[sureLoss]

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/holl...ng/c-299908078

The moment Noah Hanifin heard the news from agent Pat Brisson on June 23 that he'd been dealt to the Flames, he was at home in Boston, at a local Cineplex, about five minutes into a screening of Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom.

Well, there's obviously something about the magic of the movies …

"You're not going to believe this," laughed the freshly-signed Hanifin, long distance late Thursday. "I'm in Tampa Bay right now with Auston Matthews and some guys - Charlie McEvoy, Kyle Palmieri - at a camp. We skated this morning and - I'm not making this up - I was a movie theatre this afternoon when I talked to Pat, my agent, about the deal being done. I swear to God.

"Yes, again.

"We were watching Mile 22, with Mark Wahlberg. I told my dad later: 'How wild is that? Isn't that the weirdest thing?'

"I have good luck with movie theatres, I guess."

The luck, really, is two-fold: Hannifin, a RFA, gets a newly-minted six-year deal worth $4.95 million per. The Flames get the emerging young D-man they can pencil into their top-four for the next half-a-dozen winters.

Term of contract was a major factor for both sides.

"It's a big commitment,'' agreed Hanifin, a vital component in the five-player deal that shipped Dougie Hamilton, among others, to Carolina. "I know it took a bit of time, was a bit of a process, but I was confident. I knew it'd get done.

"I wanted to be in Calgary really badly. And obviously with the situation there, it's been a busy off-season for Brad (Treliving) and the entire staff there.

"Just really happy it's finally official. This is a big deal for me and my family.

"Great organization. Big hockey town. And, I think, a heckuva hockey team.

"I wanted to be there for a long time. There's a really bright future and I want to be a part of it for the long run.

"That's really important to me. I just want to get to work now."

That restless ambition, Hanifin believes, has been a part of his inner make-up for as long as he can remember.

"I've always wanted to be the best,'' he said. "I'm coming into my fourth season and I really believe my game has gotten better every year. I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon.

"I'm definitely ready to take my game to the next level, have more responsibility - more minutes, against tougher players.

"This, now, is something I've been preparing for my first few years in Carolina. I definitely feel ready to deal with it."

Another word that's continually used in describing the Boston-born, fifth-overall pick in the 2015 entry draft, is 'mature'.
And small wonder. He had to grow up early.

At age 13, Hanifin was an eighth-grade student and playing varsity hockey at St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Mass., when his father, Bob, was diagnosed with colon and kidney cancer.

There followed a year of chemotherapy. Hanifin's mom and two younger siblings, leaned on the oldest son during that period.

"That was a tough time for my family,'' he admits. "My dad and I are extremely close. Just seeing him go through that was … hard. But at the same time, I think that was an important time in my life … I had to kind of help out, be there for my siblings and my mom. You're depended upon and it makes you stronger.

"Thankfully he's doing really well right now. And I know he's excited to get up to Calgary and watch me play some games there."