One of the most hotly-anticipated front-office moves of the summer, at least in Alberta, has come in across the wire. The Calgary Flames have named Hall of Famer and former captain Jarome Iginla a special advisor to new general manager Craig Conroy, the team confirmed in a release.
Iginla has joined Conroy to offer assistance across all aspects of hockey operations, the Flames said. He, Conroy, and assistant general manager Dave Nonis now make up the nucleus of Calgary’s hockey operations department.
It’s a heartwarming front-office reunion for the two former linemates, who are now charged with leading this generation of Flames players to sustained playoff success. Conroy offered the following statement:
Dating as far back as our playing days with the Flames, Jarome and I have always talked about one day working together in the NHL. That day has finally come and I’m happy to welcome him back to Calgary. Jarome provides a creative approach and smart hockey mind to our team blended with a passion for the game, and a desire to win the Stanley Cup. Our relationship goes back 20 years and includes being opponents and teammates combined with a long-standing friendship. While our views on the game are similar, we often challenged each other on systems and playing style, always pushing each other to be better. I look forward to our team benefiting from his fierce competitiveness, career experiences and love of hockey.
Iginla currently serves as a coach for the RINK junior hockey academy in Kelowna, British Columbia. Per the Flames, he’ll continue in this role during 2023-24 and support Calgary in a shared capacity.
This is the Flames legend’s first executive experience, and it comes at a crucial time in Calgary’s history as they have a multitude of long-term deals and close-to-expiring core pieces. However, no one knows what it means to be a Flame more than the 45-year-old Iginla, who recorded 1,095 points across 1,219 games in a Flames jersey.
The Nonis hire feels like someone In the organization owed a huge favor.
Well the “Jockocracy” is in full effect around the NHL with the multiple recent hirings of former players. It used to be only in the broadcast booth where players could get the marquee jobs without any experience but now they get the front office jobs too. I guess all those “sports business” degrees offered around the continent will soon be deemed as worthless as Art History degrees.
The Flames failing to learn from the Oilers “old boys club” and how that worked out.