The Calgary Flames held an optional practice on Saturday morning, with just a smattering of players hitting the ice at the Saddledome. But there was other action at the ‘Dome on Saturday, as blueliner MacKenzie Weegar was named this year’s recipient 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.

Weegar is a really good choice and a very deserving recipient.

Weegar arrived in Calgary during the 2022 off-season as part of the Matthew Tkachuk trade with the Florida Panthers. He memorably joked to the media early in his first Flames training camp about it being playoffs already, a commentary on the difference in amounts of media coverage of hockey between South Florida and Southern Alberta.

“Coming from Florida, you know, it’s obviously different personnel, right?” remarked Weegar on Saturday morning. “And I didn’t really know how it was going to go. Obviously, I was nervous. But when you get all the cameras and all the mics in front of you when you first get here, it’s actually pretty exciting and it’s a lot of fun.”

Weegar signed an eight year contract extension during that first Flames camp and he’s emerged as a really good, really valuable player for the Flames. In addition to being one of the first players over the boards in virtually every game situation, Weegar has also become one of the most important voices in the Flames locker room. In addition to serving as one of the club’s alternate captains, he’s frequently one of the players called upon by the media after games – whether the team wins or loses.

In his dealings with the media, the 31-year-old Weegar is basically what he is on the ice: honest, forthright, insightful, and occasionally mixing in a few jokes when the situation calls for it. He’s a very deserving winner of the Peter Maher Award, on a team where there were many worthy contenders.

The previous winners of the Peter Maher Award include Blake 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).