AARON VICKERS – 05.28.2023

TAMPERE, Finland – Kristians Rubins. National hero.

Has a nice ring to it, no doubt, but it’s not something the Flames farmhand could’ve imagined when he woke up this morning.

Fast-forward a dozen hours and Rubins is just that, however, after playing the most critical of roles in lifting Latvia to bronze at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, the first ever medal in the country’s history.

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COLE SCHWINDT ON THE SEASON

“I think this year was an eye opener for me. This is one of the year’s I’m going to look back on and this one’s going to follow me for a while. It kind of stings the way it ended… I loved going to battle with these guys, they’re going to be brothers forever.”

“It’s fun to come to the rink every day.”

ON LEADERSHIP

“Unbelievable, (when) you look top to bottom from the veteran group. The captain (Sutter) is the first one who stands out, he’s an ultimate pro, he’s one of those guys that you lean on every single day and he helps you find your way in the American league.”

ON THE OFFSEASON PLAN

“Getting stronger, getting faster. Those are some areas that I can look at from this year that I need to improve on, take that into the offseason and look forward to next year.”

MATTHEW PHILLIPS ON THE SEASON

“We came a long way. We weren’t very good at the start of the year, to put it bluntly, and then we turned the corner and guys had awesome seasons. We played as a team, and we had a really special bond and a tight knit group. It was a lot of fun, and (there were) a lot of positives from this year.”

ON MAKING MEMORIES

“It was a fun year. Personally, I think I did pretty well (and) had some cool memories.”

“It’s just fun to be on a winning team and being a part of that and playing in my hometown here, it was a lot of fun.”

ON BEING A LEADER

“It’s something that I don’t take lightly, we have a lot of veteran guys on the team and we’re all really good friends. To have a letter and be looked upon as a leader is pretty cool and I try to just let my play do the talking, lead by example and be a good pro. Do the little things well every day, that’s how I try to operate.”

WOLF ON THE MVP SEASON

“It was very fun and enjoyable.”

“It’s pretty cool. Each and every season you set out to be the best player that you possibly can be. This year the coaching staff has done an outstanding job, for not only myself, but every guy here in the room.”

ON THE GROUP

“From day one, every single guy in room has bought in, everybody’s an outstanding human being, let alone a hockey player, it was a fun group to be around every day.”

ON HIGH EXPECTATIONS

“It’s fun coming to work every day.”

“There (were) high expectations and everybody wanted to win, it’s one of the best groups I’ve been a part of, for sure, and we definitely had the personnel to do it, it just wasn’t in the cards. It obviously hurts, but to have the friendships and family … I’ve been very grateful for it.”

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FLAMES NAME CRAIG CONROY GENERAL MANAGER.

DAVID NONIS JOINS TEAM AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS AND ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER

For Immediate Release- Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Calgary, AB – The Calgary Flames announce today that Craig Conroy has been named General Manager. Conroy becomes the 8^th General Manager in the history of the franchise*.

“We conducted an extensive search process and today we are thrilled to introduce Craig Conroy as our General Manager,” said Flames President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney. “It is rewarding for the organization to learn that the most qualified individual for the position has been preparing in house. Craig brings a fresh approach; high energy; he is a tremendous communicator; decisive; a worker; and he is relationship driven. His passion for the Flames and the community are unmatched. Craig is ready for the challenge to lead our team to the Stanley Cup.”

Conroy has served the Flames hockey operations in an executive capacity since his retirement from his playing career in February 2011. The former Flames team captain immediately joined the front office as a special assistant to the general manager and as an assistant coach until July of 2014 at which time he was named the club’s assistant general manager. A role he held for the past nine years.

“Thank you to the Flames ownership group for the confidence and trust they have demonstrated by providing me with this opportunity. Also, to John Bean and Don Maloney for the very detailed process that has brought us to this moment,” said Conroy. “Over the course of the past 12 years, I’ve put in the time in every aspect of our hockey operations to prepare myself for today. I’m ready to accept this challenge and promise our fans that our team will do the work required to make them proud on the journey to deliver a championship.”

As a player, Conroy played 1009 games during his NHL career; another 81 playoff games including the Flames 2004 Stanley Cup Finals; he has represented the United States at the 2004 World Cup and the 2006 Olympics; and has been a finalist for the Selke Trophy on two occasions.

The 51-year-old originally joined the Flames in a trade with St. Louis in 2001. He was team captain from 2001 to 2003 upon which time he turned the captaincy over to Jarome Iginla. Playing alongside Iginla, Conroy recorded career numbers over the course of four seasons and was instrumental in the Flames run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2005, Craig signed as a free agent with Los Angeles but would return to Calgary in a trade in 2007 and finish the final five years of his career with the Flames.

