‘I’m incredibly grateful’: Flames hire longtime broadcaster Peter Loubardias as scout

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Calgary Flames fans know this voice.

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There was extra excitement in it after Friday’s announcement that Peter Loubardias has been hired to join the scouting staff at the Saddledome.

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Loubardias is as passionate about hockey as anybody you’ll ever meet, something that has been on display over nearly four decades in the broadcast business, including the past 10 seasons as the colour analyst for Flames games on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. He’ll now transition to talent evaluator as a reserve list scout.

“I’m incredibly grateful,” Loubardias beamed. “I’ve always had great interest in moving forward on the hockey side and for John Bean and Craig Conroy and the staff to see that there could be a fit, it’s incredibly exciting.

“As you know, I love the game and that’s always been the great fuel for me, whether I was doing play-by-play or colour or just watching. So yeah, I’ve had to pinch myself a few times.”

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Loubardias, who announced earlier this summer that he was stepping away from his radio role, has been a fixture at rinks around Calgary.

If the Flames weren’t in action, he was likely watching the Wranglers, Hitmen, Dinos, Cougars or one of the local Junior-A or U18 squads. If there was a national-team camp at WinSport, the popular media personality would often be spotted at the practices.

Now based in the Toronto area, his longtime listeners won’t be surprised to hear that he attended an Ontario Hockey League pre-season contest on Wednesday in Brantford. And another one Thursday in Barrie.

“With my passion and love of the game … Going to a million games in my life is hopefully going to serve me well,” said Loubardias, who also handled Flames’ play-by-play duties on TV from 2008-11 and called some of the action at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. “Now, it’s just a little different because I’m doing it for a different purpose.”

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The Flames announced several other additions Friday to their scouting staff, including a hat-trick of former NHLers — Brad Richardson, Kerry Huffman and Denis Grebeshkov. Richardson, who won a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and logged 27 appearances in the Flaming C in 2021-22, and Huffman will be working the pro ranks, while Grebeshkov will be scouring for talent at the amateur levels.

The team also hired Pierre Lamoureux, a former WHL defenceman and most recently a coach in the USHL, to keep eyeballs on the NCAA. Billy Powers will switch his attention from college to pro.

As a reserve list scout, Loubardias will focus primarily on players that are either drafted or signed by the Flames or by other organizations.

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“I’m just really looking forward to getting to Penticton and sitting face-to-face with everybody in the group,” said Loubardias, who is headed next week to the annual Young Stars Classic rookie tournament in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. “More than anything, I’m excited about just learning. I’ve been granted an incredible opportunity for someone that loves sports and loves learning about the game. I even think about just the opportunity to be around all these great veteran people with all their different track records …

“I’m just excited to be a very small part of a team and see where it goes.”

Loubardias’ only previous scouting experience came in 2011-12, when he was filing reports for the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.

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“The only thing I know is this — I know that I’m going to work at it exceptionally hard,” he promised. “I know that I’ve been around hockey people at all different levels for almost 40 years now. Even being in the analyst chair the last 10 years, that has allowed me to spend more time with coaches and GMs. I think the greatest asset that I’ve been given is just the ability to learn from people who have done it and know more about it than I do.”

ICE CHIPS: The Flames’ rookie-campers will report Wednesday. Their schedule for the 2023 Young Stars Classic prospect tournament includes games against the Vancouver Canucks (Sept. 15), Edmonton Oilers (Sept. 16) and Winnipeg Jets (Sept. 18).

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson

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