[Boreal]

Great tribute by the Flames last night. I miss this guy!

https://twitter.com/user/status/1350641304946970624

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/reme...nd/c-320368526

Jim Peplinski still remembers that day some 30 years ago.

The conversation they had.

The greeting they shared, with that forcible grip of the man nearly knocking him off balance and commanding his attention.

Most of all, he remembers the coaching. The life lessons. The irreversible bond between himself and one of the city's great change-makers that wouldn't have been possible without a mutual vision for Calgary.

Ken King had that kind of impact on everyone he met, shook hands with, or even said a quick 'hello' to.

"He was the publisher of the Calgary Sun at the time," Peplinski said, reflecting on his buddy's life-well-lived. "I was pitching him through the Sun to participate in a philanthropic initiative and he said, 'Well, which of the three categories is it?' I said, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'Sit down. I'm going to give you lesson.'

"I was like, 'OK…'

"He says, directly, 'In any type of philanthropy, there are three categories. One is commercial, and that's where you're pitching me the opportunity to advertise. The second is quid pro quo - you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. The third? That's completely philanthropic. I'm going to give you some money and I shouldn't expect anything in return other than supporting the cause.'

"I said, 'Wow, I'd never thought of it like that before.'

"That's how it always was with Ken. I'd hang up the phone, or leave a meeting with him like I did that day, and think to myself: 'Damn, I never thought of it like that! I've got to think about it.'

"And I did. Hundreds and hundreds of times."

King - a giant in the Alberta sporting community, the longtime leader of Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, a husband, father, and trailblazer for so many - passed away last March at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer.