The Calgary Flames have finally dropped the interim tag from general manager Jay Feaster's title.
The NHL team made it official at a news conference on Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Feaster took over in the front office from Darryl Sutter on Dec. 28. At the time, the Flames were 16-18-3 and under Feaster, the club posted a 25-11-9 record and almost made the playoffs.
"It was pretty clear to everybody that we needed a philosophical adjustment," said Flames president Ken King. "One of the things Jay had said was he had never seen a team that liked winning less, or had enjoyed it less."
"The attitude change was 'We're going to look for the positives, we're going to be a positive and optimistic group,"' Feaster said. "It's easy to do when you're winning. The secret is to be able to do that when times aren't as good."
The announcement caps off a busy day for the Flames, who earlier locked up forward Curtis Glencross to a four-year, $10.2 million contract.
"The vision is to be a team that is a consistent Stanley Cup challenger," said Feaster. "I think we're a whole lot closer than a lot of people think we are in terms of the players we have in that room."
"We have a group that cares. They want to be here and contribute to our success. We will be making some player changes, we will have a different look, but the big thing is we're going to be back to establishing an identity the way we want this hockey club to play."
Feaster was general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
He signed a five-year contract to be the assistant general manager in Calgary last season and is expected to serve out the remaining four years of that deal.
