ready to turn things around. Berra and Ramo have helped Calgary to a 5-4-2 record in its last 11 games, with three losses coming in close games against league heavyweights Pittsburgh and Boston. Berra entered the holiday break on a high after helping the Flames to a 4-3 shootout win Monday over the surging St. Louis Blues. He made 32 saves and stopped all three shots in the shootout to improve to 5-8-2 on the season. Berra is also a perfect 3-0 in shootouts, an area in which Kiprusoff historically struggled (23-37). "Overall Im happy with where I am," he said. "For my first year over here, Ive played solid, Ive played calm and Ive played my game. "I want to have more wins but sometimes you cant control that." Once described by former Flames general manager Jay Feaster as the “best goaltenders not playing in the NHL,” Berra and Ramo are still adjusting to the league since coming over from Europe. The ice surface is smaller and there is more traffic in front of the net. "One thing Ive been working on is trying to track the puck and follow it with my body," said Berra. "Also, guys here shoot perfect shots so you cant just go down and hope it hits you, you have to read the shot. Thats a big part of where Im way better than at the start of the season. "I can read the shots and where theyre coming." Ramo, who spent the last four seasons in the KHL, is more familiar with the North American game than his teammate. The 27-year-old native of Asikkala, Finland spent three seasons in the Tampa Bay organization after being selected by the Lightning in the sixth round of the 2004 entry draft. "Im trying to be quicker with my positioning so I can get set and see more pucks," said Ramo. "If you can play a little bit more outside the crease and still be quick, thats always better. Berra, a 26-year-old native of Bulach, Switzerland, said he has also noticed a big difference in the number of blocked shots. One of the trademarks of the Flames blue-collar style of play, Calgary has blocked 688 shots this season, second only to Montreal (725). Custom Packers Super Bowl Jerseys. Individually, defencemen Kris Russell (105), Chris Butler (100) and Ladislav Smid (83) all rank in the top 10. "I think the guys would jump face first into shots, they have so much commitment to the Flames," Berra said with a laugh. "They play like a goalie. Sometimes if theres not many shots, its hard to get into the game and Ill be thinking, Hey, let it through, I want to save something too." Flames coach Bob Hartley has been pleased with how his two goaltenders have improved. "Very happy with their progression," Hartley said. "Theyre two great guys. They want to learn, they want to contribute to the team success. They get along great together. Were trying to give them streaks where if they play well, we ride them." Berra started 11 of 12 games in one stretch, starting with a spectacular 42-save win in his NHL debut in Chicago. Lately its been Ramos turn, as he has started eight of the last 12 and is playing his finest hockey of the year. Hes gone 4-2-2 in that span with a 2.06 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. On the season, Ramo is 6-6-3 with a 2.79 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He attended Finlands Olympic orientation in July, but thinks there is little chance hell be in Sochi this February given the countrys depth at the goaltending position. Its unclear if Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne will be ready for the Games as hes still recovering from a hip infection. However, Finland is still loaded with other options, including Bostons Tuukka Rask, San Joses Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen of Dallas. "With Finland and the goalies, pretty easy decisions for the people who are selecting," said Ramo. "Theyve been well known for so long in Finland and played in the NHL for so long and have been so good." Its a different scenario for Berra. After a strong showing last May at the world championships, he fully expects to be in the mix on the Swiss team. "For sure," Berra said. "Plus Ive made my next step personally by now playing in the NHL." The Flames, who sit 11 points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, return to action Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. ' ' '