Al MacInnis was drafted 15th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, however he wouldn't see regular action with the club until the 1983-84 season.

The seven-time winner of the Hardest Shot competition at the annual NHL All-Star Game, Al MacInnis is acknowledged as possessing the hardest slapshot in the NHL, and although at one time he used it at every opportunity, MacInnis later learned to harness the fear of his shot to set up plays, take an extra step or unleash the blast with another drive.

Over thirteen seasons with the Calgary Flames MacInnis' best season came in 1988-89. That season, the defenseman captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs en route to the club's first Stanley Cup.

MacInnis steps into his famous slap-shot at the 1994 All-Star Game in New York. Throughout his career he would be named to fifteen All-Star Games.

Anchoring the blue line in St. Louis, MacInnis won the Norris Trophy as leagues top defenseman in 1999. That same season, the St. Louis Blues recorded 114 points and captured their first Presidents' Trophy.

Al MacInnis retired from the NHL on September 9, 2005 after missing close to two seasons due to a combination of injuries. He retired from the game as one of the few defenseman to record over 1000 points.

After coming off his best season offensively in over eight years in 2002-03, a year in which he tallied 68 points (16 goals and 52 assists), MacInnis was limited to but three games in 2003-04 after suffering an eye injury. Following the locked-out 2004-05 season, MacInnis announced his retirement from the game on September 9, 2005. At the time of his retirement, MacInnis had climbed to 17th place on the all-time games played list with 1,416, had accumulated 1,274 points and was twelfth on the all-time assists list with 934. Among defensemen, Al MacInnis ranks among the greatest ever, concluding his career third in goals with 340, third in assists and third in points. The St. Louis Blues retired Al's number 2 in a pre-game ceremony on April 9, 2006. In November of that year, Al MacInnis was appointed Vice President of Hockey Operations by club president, John Davidson.

But Al's contributions in the NHL, though substantial, create only part of the overall picture. MacInnis' international career has seen him represent Canada on numerous occasions, including the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, the latter in which he contributed to a gold medal, the 1991 Canada Cup and the 1990 World Championships. Al MacInnis — a fierce competitor with a feared slapshot.