Quote:
Originally Posted by JBR
Lanny.
On a veteran team, his leadership skills were underrated. There was more pressure on that team than any other in Flames history. No player on the team had won the Cup before. Lanny took his lumps from the fans that year and accepted a diminished role with 100% class, galvanizing the team to win it for him... which they did.
He is still a leader and hero of Flames fans 26 years after his retirement. Posing for countless pictures, shaking hands with people like they're long lost friends. Smiling and signing every autograph and being genuinely interested in those he meets.
I've met and spoken with him numerous times and it's still a thrill to be in the presence of #9.
For the younger CP crowd, for many he was more than the captain. He was the Flames and Calgary.
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I think the most important contribution from Lanny might have occurred right after the Flames traded for him. He convinced his teammates that they were capable of competing and winning. That attitude culminated in winning the Cup. The 66 goals were just the icing on the cake.