As the 2025-26 regular season winds down, it’s awards season around the National Hockey League as voting is conducted for the league’s awards and team-specific awards and nominations are announced. On Tuesday morning, in advance of the Calgary Flames’ clash with the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary’s local media named Blake Coleman the 2025-26 winner of the Peter Maher Good Guy Award.

Named after longtime Flames radio play-by-play voice Peter Maher, honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for broadcasting excellence, the Good Guy Award is bestowed every year to the Flames player who best exemplifies Maher’s values in their dealings with others: sincerity, integrity, dedication and respect. It’s voted upon by local media – disclosure, I have a vote – and is awarded at the end of the season.

A year ago, Coleman and the Flames were in the playoff mix to the bitter end and trade chatter was fairly quiet. This year? A much different vibe. As one of the team’s veteran leaders and most prominent players, Coleman was put in the unique position of discussing the team’s wins or losses following games while dealing with being a subject to trade rumours himself.

“You know, it’s been a little bit of a different year for us,” said Coleman. “I know I was a little more involved and got to read about myself a little more than usual but, you know, it was all done really respectfully and it wasn’t the easiest year on the ice, obviously as a team or through the media up into the deadline. and things like that. But, like I said, it was very respectfully done and people were very open and kind and I’ve always really appreciated my relationship with you guys.”

During the whole process, and in a really open discussion with the media after not being traded at the deadline, Coleman conducted himself with class, dignity and grace.

Coleman becomes the second three-time winner of the Peter Maher Award, having won it previously in 2022-23 (as a co-winner with Mikael Backlund) and 2023-24 (on his own). MacKenzie Weegar interrupted Coleman’s dynasty last year, but his trade to Utah seemingly paved the way for Coleman to recapture the award.

(Sportsnet’s Eric Francis spoke with Weegar after Sunday’s game, and Weegar joked that Coleman got him traded to get his award back.)

The previous winners of the Peter Maher Award include Weegar (2024-25), Coleman (2023-24 and 2022-23 co-winner), Erik Gudbranson (2021-22), Derek Ryan (2020-21), Mikael Backlund (2019-20 and 2022-23 co-winner), Travis Hamonic (2018-19), Matt Stajan (2017-18), Chad Johnson (2016-17) and Joe Colborne (2013-14 through 2015-16).

The Flames conclude their 2025-26 season on Tuesday against Colorado and Thursday against Los Angeles.