'Top-5 life experience'

You know when they say a picture is worth a thousand words?

Somehow, that's underestimating it.

There's the classic Canadian Tuxedo, with the stodgy, five-pocket, full-body denim. And then there's … well, this. The jorts version.

A salacious - outrageous - work of western chic.

Blake Coleman and his cowboy crew were the ones lucky enough to model the fits recently at the Stampede Grandstand. But it was actually Blake's wife, Jordan, who was the visionary behind it all.

"She's usually the inspo behind any of my outfits that are a little off the path," Coleman laughed of his decadent Stampede smock. "But you know what? A lot of my boys that were in town are from Chicago and we wanted to get some sort of Stampede or cowboy theme. Jordan took over from there and the guys loved it.

"Even though they were a little tight."

Indeed.

This was the ultimate example of 'pics or it didn't happen.' It's either all in - or nothing at all. And Coleman is never the type to take shortcuts.

The look - complete with a sleeveless button-down (tattered and wrinkled, of course), black shades and brown leather boots with just right amount of patina - screams Calgary, doesn't it?

Only one thing was missing: His boys went the sneaker route, instead of a fresh pair of western wheels. Why?

"We pulled it all together a little late in the game," Coleman said. "My buddies were looking at them, but it was one of those things where the bachelor party tab adds up quick, so you're thinking, 'Where can I cut costs?'

"We crammed a lot in for only 72 hours. I think that speaks to how much fun we all had."

The whirlwind trip was Coleman's first to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. In the span of only a weekend, the seven friends took in the rodeo, moseyed about and entrenched themselves in the unforgettable Stampede buzz, before slowing things down and finishing up with a round of golf at the Banff Springs.

It's not that Coleman needed a new perspective on what makes Calgary such a great city.

But this took things to a whole new level.

"You hear a lot about it and we've been told by a lot of people it's a different animal," he said of the Stampede. "And until you've experienced it for yourself, it's hard to understand it.

"Concerts, rodeo, chuckwagons. Everybody that came had a blast and said it was a Top-5 life experience for them, so it definitely lived up to the hype."

That Calgary has turned into such an attractive off-season destination for this group of players will hopefully put a smile on the faces of Flames fans everywhere.

Because it certainly has resonated with people like the Colemans, who admittedly took a "leap of faith" in the summer of 2021 when they signed a six-year, free-agent deal with the organization.

Since then, they've set roots.

Raised a family.

Made friends.

And have realized that the decision to make the northern trek two years ago was one of the best they've ever made.

"For this stage of life - and for a guy with two young children, my two girls - it's such an easy city to live in," Coleman said. "The accessibility of it all. You can drive downtown and find a place to park, have a nice dinner, drive home. People are really friendly. We live in a great neighbourhood and we've created a great little community with a bunch of friends there now. To us, that's really important. We wanted to feel like we were at home in our playing city - and we've found that here.

"I've played in cities where I can't tell you what any of my neighbour's names were. They just didn't that neighbourhood-friendly vibe.

"Jordan's made a ton of friends away from the game of hockey, too, which is really important.

"We've always said it would be a really hard place to leave."

Both Blake and Jordan grew up in Texas - and, obviously, there's a symbiosis in the regions' western heritage that rocketed Calgary to top the charts when it came to possible locales.

But it was still a new, if not 'scary,' proposition after years in the American south-central.

"Moving in general is tough," Coleman said. "It's obviously a part of this game, but it's hard. Going to Canada was a leap Jordan had to take because she had never even step foot in the country. We may as well have been going to Europe in her eyes.

"But we took that leap. And yes, it was calculated. We talked a lot with guys that grew up there and played there growing up, and they had really good things to say about it. Being Texans, there's a lot of similarities and connections there, too.

"Everything - and everyone - told us it would be a good fit.

"But really, it's been everything and more."

Truly, the Flames couldn't ask for better ambassadors in Blake, Jordan and their two girls, Charlie and Carson. They've embraced all that Calgary has to offer, from the outdoor rinks and tobogganing hills, to soaking up the scenery in nearby Banff and Lake Louise.

They're Calgarians, aright.

Their swift, Stampede excursion just reinforced it.

Coleman - who had a career-high 38 points (18G, 20A) with the Flames last year - will soon be entering his third year in the organization. He's already knee-deep into his off-season training, and has been keeping close tabs on what's happening with the club.

With it being another newsy summer around these parts, it's next to impossible to shut the phone off and disconnect, completely.

And that's OK.

With the changes at the GM and head-coaching position, Coleman can already feel the engine revving back up for the fall.

Even though he never really shuts down.

"I've always felt that you don't have to get ready if you stay ready," Coleman said. "I don't want to have to work all the way back.

"I think the older you get, the more you have to take care of your body and keep yourself in a position to perform. I've definitely utilized this off-season in terms of structuring my training differently. Normally, in the past, it was full go and right into game pace. That's because I've had to the last few years with how deep we've played. But I've found lately that it's best for me to build strength first and then get into the cardio stuff after.

"I usually only take about two weeks totally off. But I have a pretty guilty conscience, so usually anything after five or six days, I have a little itch and do get out and do something.

"I'll tell you ... Every conversation I've had with Conny and Husk has been very reassuring in the vision they have and the way they see this team going.

"They want to win and they're both really competitive guys, and at the end of the day, that's what I want to do here:

"Win.

"There's a lot of noise in Calgary right now, but when the dust settles, we've got a really good team that we're going to put on the ice and I feel really good about what we can do with this group."