Craig Conroy (born September 4, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey player and currently the special assistant to the general manager of the Calgary Flames. A sixth round selection of the Montreal Canadiens at the 1990 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, Conroy played 1,009 NHL games for the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings during a professional career that spanned from 1994 to 2011. Internationally, he twice played with the United States National Team – at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Developed as a defensive specialist through much of his career, Conroy was twice a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward and was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as its most gentlemanly player. He played over 1,000 games in the NHL and was the second oldest player in league history to reach that milestone. Conroy, who enjoyed his greatest offensive seasons with the Flames, is a former captain of the team and was twice honored by the organization for his leadership, dedication and humanitarian efforts.
I would like to see the instigator rule thrown out. There probably would be more fights, but I don't think you would have as many of the hits from behind, the liberties on your superstars. A lot has been made of Crosby getting hit this year. You have to protect those guys. Right now, the tough guys can't protect the stars. I'd like to see what would happen without the instigator rule; who knows, I may have to fight a few more times. But after Iginla beat me up in St. Louis, I said, "I'm done w
Craig Conroy was drafted 123rd overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens after a solid four year career at Clarkson University of the NCAA. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in 1996, where he finished four seasons without having a negative plus/minus rating, and was traded to the Calgary Flames for Cory Stillman in 2001. Conroy was captain of the Flames until the beginning of the 2003-04 NHL season, when he gave up the captaincy to Jarome Iginla. Conroy became an assistant captain. In July 2004, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings. After not making the American team for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he was named to Team USA for the 2006 Winter Olympics. He was also a member of Team USA for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. Conroy was traded back to the Calgary Flames by the Kings in January of 2007. He is a personality player that has the ability to take charge of a game and put up good numbers. Conroy is solid in all zones and is a great leader, almost as famous for his mouth as he is for his talent.
