Today I am proud to be a Calgary Flames fan. Yes, they have won six games in a row including their first ever victory in Atlanta since the "Flames" franchise played there. However, I am even more proud to be a Calgary Flames fan because of the organizational culture that the team represents, encourages, and celebrates.
First, Craig Conroy announced his retirement today and will now be serving as "Special Assistant to the Acting General Manager." This situation could have gone wrong in so many ways, and yet the Flames organization, under the direction of Ken King as President, did so many things right. First, this is a classy man who just played his 1000th NHL game, is a favorite with everyone - fans, teammates, media, etc - and yet the bottom line was he was not going to get in the lineup. Someone had to make the tough call for the good of the team and tell Conroy the truth - and Acting GM Jay Feaster did this last week. He could either accept assignment to the AHL farm team in Abbotsford or retire (because no team picked him up on waivers). You know this had to be tough on everyone and yet they did what was needed for the organization. Conroy admitted it was hard to take and wisely, he took about a week to decide what his next step would be.
Once it became clear that Conroy's choice was retirement, the Flames then took this very classy man and multi-favorite and offered him a "get a taste of everything in hockey management" position - something he will be good at and something the Flames and Feaster specifically at this time need. Conroy, of course, thinks he has won the proverbial lottery, getting to stay in Calgary (avoiding uprooting his family), stay involved with hockey and specifically the Flames, and get his feet into various aspects of hockey management and operations. In many respects, he did get a "golden job" - and every fan, player and media person agrees that it couldn't happen to a better guy.
Best of all, the team - no doubt led by their captain Jarome Iginla - all showed up today at the press conference where Conroy announced his retirement. Yes, this shows how much Conroy means to them as a friend, yet it is so much the "right thing" for an organization to see, for young players to see/experience.
Speaking of Jarome Iginla, the Flames captain who declined the invitation to the All-Star Game to spend time with his elderly grandmother, today's Calgary Herald article shows just what a good, classy guy Iggy is.
So I am proud to be a Flames fan today because their organization is truly classy.
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