NEW BEGINNINGS

Blake Coleman was wearing a smile the size of Texas.
The very sight, followed by his first tug of that beautiful red sweater made the occasion come to life.
"The Flaming C is so iconic," the forward said from his new stall inside the Scotiabank Saddledome. "This is pretty cool to be wearing it for the first time.
"My family tells me it's not good, with my skin complexion, to be in red all the time," he added with a laugh. "But really, it's really been like that for pretty much my whole career and I love it.
"In college (Miami University), I wore red, and my first pro team (New Jersey) was red, too.
"I guess you could say I'm back where I belong now."

From winning the second of his two Cups less a month ago, to saying goodbye and signing a six-year deal with the Flames in the early hours of the 'Frenzy,' it's been a wild summer, to say the least. Coleman, along with his wife, Jordan, arrived in Calgary a few days ago - but there's more to the visit than a few hellos and simple swap of the colour palette.
They're now on the hunt for a new house.
Off-season? What 'off'-season?
"Honestly, it's awesome," Coleman said. "It's exciting to come to a place that you're going to call home for a long time. I've only really been here a handful of times playing in the east for most of my career, but I love the history and the fanbase here, and all that comes with it.
"It's exciting to see the dressing room, the rink, the staff, and what my future has in store here.
"To get to share it with my wife in town here and show her what Calgary is all about, it's been a lot of fun."

Coleman spent most of the morning meeting with General Manager Brad Treliving, as well as the team's medical, equipment, PR and digital media departments.
For both Blake and Jordan, you could sense the enthusiasm in their voices. There's a genuine excitement about what lies ahead - not only in establishing a foothold in the community and raising their two daughters, Charlie and Carson, but in becoming a key member of this franchise and putting the Flames back on top of the hockey world.
Having done that in back-to-back years now, Coleman wants nothing more than to do it again.

"Once you taste it and feel the excitement and buzz of how special it is, how much your friends and family get to enjoy it, you want to keep it - you want to do it again," he said. "You feel like it's yours to lose and as competitors, we take that responsibility very seriously.
"The competitor in me hates to lose and that drives me... maybe even more than winning does. That's how I'm built.
"I expect to bring the same thing here. I would love nothing more than to win a third Cup and to do it here in Calgary."
The Plano, Texas native knows it won't be easy.
It never was easy, despite how that formidable Lightning team made it seem, sometimes. Experiencing the playoff gauntlet for a second straight year, though, was the best thing for him.
He learned of the pain.
The dedication.
The spoils.
At 29, and a mere 301 games into his NHL career, he knows that knowledge will be of value in the Flames' locker-room.
"A lot of the guys have already reached out," Coleman said. "It's pretty clear how good of a group this is. Everybody's been really welcoming and they've been great, answering any questions we may have. I'm excited to really get in the room with the boys and get to know them a bit better on the ice here soon."

Later this month, Coleman will have his long-awaited day with the Cup back home in Texas. He'll be doing it up right - inviting a live band and as many as 400 people to attend a backyard BBQ, celebrating his twice-in-a-lifetime achievement.
Hopefully, he'll have to plan another in the very near future.
"It's not only about understanding what it TAKES to win, but how GREAT it feels TO win," Coleman said. "I expect the same thing here.
"To win.
"I want to help this team and be part of that.
"Any time you're part of a winning culture, everybody's having more fun and it makes for an awesome experience. And personally, I'm excited about the team here and where we can go together."