page_title: Craig Conroy
section_title: Calgary and Los Angeles
hierarchical_section_title: Craig Conroy / Professional career / Calgary and Los Angeles
caption_attribution_description: English: Former NHL players Martin Gelinas (left, white) and Craig Conroy (right, red) talk during a stoppage in play during the alumni game at the 2011 Heritage Classic in Calgary.
context_page_description: Craig Michael Conroy is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. A sixth-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Conroy played 1,009 NHL games for the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings during a professional career that spanned from 1994 to 2011. Internationally, he twice played with the United States National Team – at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
  Developed as a defensive specialist through much of his career, Conroy was twice a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward, and was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as its most gentlemanly player. He played over 1,000 games in the NHL and was the second-oldest player in League history to reach that milestone. Conroy, who enjoyed his greatest offensive seasons with the Flames, is a former captain of the team and was twice honored by the organization for his leadership, dedication and humanitarian efforts.
context_section_description: Opinion of the deal shifted considerably the following season as Conroy established himself as the Flames' first line center alongside Jarome Iginla. The pair developed good chemistry and became strong friends. Conroy scored career highs with 28 goals and 75 points, while Iginla reached the 50-goal plateau for the first time and led the NHL in scoring.  Iginla credited Conroy for making his breakout season possible. Additionally, Conroy was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy for a second time. The Flames named him a co-captain along with Bob Boughner late in the 2001–02 season, and he held the role full-time in 2002–03.
  Conroy was the Flames second-leading scorer in 2002–03 with 59 points and again in 2003–04 when he scored 47 points despite missing 19 games with a knee injury. Shortly before the 2003-04 season began, Conroy gave up the captaincy after having decided it was time for Iginla to take over leadership of the team. He reached two milestones that season; he scored his 300th career point against the Vancouver Canucks on November 29, 2003 and played his 600th game against the Detroit Red Wings on March 16, 2004. The Flames qualified for the 2004 playoffs, their first trip to the post-season in eight seasons. Conroy was a key player for the team as they upset the top three seeds in the Western Conference, the Canucks, Red Wings and San Jose Sharks en route to a seventh game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. He finished second on the team in playoff scoring with 17 points. Following the season, Conroy was named to play with Team USA at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, but appeared in only two games for the team.
  Conroy left the Flames as a free agent following the playoff run, opting to sign a four-year, US$12 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. He later admitted that he did not truly wish to leave the Flames, but facing financial uncertainty with the 2004–05 NHL lockout looming, Conroy chose to accept the guaranteed contract. The lockout wiped out the first year of the deal, but he returned in 2005–06 to reach the 20-goal mark for the third time and 60 points for the second time in his career. During that season, he joined the United States national team for a second time, playing in the 2006 Winter Olympics. He appeared in six games, scoring one goal and five points for the eighth place Americans.
  Conroy struggled under new coach Marc Crawford early in the 2006–07 season, falling to five goals and 16 points in 52 games for the Kings before he was traded back to the Flames on January 29, 2007, in exchange for Jamie Lundmark and two draft picks. An emotional Conroy, who said he was happy to return to Calgary, scored two goals the following night in his second debut with the Flames to defeat his former Kings teammates, 4–1. Conroy finished the season by scoring 21 points in 28 games for Calgary, then scored 34 points in 2007–08.
  The Flames re-signed Conroy to a new contract prior to the 2008–09 season and named him an alternate captain. He scored his 500th career point on January 3, 2009, when he assisted on Todd Bertuzzi's game-winning goal in a 3–2 win against the Nashville Predators, and finished the year with 48 points. The 2009–10 season proved a difficult one for Conroy, as he scored only three goals and 12 assists during a season shortened by wrist and knee injures along with a broken foot. He returned for another season as the Flames re-signed him to a one-year, two-way contract for the League minimum of $500,000. At the age of 39 years, Conroy played his 1,000th NHL game, against the Colorado Avalanche, on October 28, 2010. Only Grant Ledyard was older (age 40) when he reached that milestone.
  Conroy played only nine more games after passing the milestone, and last played on December 20 against the Minnesota Wild. A healthy scratch in 32 of 50 games, and 28 of his final 29, Conroy was waived on January 25, 2011. After going unclaimed, he was left with the option of joining Calgary's AHL affiliate in Abbotsford or retiring. One week later, on February 4, 2011, Conroy formally 
caption: Conroy (right) talks with former teammate Martin Gélinas during the alumni game at the 2011 Heritage Classic.
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