CALGARY — Early on in a press conference that felt more like a wedding or coronation, Craig Conroy stared out past his beaming bride, adoring daughters, sea of supporters and glowing staffers, and admitted he wasn’t sure this day would come.
“When I took the job, the goal was to be a GM, and I always thought it wasn’t going to be Calgary, but now that it is, I know Calgary was the dream job for me,” said Conroy, pausing for comic relief.
“I might not say that in a couple months, but right now that’s how I feel.”
Cue the laughter, more smiles and the type of feel-good vibe the Saddledome has been devoid of for some time.
Exactly what this organization needs — a fresh new take on a team and a culture in serious need of a boost.
Rewarded for 12 years of service as a Flames’ front office utilityman, the 51-year-old New York native was named the club’s eighth GM Tuesday, officially breathing new life into an organization that spent the last year going backward.
Flames hockey president Don Maloney said Conroy beat out 34 candidates based on his drive, determination and will, as a player and manager.
“For me, he’s got an eye for talent — that’s his strength, he knows players,” said Maloney, as Flames icon Lanny McDonald and owner Jeff McCaig looked on.
Conroy knows people too, and the serial conversationalist is well aware of what needs to change around here first: the culture.
“I want to make it a place people want to play,” said Conroy, well aware of how tough a sell it is to attract players to Calgary and keep them.
“When I came here, it only took me a couple weeks before I wanted to be a part of it. I want people who want to be part of the Flames and want to be here, not just someone coming here to get the money. That doesn’t interest me at all. I want them to come to be part of doing something special here. I talk to agents, and we’re on a lot of players’ no-trade lists. I want to make it where we’re not on the no-trade lists, and that’s by bringing a culture of winning and fun. Players talk, and if you build that here, they’ll come. That starts this year, moving forward.”
Easier said than done in a chilly city devoid of an arena deal, favourable taxes and far from the rest of the action.
The recent removal of coach Darryl Sutter will go a long way toward upping the fun factor, which is why Conroy’s first move will be to call the seven core players whose contracts expire next summer.
“I want to get where they’re at,” said Conroy, who said losing a sizable asset for nothing like the Flames did with Johnny Gaudreau won’t happen on his watch.
“Obviously, we can’t go into a season with seven UFAs. It just doesn’t make sense. We’ve got to make sure we do it right for the Calgary Flames,” he said.
Tough decisions will have to be made with Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin, who headline a list that also includes Mikael Backlund, Tyler Toffoli and Oliver Kylington.
If anyone can convince them to buy into the Flames, it’s Conroy, who admitted he was surprised how fast he turned the dread of being traded to Calgary into a love affair with the city he’s spent over two decades in, raising his three daughters.
If not, Conroy will fill those players’ shoes with hungry youngsters, who he is committed to fostering.
“I think we’re going to change the core a little bit and add youth to the lineup,” said Conroy, insisting he’ll leave roster spots open in camp for the best prospects to claim.
“What I’ve watched is you need young players on the team, you need that excitement they bring, day in and day out. You have to give them a chance. It might not be seamless, but we need to move forward, and we have a salary cap and young players (to) definitely help with that.”
News to the ears of Dustin Wolf, Jakob Pelletier, Walker Duehr, Matt Coronato and others who had previously understood that, under Sutter, they were second-class citizens.
If Maloney was going to hire someone without GM experience, it had to be Conroy, who admitted he’ll lean on new assistant GM Dave Nonis, as well as Brad Pascall, Chris Snow and Maloney to make decisions.
He’ll soon also have the help of long-time bestie Jarome Iginla, who you can expect will be hired in a matter of weeks as a consultant.
“Jarome and I have always talked about it, and expressed an interest in working together,” said Conroy, who knows it will be at least a year before Iginla joins the management team full-time.
“I know right now he’s coaching RINK Kelowna with his son Joe, but this is something I want to explore moving forward.”
Bet on it, and remember its relationships like those that have made Conroy such a valuable asset and leader.
He knew things were broken at the Dome last season, given how miserable players were around the coach and how frustrated the GM was with Sutter’s defiance when asked to play young call-ups.
Three of his top coaching candidates have to be in-house, with current Flames assistants Ryan Huska and Kirk Muller, as well as two-time AHL coach of the year Mitch Love with the Wranglers.
“We need to work together — we need to be a team, we’re in this together,” said Conroy, when asked what he is looking for in his head coach.
“We’re not going to be at odds. We’re not going to be lockstep all the time, either, but we’re going to have the same vision and passion for this team, and have the same direction it’s going to go.”
Don’t be surprised to hear former teammate Alex Tanguay in the running, or Andrew Brunette.
“It doesn’t have to be an experienced head coach in the NHL, it can be someone with limited experience,” said Conroy, who has every reason to believe his team can return to being a playoff squad with the right coach.
“We want a guy who can communicate with the players. He’s got to be able to make this environment a fun place to be. I always came to the rink for 17 years and always had fun, and I would look at the bench sometime (under Sutter) and think, ‘Are the guys having fun?’ I couldn’t tell.
“When you’re happy and working hard, you’re going to put your best foot forward.”
Something Conroy was rewarded for on Tuesday.
