'WE'RE PROUD OF HIM'

It certainly made for a late night in the American Midwest, but Dave Mackey wouldn't have missed it for the world.
His boy, Connor - at 24 years old, and a free-agent signing of the Flames last March - was finally getting a look in The Show.
"We're all a bit tired today," Dave laughed Sunday from the Mackey family home in Tower Lakes, Ill. "In the moment, you don't really appreciate all the emotions, the nervousness and the excitement you feel watching the game when he's in there.

"Here, it was my wife and I, and Connor's twin brother, Ian, watching Hockey Night in Canada.
"But Vancouver - where I'm from - was kind of a second home for Connor growing up. For him to be able to play his first game in that city, in that rink, was awesome.
"My father, my sister, all our friends that we grew up with around there - they were all watching the game, too.
"How cool is that?"
Dave, who logged 126 games in the NHL, still remembers the first time he hit the ice in the big leagues. He was 21 at the time, lacing 'em up at the old Chicago Stadium as the Blackhawks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on a chilly, December eve - five days before the Windy City's infamous, 'heart-attack' snowstorm.
"Oh, I remember it," Dave chuckled. "And I'm pretty sure Connor handled the pressure a lot better than I did!
"I even talked to Connor after the morning skate and wrote a few things down. Just some bullet points and few bits of encouragement that I thought might help.
"But after talking to him, I really didn't have to hit on anything. He knows better than anybody how he plays and how he feels, and he's at the point where he's very mature and confident. I really didn't have to offer him too much.
"Just that we loved him, we support him, and we're proud of him."
It's been a long wait for Mackey, who put pen to paper on a one-year entry level contract almost one year ago. While he showed well in the Flames' pre-playoff training camp, and again turned heads in the return-to-play last month, nothing compares to the pace and the feel of actual game action.

His last game came on March 7, 2020 - a 4-2 win over Alaska Anchorage to wrap up his college career.
In three seasons with Minnesota State Mankato, Mackey tallied 18 goals and 61 points in 118 games. He was also named to the Western College Hockey Association's First All-Star team, finishing with a league-high +19 and helping the MSU Mavericks to a league-best 31-5-2 record.
Mackey was one of the most highly sought-after college free agents in recent memory. According to a report from TSN's Frank Seravalli, as many as 28 teams checked in and made their pitch.
But the fit here in Calgary was too good to pass up.
The Flames have high hopes and have held the 6-foot-2, 190-lb. blueliner in the highest regard since the beginning of the college recruitment process.
The fact that he ultimately chose Calgary, and was the first defenceman to sub in on the blueline this year, speaks volumes about his future with the organization.
"He's not a rookie that's 19, 20 or 21 years old," Dave said. "He's much more mature than a lot of first-year players would be, and his college experience really gave him that.
"He made a conscious decision to play in the great environment at Minnesota State. He had a great coach there in Mike Hastings. He had opportunities to come out of college, really, after his freshman year, and then his sophomore year, too. But he stuck with it, got his degree and graduated after three years of college hockey, and after taking five weeks of summer school every summer. HE chose that path.
"I think he's ready. He's mature, he's confident in his abilities and I think that says a lot about him."

Mackey played 13:56 in his pro debut Saturday, including 44 seconds of penalty-killing time alongside his partner for the night, fellow rookie Juuso Valimaki.
He fit seamlessly into that third-pairing role, and immediately gave the impression he'll be a solid addition to Calgary's blueline brigade.
"He's a student of the game and he's got a little old-school in him," Dave said. "When he was younger, he would always ask me, 'Well... How do you think I played?' And I would say, 'Well... How do YOU think you played?'
"He would give his answer - and that's the answer that matters.
"Earlier in the day, I was kind of keying on giving him a lot of advice, but I didn't want to overwhelm him. And I really don't need to anymore.
"He's all grown up, very mature knows better than anyone how he's feeling and how he's playing.
"That was a great start for him last night and I'm so, so proud of him right now."