Craig was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. Following four years and graduation from Clarkson University (Business Degree), he turned professional in 1994. He was traded to the Blues in 1996 and played parts of five seasons in St. Louis before coming to Calgary.

Craig and his wife Jessie have three daughters (Taylor, Sophia, and Sydney) and have called Calgary home since 2001. He is a community minded leader and communicator having served our community with several charitable groups including the Calgary Flames Foundation, the PREP Program, the Doc Seaman Amateur Sports Grants/Calgary Foundation, and the Missing Children Society of Canada.

David Nonis brings a wealth of experience to the Flames and as Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager he will report directly to Conroy. The Burnaby, BC native has held the position of General Manager on two occasions with the Vancouver Canucks from 2004-2008 and with the Toronto Maple Leafs for two seasons beginning in 2013.

“I’m excited to join the management group in Calgary and assist in building a Stanley Cup winning team here,” said Nonis.

His executive career has also included advisory and scouting roles with the Anaheim Ducks and the player safety office for the National Hockey League.

“We understood that this process would afford us the opportunity to identify a broad range of strong candidates,” said Maloney. “David’s experience is extensive, having performed the role of a General Manager in the past. Given the complex nature of the business and the decisions required to be made in this area, we believe David will be a valuable addition in assisting Craig and our hockey operations team. We are excited to welcome David to Calgary and our Flames family.”

In addition, the Flames announce the extensions and appointments of Brad Pascall as Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager and Chris Snow to Vice President Data/Analytics and Assistant General Manager.

*Does not include interim posts of Brian Burke and Don Maloney.

For information contact:

Peter Hanlon                                                                                         Sean Kelso

VP, Communications                                                                           Director, Media Relations

403-777-3684                                                                                        403-777-1387

phanlon@calgaryflames.com                                                            skelso@calgaryflames.com

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The Wranglers’ quest for the Calder Cup has come to an end.

It came down to one game to determine a winner in the Pacific Division Finals, as the Wranglers and Coachella Valley Firebirds battled in Game 5, with Calgary coming up short, falling 6-5 in overtime on Friday night in Palm Desert.

CGY Goal Scorers – Kristians Rubins – Clark Bishop – Nick DeSimone – Jeremie Poirier – Cole Schwindt

For the third-straight game, the Wranglers came out of the gates with energy and enthusiasm to start the contest and controlled the majority of the play in the early going.

Calgary had a powerplay opportunity in the opening two minutes, and even though they didn’t score, they generated a lot of momentum from the man-advantage. They would get two more chances on the powerplay but, ultimately, would go 0-for-3 in the frame.

The Firebirds were on their heels for the first half of the period – largely due to their parade to the penalty box – but even so, they would manage to slip a puck past Wolf to take the lead. Off a chip play into the zone, Kole Lind recovered the puck behind the goal and sent a backhand pass out front to Jesper Froden, who one-timed a shot into the net.

It was 1-0 at the break.

The second period was intense, full of hard hits, heroic shot blocks and multiple goals.

Calgary would tie the game at the 2:03 mark of the frame, when Jakob Pelletier picked off a pass out of mid-air to hold the zone. The puck would eventually work its way to Rubins at the blueline, who sent a shot through traffic and off a body in front, redirecting past Joey Daccord to even the score, 1-1.

The deadlock wouldn’t last long, however.

Just 33 seconds later, the Firebirds would regain the lead, when an initial save by Wolf forced him out of position, leaving Ville Petman to pounce on the loose puck and deposit it into the yawning cage to regain the lead. 2-1 Coachella Valley.

The Wranglers would continue to push back in the period until they found the tying-marker, and it came on a breakaway. Bishop turned the puck over at the Wranglers’ blueline and was off to the races, skating in on Daccord and ripping a shot glove-side to tie the game 2-2.

The third period was absolutely wild, with six goals scored in the frame.

First, Jeremy McKenna lit the lamp for the Firebirds, after receiving a cross-ice pass and firing it into the back of the net to make it 3-2.

The Wranglers would answer back at the 7:14 mark with a goal from Nick DeSimone to tie the game once again. 3-3.

Gustav Olofsson would respond for Coachella Valley just 40 seconds later, blasting a shot from the blueline to give the Firebirds the lead once more. 4-3.

Calgary would quiet the crowd 30 seconds later, as Poirier wired a shot into the back of the net, and after that, Schwindt tipped home a point-shot to give the Wranglers the lead. 5-4.

However, it would last for just over a minute, as McKenna notched his second goal of the game with a perfectly placed shot under the bar to tie things up 5-5 and force overtime.

Both teams had chances to finish it in the extra frame but, in the end, Andrew Poturalski would score the series clinching goal at the seven-minute mark to win it for Coachella Valley.

6-5 the final score.

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