'IT MEANS EVERYTHING'

It's official: MacKenzie Weegar is here to stay.
The news that Flames fans were eagerly anticipating finally broke Friday, as Weegar put pen to paper on an eight-year contract extension worth an AAV of $6,250,000.

"It means everything," Weegar said. "When I signed the deal, I just kept thinking of how long of a road it's been for me since Junior B to the Coast (ECHL) and now to here. All my friends and family and all the support, I think it's not just me that signed the deal. It's everybody around me.
"My mom, her brother Matt, my uncle, my agent, have always kind of believed in me. My friends. Everybody has just been so supportive of me. When times were tough everybody brought me up.
"I really have no words. It's going to sink in a little later, I think. It'll be emotional later. I'll call my mom and my dad. This is just crazy. I couldn't be more thankful."

Weegar is coming off a career year last season, posting 44 points, (8G, 36A) in 80 games and each year has continuously taken massive steps.
He quickly and quietly became one of the best and underrated rearguards in the entire league - and even with all that and the new deal in tow, nothing changes for him.
It's business as usual.
"I think I just want to stay the same type of player that I am," he said. "Now that I've signed this contract, I don't think I really need to try to save the world or anything like that. I just kind of want to stick to the same type of player that I am and just try to get better at maybe conditioning, outside the rink or keeping my body in shape. It's a long contract. Those things go a long way. Just staying the same type of player that I am and contributing how I did in the past."
His new teammates were pumped to have him and Jonathan Huberdeau join the squad when the two arrived via trade from the Florida Panthers in July. And now, they are equally excited in knowing that both will be sticking around for years to come, after Huberdeau signed his own eight-year extension in August.
"They were all excited, just shaking my hand saying 'congratulations,'" he said. "A few of them said 'well deserved' but they don't really know. They haven't really seen me play too, too much. The expectations are high within the teammates, which is great. But just saying 'congratulations' and stuff like that, lots of smiles."
"They're already on me for team dinner, maybe a pregame meal here. I'm sure I'll dish out some free food for them."
With the ink still wet, Weegar was dialed in during morning skate at the Scotiabank Saddledome ahead of the team's final preseason game vs. the Winnipeg Jets tonight.
With the start of the regular season quickly approaching, Weegar is focused on making the most of his first official season with the Flames.

"Let's go. I'm ready. This is going to be fun," he said. "It's going to be a long road. It's obviously a lot of hard work and the hard work starts now. Another reason why I signed here is because I believe in this team. They want to win and we have a winning team, a winning coach, a winning culture in here. That was another important step to sign here.
"The winning culture. Looch and Coleman, Naz, Darryl, lots of guys who have won here, and that's important. We need that down the stretch. They want to win now. I want to win now. I think everybody in this room wants to win here. The city wants to win. Passionate fanbase. Right from when I got here everybody was super excited to have us three come in here. Just that culture is a winning culture in here."
Two major pieces in the blockbuster with Florida now officially both here to stay.
Longtime teammates to now, potentially, neighbours?
"He kept giving me maybe an elbow or two in the gut saying 'when are you going to do it?'" Weegar laughed. "I kept saying the same thing to him as you guys, 'hopefully soon.' Now maybe I can get a house next to him or something like that.
"He'd be great (neighbor), actually. I don't know if I'd be a good one."