89 Champs: Where Are They Now: Lanny McDonald

After playing nearly seven full seasons with the Calgary Flames, Lanny McDonald capped off a 16-year career by scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens to help the Flames win their first and only Stanley Cup in 1989. That summer, McDonald retired from the game as a player on August 28, 1989 despite receiving an offer to play with another team the next season.

His interest in the business world led Lanny to take a position as the Flames Vice President in Charge of Corporate and Community Affairs and later in 1992 he became the Vice President of Marketing. In 1996 Lanny became the Vice President of Corporate Development.

After so many years in a Corporate role, Lanny was part of the team  responsible for hiring a new management team in 2000 and he expected to receive an offer to become a Vice President within Hockey Operations. When that never happened, McDonald left the Flames front office, now only serving as a Saddledome Foundation board member.

In 2001, the Flames new President Ken King brought McDonald back and he was named an Executive Assistant to Hockey Operations, a position he kept until 2003.

Internationally, McDonald held positions in Hockey Operations with Hockey Canada, was the General Manager of Team Canada in the 2001 & 2002 World Championship and was the Director of Player Personnel when Canada won the gold medal at the 2004 World Championship.

Lanny was the first player in Flames franchise history to have his jersey number retired on March 17, 1990 and in 1992 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

McDonald was given an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary in 2008 and to this day, him and his bushy moustache remain a prominent figure in the community, appearing in radio, television, magazine and newspaper ads as well as alumni events and games.

by BizzleJ