Byron Ritchie jotted out a quick note on his phone and sent off a text to Jarome Iginla, his former Calgary Flames teammate.

Ritchie’s son Ryder was mired in a goal-scoring slump, and Ritchie asked Iginla if he could watch a few of his son’s shifts. “Just see if you’re seeing something different than I am,” Byron asked.

It was one hockey dad asking another for advice, but in truth, less personal versions of this type of exchange are commonplace for Ritchie and Iginla. The two former NHL forwards played together in Calgary for two seasons nearly 20 years ago. They both made their offseason homes in the Okanagan, a picturesque locale in the interior of British Columbia that’s popular among NHL players.

In August 2006, following their first year as teammates in Calgary, Ritchie’s wife, Maria Johansson, and Jarome’s wife, Kara Iginla, both gave birth to sons. Ryder was born on Aug. 3. Tij Iginla arrived the very next day.

Now the two 17-year-olds are top NHL prospects heading into this weekend’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas and working through the pressures of draft eligibility together at RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna. Jarome Iginla coaches the academy’s U18 team — including his son Joe, who made his WHL debut as a 15-year-old this season — while Byron Ritchie…

Our NHL style rankings have seen a fair share of players donning hats and blazers, even full suit combos. Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman, who’s in the midst of a career season, has taken it one step further by donning Stetson hats with his outfits. He credits a Calgary-based World of Vici store stylist for his suits.

“I just have a guy here in Calgary that wanted to play a little dress-up this year,” Coleman said.

As for the hats, Coleman got himself hooked after wearing an Open Road Stetson while attending the Academy of Country Music Awards in Dallas last summer. Owning one turned into owning multiple hats. Even Coleman’s wife, Jordan, grabbed some during the Flames’ road stop in Dallas last November. Coleman also received a Stetson as a birthday gift.

“What’s that old expression? Look good, play good, feel good,” Coleman said. “It’s fun to mix it up a little bit. I was pretty simple earlier in my career. Now that I have the luxury to go get some new stuff, I’ve enjoyed it. My wife used to poke fun at my suit game. I think she’s probably the happiest of anybody.”

Coleman now is considered a style rankings regular for The Athletic. He’s been a part of stiff competition with some of the league’s best dressers, including Auston Matthews, Adam…

Chris Snow, the Calgary Flames assistant general manager who used his platform to offer hope and raise awareness and funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, has died, the team announced Saturday. He was 42 years old.

Snow was diagnosed with ALS in June 2019 and went public with the diagnosis later that year in a letter written by his wife, Kelsie. Snow had become unresponsive after going into cardiac arrest Wednesday, Kelsie shared in a tweet, and suffered “a catastrophic brain injury.”

“Today we hugged Chris for the last time and said goodbye as he went to give four people the gift of life by donating his kidneys, liver and lungs,” she said in a tweet Saturday. “We are deeply broken and deeply proud. In life and in death, Chris never stopped giving. We walk forward with his light guiding us.”

Flames general manager Craig Conroy said the team “will never replace a person like Chris” in a statement Saturday.

We, along with the entire hockey community, are mourning the passing of Chris Snow. Even while battling ALS, Chris dedicated his life to helping others and he changed the lives of so many.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Kelsie and children Cohen and Willa pic.twitter.com/QkbQjMrlT7

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 1,…

There are many ways to discuss the brave life and times of Chris Snow, but let’s start with a personal reflection because it was hard not to think about Chris regularly once he and his wife, Kelsie, made public his ALS diagnosis in December 2019. 

Through her blog, her Twitter posts, and her podcast, Kelsie (and occasionally Chris himself) outlined the harsh, invasive, challenging treatment that kept him alive and battling what both knew would ultimately be a fatal disease. 

You’d read and you’d listen about what they were going through, and you couldn’t help but think, whenever there was a moment in your day or week when you were feeling a little sour or sorry for yourself — just imagine what a bad day must look like for Chris Snow. 

Tests yesterday confirmed that Chris will not wake up. In life, Chris offered his body to a clinical trial to help others. In death he will do the same. He remains on life support while organ donation is arranged. We are so proud of him.

— Kelsie Snow (@kelsieswrites) September 28, 2023

And even a good day for Chris Snow, a long-time Calgary Flames front-office employee and assistant general manager since 2020, could be a challenge on so many levels. The tireless way he has battled through those challenges has been inspiring to…

Before the hockey world descended on Sunrise, Fla., for NHL All-Star Weekend, players used the weeks leading up to celebrate women in sports, local high schools and apparently their deep-seated love for plaid suits. Fashion traditions were turned on their heads, while vintage looks from a decade ago were brought back to life.

Players having great seasons ahead of the season’s halfway mark reminded everyone that you can wear what you want, shamelessly, when you’re performing on the ice. Additionally, one star re-emerged with a dazzling blue suit and made a case for being the best-dressed player in the game. He had some incredible competition from two different teams who used their platforms to highlight those in their respective community.

Which athletes made a lasting impression before the All-Stars converged on the Sunshine State?

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Wow, that scarf in the first photo is taking me all the way back to middle school and early high school in the late 2000s and early 2010s. This is a serious (and funny) flashback to what was stylish during my teenage years. Of the two looks, I’ll admit that, nostalgia aside, I prefer the all-brown suit and turtleneck ensemble by the Calgary Flames…