CALGARI – The worries began years ago, as did the lobbying.
Asked who pressed him the most to stay in Calgary, Johnny Godreau smiled.
Probably Tre, laughed Goddre from GM Brad Treleving.
“It’s everywhere. This is such a great city to play. I mean, my neighbors, almost certain, have been shoveling my snow all year, just to get me back.
“You go to Starbucks, you go out to eat, everyone is so hospitable and they really want me here again. And it’s great. This is what you want to hear.
“That’s what you want people to think of you, that they want in their team. It’s a little overwhelming at times, but it’s great to hear. Love it.”
When you hear him speak on Saturday, you get a strong feeling that the love shown to him matters.
And this is mutual, as he repeated in his strongest words so far, how much this city and the organization mean to it.
It will not be easy to say goodbye to this.
If this was his farewell press conference like Flame, he definitely didn’t feel that way.
“Obviously Calgary has a special place in my heart,” said Godro, 28, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent on July 13.
“I have been part of this organization for 11 years. Ever since Day 1, I have come here, the fans, the organization, my teammates, even you (the media). Sometimes when I play badly, you make it difficult for me. But that’s okay. But I love everything in this city. I like my wife here.
“You can say on Twitter, my uncle, my father, my mother, my sisters, my brother, everyone loves Calgary. This is a special place in our hearts and we love it here, so we will see what happens.
“I’ll sit down with my agent sometime this week and decide what’s best for me and my family.”
Godreau said he said a sad goodbye to all his teammates on Saturday morning because “you never know what will happen.” But he insists he hasn’t spent the last few weeks or months with this “last dance” mentality that his time in the city is about to end.
“I didn’t sit in the locker room holding my T-shirt or looking up in the stands,” Godreau said.
“It’s something I didn’t really think of. I have an important decision and we will see what happens in the next few weeks, but I like it here. I love the fans. I love the city. But I’ve never had a moment to say to myself, “This is for me.”
What is best for an organization that has made significant strides this year, thanks to Godro’s 115-point season, is a long-term deal that blocks a waiting free agent for the rest of his career.
Treliving knows this, doubling Saturday in his desire to “move heaven and earth” to sign Godraud.
“I said that and I told John, I think he’s Calgary Flame and we want to do it Calgary Flame for a long time and we’ll do everything we can to make that happen,” Trelling said.
“We saw what he was capable of. I have believed in this man since the day I walked in the door here. Of course, this is an important part of the business that we need to take care of.
“I think he has a chance to be one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. And there were some great ones. So we hope to be able to do that. ”
This time there will be no discount, such as the $ 6.75 million deal he has been playing on for six years.
This time the bidding is against 31 other teams, many of them with better tax situations and time, which means that the eighth year that the Flames can offer (according to the CBA) will probably be important. Eight times $ 10 million seems like a good round number to everyone.
Money is not the real issue.
The desire is.
If he wants to continue playing on half the continent from his home in New Jersey, this can be easily resolved.
But if the grass looks greener elsewhere, it may stop it from moving.
However, the man, who has just scored one of the most iconic goals in the franchise’s history, admitted on Saturday that his legacy in Calgary matters to him.
“Yes, it’s important,” said Godreau, who will rewrite the team’s records and likely end up as the greatest player in team history if he stays.
“Will I be here in the coming years or not, who knows what will happen?” But when my time is up here, I hope people will remember me as a good person off the ice, a good teammate and just a good person. People can think about what I did on the ice, but personally I want people to know how grateful I am to them for welcoming me here and hoping that a few more years will pass and they will stay with me. ”
The team’s success this year is also an important part of this puzzle, as he knows his return will keep the league’s top line and Calgary’s very good core group intact.
“I’ve been here for 11 years and I haven’t achieved that end goal and it’s been a while since they won here, so I think it would be very special to win the Cup here,” he said in the club’s fourth round of the 2011 flyer.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed of all my life, and Calgary is a great place to do it.”
Asked if players usually lobby their teammates to stay in the city, Blake Coleman’s response was telling.
“If it’s Johnny Godreau, you will,” he smiled.
“He is such a big part of this team. In my conversations with him, trying to make him understand what legacy he could leave in Calgary if he stayed. You can probably already put his T-shirt in the beams. Another eight years for Johnny, he would be cemented forever. And I think that’s something that’s important to him.
“No matter how shaken he is, he deserves it and he deserves to be taken care of by his family.
“We’re all friends and we want the best for each other, but we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that Johnny is in the red next year.”
It is now up to him and his wife to decide if Calgary is the place where they want to raise a young family and end their playing days.
“I probably won’t think about it for a few days here,” Godreau said.
“It simply came to our notice then. I don’t know anything but Calgary, you know? In September I flew to Calgary to play hockey. And then at the end of the season I go home and spend time with my family. That’s all I’ve known for the last 11 years and it’s kind of a big decision here and I’m just going to try to figure out first what’s best for me and my family and move on. But Calgary is a special place for me and I really, really love it here. ”
Add Comment