[Incogneto]

Originally Posted by JohnnyTitan

So ya - I was with InCoGnEtO and it was hella fun. Of everyone...we probably talked to Haynes the longest and he just came across as a true fan and a good guy. He was the least "Creeped-Out" by the drunks throwing questions his way...lol. He actually leaned on our table and was quite at-ease. Others (Gelinas) were more like, "Answer a few questions and then get the heck away from these fanatics!" Haha.

InCoG was very consistent making sure the very first topic of conversation with each person we talked to was Tkachuk. The (loaded) question was always framed, "Is he just going to run around and be a dick or are we going to grow to love this guy?"

The best two responses:
Conroy (in 1/10th of a second): "Yeah - but he's OUR dick!"
Loubo: "Oh man, come on. Our team is going to love him and 29 other teams are going to want to stab him through the heart!"

Both instant classics in my mind...I laughed at both.

The other tidbit I got from Conroy was my question...kinda transitioning from Tkachuk to Bennett. I kinda drew a parallel to Bennett about how he tried a little too hard early on and ran-around a little bit....but MAN how awesome would it be to see Tkachuk and Bennett teamed-up. Conroy responded, "Wouldn't that be an awesome 2nd line!".

I found that funny. I've been beating the "There is more a top-9 in today's NHL...less a 1st, 2nd and 3rd line anymore" drum for the entire summer...but to hear Conroy almost let that slip in Fan-Mode vs Assistant-GM-Mode was kinda cool. It made me realize it's more than just a bunch of message-board fan-boys thinking about that possibility. The Flames Brass is thinking about (and drooling over) the idea of Bennett-Tkachuck teamed up and Conroy even went the extra mile to throw in the "2nd Line" thing as-if our rebuild is complete when Backs-and-Frolik are most certainly our #3.

We did chat with Steinburg and his cast-of-characters (Nault, Vickers, Camera guy) for quite a while and although I was less surprised at their "Janko = pro already" comments it was interesting how not-a-big deal they thought there comments were coming across. It was like, "Ya, Jankowski is ready to be an NHLer. Obviously. Next question"

Final tid-bit. I made Lou laugh a bit when I slurred at him, "All the media is here except the Kristins. Where are the Kristins?!?" He giggled and quipped, "You have a good eye my friend". LOL.

And just in case anyone is wondering, we made it abundantly clear that it was AWESOME to see Lou out-and-about and it was cool that he was back doing what he was meant to do. He looked good and happy to be in Penticton and we mentioned a couple times that we were really happy that he was healthy.

...Thanks for filling in the gaps...although never use the term 'hella fun' again. A man your age should not be saying that!