TRELIVING STAYING PUT
Flames’ GM gets extension
When nosy reporters inquired about his soon-to-be-expiring contract, Brad Treliving simply insisted that he wanted to focus on his team. Fair enough.
At home, though, the Calgary Flames’ general manager could tell the crowd wasn’t satisfied as he tried to stickhandle around questions about his future.
Flames fans breathed a collective sigh of relief with Monday’s afternoon announcement that Treliving has signed a multi-year extension at the Saddledome, but nobody was more thrilled about the news than his better half, Julie, and daughters Ryann and Reese.
“My wife and kids love it here and as days went by and I really didn’t have anything to tell them.” Treliving started. “I know the highest I’m getting on the food chain there is fourth, with the two girls and my wife. But the dog had passed me. We have a rabbit, and it passed me. I was right behind the fish.
“So I think today’s news will vault me back up on the depth chart a little bit.”
Since a first-round playoff ouster, Treliving has been busy analyzing the Flames’ depth chart while the hockey world wondered, ‘Will they really let this guy get away?!?’ No. The Flames have posted a 125103-18 record under Treliving’s watch, punching a playoff ticket in two of his three campaigns as Calgary’s general manager. During that time, the 47-year-old has cemented a reputation as one of the hardest-working hockey minds in the business.
If the Flames didn’t offer a deal for next season and beyond, he wouldn’t have been a free agent for long.
“We are striving to create a level of continuity and stability, as all successful teams do,” said Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke in Monday’s statement. “Today’s announcement is another step forward for our organization on that path. Under Brad’s leadership, we have seen progress over the past three seasons and look forward to building on that growth in the coming years.”
Treliving was hired by the Flames in April of 2014 and has an impressive track record so far, although he’s still searching for a long-term solution between the pipes.
He always seems to steal the spotlight at the NHL Draft. Two years ago, he landed up-andcoming defenceman Dougie Hamilton — now a fixture on Calgary’s top pairing — in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins. On a busy night last June, he swapped for goalie Brian Elliott and welcomed an instant fan favourite when he called Matthew Tkachuk’s name with the sixth-overall selection.
Treliving’s other significant moves include the dismissal of Bob Hartley last spring and the hiring of Glen Gulutzan as his head-coaching replacement, free-agent deals for wingers Troy Brouwer and Michael Frolik, among others, and lucrative long-term extensions for captain Mark Giordano and cornerstone forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
On Monday, he put his signature on an extension of his own.
“Brad has done a good job in leading our club and has clearly earned this reward,” said Flames president and CEO Ken King in a statement.
Treliving, of course, is focused on earning wins and hopefully earning championships.
“I look at where we are as a hockey organization and from three years ago, I think we’re in a much better spot,” Treliving said. “And it’s not just the team on the ice. It’s our minor-league team, it’s our reserve list, our processes of how we go about our business, how we go find players, how we develop players, all that.
“I look at it and say, ‘We’ve got a ways to go,’ but I really like where we’re at and I like the things we’ve put in place here.
“The future of this team, I think, is very bright.”
He wants to be a part of it. Always did.
Treliving was tight-lipped about the exact length of his multi-year pact, but Julie, Ryann and Reese might know the answer.
Keep in mind, this guy is desperate to climb back above the fish and rabbit in the popularity polls at home.
“My family, they adore the city,” Treliving said. “And you get real invested in these jobs, and I think we’ve taken some real good steps. We know where we’re at. We know there’s much work to do here. But to be able to see it through, that’s what you want. You’re invested with what you’ve put in. You’re invested with the people.
“So now, let’s keep this going. We have lots of stuff to do, but I wanted to be there and see the project through.”
I look at it and say, ‘We’ve got a ways to go,’ but I really like where we’re at and I like the things we’ve put in place here. The future of this team, I think, is very bright.”