[browna]

Terrible news. The words from Murray Edwards are not hollow; they lost a leader then they won’t probably ever replace in that role.

Mr. King should be remembered as a tried and true Calgarian who did everything to make this city a better place, through sports or otherwise.

Publisher of the paper, nevermind both, was, up to the early 2000s, about as prestigious a job you could have in the community, reserved for people who had both the pulse of the city and wanted to inspire the city with their thoughts and ideals...nevermind the energy and social awareness and respect in the community.

He carried through all those traits into his role with the Flames in 2001 to basically give the flailing Flames direction, and, as has been mentioned here, was successful in brining credibility back to the franchise. There’s a story I was told years back; when he started in 2001, one of his first fires he had to put out was stopping a long standing member of the organization from quitting, after being incensed with Greg Gilbert’s comments about Mike Vernon, and Button sending him to the minors. He had to fly out on a couple hours notice to where the Flames were on the east coast and deal with that ugly situation...but he did, swiftly, and that person stayed.

Through a couple second hand connections over my life here, had brushes with the man, before the Flames, and then since, and I had a role for a season where he would address a group of us regularly, as to the coming and going and operations of the Flames. At that time, a man in control and with the pulse on a lot of things, but always had time for a joke or anecdote, and his public persona was not a facade; while he may have been more direct and calulculating when conversing with people about a business or operational matter, never lost the smile or charm that was genuine, not a sales tactic.

An inspiring leader, a guy you wanted to know, and a guy who got things done with conviction.

I don’t think you could had someone that cared for wanting to see success for the Flames, or any sports team in Calgary, more, because he knew what sporting success did for bringing the community together...and then committed to doing whatever he could in his role to help make that happen for Calgarians.

He brought the Flames back to life, with one hiring, Darryl Sutter. And that wasn’t because Sutter just fell from the Sharks; we have heard all the stories about how stubborn and selective Sutter is, but then loyal....if the Flames had some slick talking grifter President in 2002 like Ron Bremner, there is zero chance a no nonsense guy like Darryl, would’ve come here. But Ken’s word and character was as strong as his handshake, so him and Sutter were peas in a pod.

He was very often a lightning rod for criticism, here and by other fans on issues, and for meddling in hockey operations, and Calgary Next, and jerseys. Fact truly is, he had a thankless task of trying to be the figurehead for a widely diverse set of stubborn owners (stubborn in their opinions) and having them pull in the same direction (look at 1990 when the owners, may who were around when he took over 10 or so years later, did to evisicerate the SCF team from a year earlier). So, though he was certainly more than a puppet, his bosses were still his bosses, and he would be tasked to carry out their wishes and be the public face of their decisions.

Letting Sutter go killed him, but one faction of owners wanted Darryl out out a year earlier, and finally convinced the other faction as well, but it was Ken who had to do the dirty work. He was forced by ownership to become more as part of hockey ops when Sutter’s bumbling yes man successor took the job and was soon proven to be the big bag of hot air that he is...and until Edwards convinced Burke to come aboard. His tear down of that windbag over the ROR fiasco is still talked about in the Flames offices.

On top of all this leadership, managing high profile and high maintenance ownership for off and sometimes on ice operations, he had to get the a Flames better business deals. Broadcast deals stunk, the Oilers were getting a much better deal for the first few years, thanks to Bremner, he renegotiated them. Arena naming rights. Setting up the Flames Foundation under his guidance and much more directed charitable work, being a hard ass with the Stampede board, on behalf of the owners and on his own accord as to what he thought this city needed. Calgary Next, he was strong in his convictions, you couldn’t take that away from him.

Met you once, knew your name year later and probably your wife’s. The handshake. Before social media became a thing, in the early years of our STH (2002 to 2006) he had mo problem divulging nuggets to STH holders at the meetings. You could tell he was excited each year about the team, not because he had to be, but because he wanted to be. When he talked in the aforementioned meetings I was privy to related to the Flames, he captivated everyone with his knowledge, acumen, and attention to detail about off ice or on ice things to do with the franchise...again, because he was committed to it and wanted to see success for the franchise and the city as a while, not because it was some job.

Finally, he was a fan, a legit fan. Tickets long before his presidency. Won’t forget his seats in the front row of the attack zone, where he sat mostly in the third period of games, especially big ones...the Stajan goal against the Canucks where he does the double arm raise along with each of the rest of us.

Calgary loses a great one today. It’s a shame he didn’t see another Stanley Cup, or, the completion of the arena that was part of the vision he had for his decades in this city of wanting to create a better place.

The Flames lose a person who brought the franchise into the new millennium on the right foot as a franchise and as an institution within this city, and without the world one by Ken King, it doesn’t look this way today.

Thanks Mr. King.

RIP