Craig Conroy Craig Conroy ( born September 4 , 1971 ) is an American former professional ice hockey player and currently the Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Calgary Flames . A sixth round selection of the Montreal Canadiens at the 1990 National Hockey League ( 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 Selke Trophy as the league ' 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 . Early life . An only child , Conroy was born and raised in Potsdam , New York . He attended high school at Northwood School . His father Mike played minor league hockey for the Syracuse Blazers and at four years old Conroy served as the team ' s mascot prior to games . He followed in the footsteps of his father and two uncles in playing hockey at Clarkson University for the Golden Knights . He enrolled at Clarkson in 1990 and played four seasons for the school . During his junior season of 1992 – 93 , Conroy scored two goals in a 5 – 3 victory over RPI in the Eastern College Athletic Conference ( ECAC ) semi - final to help lead his team to the conference championship game . Conroy reached 100 career points with the goals , joining his father Mike as the only such pair in Clarkson ' s history to reach that milestone . Conroy and the Golden Knights then won the ECAC title with a 3 – 1 victory over Brown University . The Golden Knights made Conroy a co - captain in his senior year of 1993 – 94 . He led the ECAC in scoring with 66 points and was named to the conference ' s First All - Star Team , the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) First All - Star Team and the NCAA Final Four All - Tournament Team . He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as top player in the NCAA , finishing second to Chris Marinucci . Professional career . Montreal and St . Louis . Conroy was selected in the sixth round , 123rd overall , at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens . He turned professional in 1994 upon completing his college career in Clarkson . At his first day of his first training camp with Montreal , he got into a fight with the team ' s star goaltender , Patrick Roy , after striking the latter with a slap shot in practice . He spent the majority of the 1994 – 95 season in the American Hockey League ( AHL ) with the Fredericton Canadiens , scoring 26 goals and 44 points in 55 games . He appeared in six games for Montreal that year . He played his first NHL game on February 15 , 1995 , against the Hartford Whalers , and scored his first goal one night later against the New York Rangers . Though he was an offensive star at Clarkson and Fredericton , the Canaidens sought to convert him to a defensive specialist in the NHL . While he averaged over one point per game with Fredericton in 1995 – 96 , Conroy again played only a handful of games with Montreal . He again began 1996 – 97 in the AHL , but was traded along with Pierre Turgeon and Rory Fitzpatrick to the St . Louis Blues for Murray Baron , Shayne Corson and a draft pick on October 29 , 1996 . Conroy appeared in five games with the Worcester IceCats in the AHL , but after earning a recall to St . Louis , established himself as a regular in the NHL and appeared in 61 games with the Blues that season . Head coach Joel Quenneville worked to develop Conroy ' s abilities as a defensive forward and top faceoff specialist . Conroy responded in 1997 – 98 by improving to 43 points and a career - high plus - minus rating of + 20 . In recognition of his season , he was named a finalist for both the Selke Trophy as the NHL ' s top defensive forward , and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as its most gentlemanly player . Conroy remained one of the league ' s top defensive forwards in 1998 – 99 . While he missed several games with a high ankle sprain , he scored his first career hat trick on February 26 , 1999 , against the Calgary Flames and finished sixth in Selke Trophy voting that season . He faced a difficult season in 1999 – 2000 as Queneville adopted a new strategy that abandoned the concept of a checking line . Conroy struggled at both ends of the ice , and frequently found his ice time limited as a result . He finished the season with just 27 points . Looking to improve their team for a playoff run in 2000 – 01 , the Blues dealt Conroy , along with a draft pick , to the Flames for Cory Stillman . The trade was initially unpopular in Calgary as the Flames had given up their leading scorer for Conroy , who noted that that was when he " learned not to read the papers or watch TV " . Calgary and Los Angeles . 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 the best of 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 league 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 that 2003 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 as he opted 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 sixteen 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 NHL season proved a difficult one for Conroy , as he scored only three goals and twelve 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 39 - years - old , 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 announced his retirement and accepted a management position with the Flames organization , becoming the special assistant to general manager Jay Feaster . Off the ice . Conroy has a wife , Jessie , and three daughters , Taylor , Sophia and Sydney . Conroy and his family chose to remain in Calgary following his retirement as a player , though they had considered other options including returning to his home town of Potsdam . He is known for his outgoing and talkative nature , traits that have made him a popular figure with the fans . The Flames honored Conroy with the J . R . " Bud " McCaig Award , given by the organization to individuals that show respect , courtesy and compassion , in 2008 – 09 . He was also named him the winner of the Ralph T . Scurfield Humanitarian Award in 2010 in recognition of his charitable efforts . Additionally , his teammates voted him the organization ' s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership and humanitarian contributions to their community . Conroy is the spokesman for the team ' s charitable organization , the Flames Foundation for Life and routinely participates in team events .