The westerner

President Chris called meeting to order at 12:15. There were about 30 members present and our exchange student, Flavio. Tim Anderson introduced our visitors and guests: Dean, Scott, Scott, Gary, Rolandas and Flavio.

Des DeFreitas led us in O’Canada followed by our “welcome song” (which needs a lot of work) and President Chris acknowledged we are situated on the original lands of the Tsuut’ina Nation.

Mel Warman invited our guest speaker and then promptly got a seat sale to Mexico, so she introduced Craig Button via Zoom. 

Craig Button is one of Canada’s most respected hockey analysts. Many of you know him from TSN, where his insight, talent evaluation, and passion for the game have made him a trusted voice across the country. Craig’s perspective comes from a lifetime inside the sport — from scouting & developing players, to serving as General Manager of the Calgary Flames and helping build the Stanley Cup–winning Dallas Stars. He brings a deep understanding of leadership, teamwork, and community notably his involvement with the Calgary Stampede — values that align beautifully with Rotary.

Craig Button

“Like Hockey his Life in Three Periods” with Overtime for Questions!

First Period

Craig born January 3, 1963, and was raised in Montreal. Button graduated from Riverdale High School when he was 17 years old and promptly jumped in a old pick-up truck with his buddy Steve and headed West to see Canada, landing in Calgary and then off to Banff where he was able to obtain a job as a dishwasher at the Caboose Restaurant -he had no skills but the owner was French and he was bilingual.

Back home, he initially wanted to become an International Banker and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Concordia University in 1987. His father who had an extensive career as an NHL executive talked him out of it and the rest is history.

Second Period

Craig began his NHL management career in 1988 with the Minnesota North Stars and was the Director of Scouting for Dallas Stars 1992–98 & Director of Player Personnel for Dallas Stars 1998–2000. While with the Stars, the team participated in two Stanley Cup Finals, winning in 1999, and were recipients of the Presidents' Trophy on two occasions.

Establishing a team in Dallas was a challenge. Dallas was clearly a “football” city with only one arena and one rink. In this period of life, Craig and fellow leaders/players developed a performance review system where they would sit down regularly and review “the dumbness things we did in the past few months”. Sounds like fun.

Third Period

Craig replaced Al Coates as the Vice President and General Manager of the Calgary Flames. This period is where Craig talks about his love for Calgary and the people that make our community one of the best places to live and bring up a family. Craig is married and has two daughters and has declined opportunities for advancement as he is not prepared to leave Calgary. Craig’s career has intersected with some of the most influential figures in hockey. People like Harley Hotchkiss who were instrumental in bringing the NHL to Calgary; Jerome Iginla who was scouted early by Craig and Bob Gainey who helped shape Craig’s approach to player evaluation. Behind every great athlete is a great story…and Craig shared many stories. Today, Craig works for TSN as their ice hockey analyst and Director of Scouting.

Overtime

Craig answered many questions including his thoughts on the upcoming Olympics in Italy. Naturally Canada wins the gold in hockey. 

As a scout, Craig looks for players like Jerome Iginla whose game will proceed to the next level. Character matters – not just talent.

Social media is part of the young players life, and you can’t change that. One of Craig’s core pieces of wisdom —is the importance of protecting your mental space, especially in a world where criticism, noise, and negativity can drown out clarity. His message is simple and strong: You don’t have to let every voice into your head. Shut the door on the ones that don’t help you grow.

Game Ended

Chris Davis expressed the thanks of the club and presented Craig with a certificate confirming our donation to Shelter Box in his name. Chris also mentioned his opportunity as a young man to sit around the campfire with the late Gord Hall. This prompted Craig to tell his experience with Gord, one of the real heroes of hockey.

Announcements:

Dan Doherty also expressed his thanks to Craig with a story about his experience the other night with his neighbours having a party with 15 or so singers and entertainers including Tom Jackson. Tom had a message which Dan challenged us all to embrace. It is beautifully simple and deeply human – “pick up the phone, call one person, and tell them you love them”. That idea comes straight from Tom’s & Dan’s long‑standing belief that small acts of love and connection can change the world.

Dan also announced the upcoming home build project Casa de Esperanza in Rosarita Mexico from April 9-12, where Rotary clubs will collaborate to construct three homes.  He has led this project 19 times bringing the total to 80 homes, directly impacting 400.

Rotary club of Okotoks is hosting a Robbie Burns night on Friday January 23^rd. Tickets are available.

Flavio gave us an overview of his week. Skiing at Sunshine….no broken bones.

Gord Cox shared updates to our website including a new Club logo, 

Information about our 4-Way Speech Contest: 

and passed along from the vacationing Rod McMahon that ticket sales for our annual Stampede Parade Seating with Breakfast event are now live on eventbrite.ca.

President Chris closed the meeting with a bad joke.

Mike Carlin

Reporter