BACK WHERE IT ALL STARTED

The memories of '04 linger in the mind's eye.
Even after all these years.
"The way that it brought the whole city together was like nothing I'd ever seen before," Flames alumnus Dave Lowry said over the phone Thursday.

"Obviously, with the Red Mile, the crowds we had at the games … We knew prior to Game 1, when we came out and the fans had those thundersticks going, that it was going to be something special. There was this feeling that if we could get off to a good start and go on any kind of run, the city was going to be absolutely wild.
"Turns out, it didn't take long. It exceeded everyone's expectations.
"I have nothing but great memories here."
Seventeen years later, Lowry is back under the big top at Stampede Park - this time, as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets, who are in town for three straight against the Flames, beginning tonight at 8 p.m.
But back then, in that magical spring when Facebook was born, the classic iPod and Motorola Razr were must-haves in the tech space, and those bombastic, yet fashionable green hard-hats were all the rage, Darryl Sutter was the man behind the bench here in Calgary.
The nostalgia isn't lost on the former Flames captain, who will see his one-time tutor back at it this weekend.
Now, as a foe.
"I obviously know Darryl very well and I know how he gets his teams to play," said Lowry, who sported a bristly red mane for that delirious, championship dash. "Just like we were at that time, his teams are very hard to play against. So, my expectations haven't changed a whole lot.
"We're expecting a really competitive three games here.
"It'll be a great challenge for us."

Lowry - 39 at the time of the Cup run - was one of the unsung heroes of that fairytale season, grinding his way through a handful of injuries, playing his heart out when he was physically able, and serving as a calming influence for that young Flames team venturing boldly into uncharted waters.
He played only 18 games that year, missing 13 weeks with an abdominal tear, before returning for Game 5 of the wild, second-round matchup with the Red Wings, and playing a pivotal role in the Stanley Cup Final.
He was the ultimate warrior, who - pound for pound - was one of the most physical players on the team and was a constant thorn in the side of his opponents.
But before slapping on his gear and lacing up the wheels again for that electric playoff run, the wily veteran did what good leaders do.
He was involved. He led.
He learned.
"I spent the last 25 games on the bench, in a suit," Lowry said of his assistant-coaching gig under Sutter that year. "Of course, I wanted to be out there - but I was fortunate that I could spent all that time, including the entire first round, and the first four games of the second round living like that, experiencing it all firsthand and realizing it was exactly what I wanted to do after my (playing) career was over.
"I think the biggest thing I learned at that time was how to manage the various in-game scenarios. As a player, I obviously didn't pay as much attention to things like that. My primary focus was on the game, what was happening on the ice and between the whistles. But when you start getting into coaching, it's the details within the game - the matchups, and all the preparation that goes into it.
"Really, when you see that firsthand, it makes you appreciate all the time that's put into the game from the coaching side of things, whether it's to help your team against any one opponent, or to help you succeed as an individual.
"That was literally my first taste of live coaching. With pressure.
"It was something."

Sutter has nothing but great memories of that arrangement - even flashing a smile when asked about Lowry's addition behind the bench.
For one of his pupils to take such an interest in coaching, to put in the time and work at it, especially on the 'relationship' side of the player-coach connection, he knew Lowry - or 'Pie' as he was known back then - was destined for great things.
"His leadership was really important in our locker-room," Sutter said. "At that time, the rules were that you could bring an injured player if it was approved by the league on the bench, so Pie was a logical choice and it helped him stay ready and helped me a lot, too.
"There are always players you know that have coaching qualities or could become great coaches, and Pie took that route ... He's a guy that, his work ethic, obviously, on the ice was noticed, and it was the same thing from the coaching staff's standpoint. He understands the game really well, is a good communicator - all the things that are necessary to be a good coach at this level.
"I've always been proud of David's accomplishments in that, because we did it together here."
Lowry made the transition into coaching immediately after that brief audition, joining the Calgary Hitmen as an assistant for the 2005-06 season, before working his way up and guiding the team to a franchise record 59 wins in 2008-09 as the point man.
He then spent the following three seasons an assistant coach with the Flames, before going back to the WHL as a head coach with the Victoria Royals, and then re-emerging with the LA Kings as an assistant in 2017.
Now in Winnipeg and plying his trade with the first-place Jets, Lowry is teaching his boy, Adam, who was in Grade 5 at the time of the storybook trot to Game 7, and is a graduate of Calgary's Bow Valley Flames minor hockey program.
What a ride.
It's incredible to think that when he looks across at home bench Friday, the spot where he first donned the suit will look entirely unchanged. Sutter and all.
However, much has.
"I've been really fortunate that I've worked with some really good people in the industry," Lowry said. "Not only are they friends, but they're valuable resources.
"We're all competitive, but we all want to get better and we all know that the only way to get better is to work together."