‘Made Of Good Stuff’

On the ice, he was a hard-working, rugged defenceman.

Behind the bench, and in the front office, he was a winner.

Longtime Flames executive Al MacNeil is being remembered as a tireless worker, and a kind soul who meant as much to his adopted home city of Calgary, as Calgary meant to him and his family.

MacNeil passed away Sunday at the age of 89.

He was the first head coach in Calgary Flames history, making the move with the team from Atlanta in 1980. From there, he moved into the Flames front office, serving as the team’s assistant general manager during the Stanley Cup season of 1988-89.

In fact, it was hard - even up until recently - to experience a practice or game day at the Scotiabank Saddledome without seeing MacNeil’s smiling face.

He stayed connected with the team even in retirement, and according to Lanny McDonald, was the type of person who made time for everyone.

“He meant so much to all of us,” McDonald said over the phone Monday. “You talk to any alumni member, especially people that were involved all through the ’80s, Chopper was just one of a kind. He would start every conversation off, asking how your dear wife and kids are, and within a minute of you answering, he had already switched it to hockey. He loved the game, loved the team.

“Even when his working days were over, he was still down at practice, watched every game, putting game reports back together that Craig Conroy would share with the coaching staff. Like, hand-written notes.”

MacNeil had a keen eye for the game, too.

And McDonald credits him for helping bring in an abundance of defenceman ahead of Calgary’s Cup run.

“You couldn’t have enough defence, in Al’s opinion,” McDonald recalled. 
“When we won the Cup, and Gary Suter went down … guys like Brad McCrimmon, Rob Ramage and Ric Nattress stepped up, like we didn’t miss a beat. And that was because Al MacNeil said all along, ‘you can never have enough defence if you’re going to go four rounds.’

“And it turned out to be absolutely true.”

A four-time Stanley Cup champion, the Sydney-born MacNeil is a member of the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.

But even in retirement, he and his family chose to call Calgary home.

“I think that tells you a whole lot about his love for the game, and his loyalty to the game, the Calgary Flames, and the city,” said McDonald. “It goes all the way back to ownership, creating this family atmosphere in the city.

“It’s part of - I’m sure - the reason why Al and Norma never left. They loved it here, and we loved him.”

MacNeil is survived by his wife of 58 years, Norma, daughter Allison and son Allister - who is a Flames scout.

His grandson, Jack Sparkes, was selected by the Kings in the 2022 NHL Draft; he, too, patrols the blue line, coincidentally at Craig Conroy’s alma mater - Clarkson University.

Following in MacNeil’s footsteps, so to speak.

Here at home, MacNeil will be dearly missed.

But for McDonald, and those who were fortunate enough to have shared time with him, MacNeil leaves behind a lasting legacy.

“He was made of good stuff. He had time for everyone, he loved to talk the game,” said McDonald. “He always had a piece of paper and a pen, ‘Have you thought about doing this? Do this play rather than that play!’ You knew he knew the game, and sometimes it’s like ‘Why the hell didn’t I think of that!’

“You just kinda smiled knowing full well, that guy was smarter than all of us.”