His new business is hockey, but to Ken King, it’s more than a business.

It’s a game. The game he played on dimly lit rinks until his feet blistered during a boyhood in Saskatchewan. The game played by Frank Mahovlich, his boyhood idol with the fabled Maple Leafs of the 1960s. And the game he continues to play with reckless abandon in the old-timers’ circuit.

“I’m looking for that last sweet move and then I’ll hang ’em up,” says King, who was hired in August as CEO of the Calgary Flames after three decades in the newspaper industry, including stints as publisher of the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun.

King pauses to gaze fondly at the worn and scuffed skates lying on the floor of his office, like a man ogling a Norman Rockwell painting.

The Calgary owners are counting on King’s infectious enthusiasm for the game, tireless community spirit and savvy business acumen to light a fire under the financially strapped Flames’ organization.

Drop the puck.

1. What are your memories of a boyhood in small-town Saskatchewan?

“I was the youngest of seven children and my dad (Joe) was an automobile mechanic – a big, strong guy and a great mechanic. It was a great place for a guy like me to grow up because you could get into lots of trouble, but you couldn’t hide. Our whole town (Hanley, pop. 524) was our playground. We literally went end to end. The big deal was the first day the ice was in the rink. That first day, you skated until you couldn’t skate anymore. The next morning, your legs were so stiff. I can remember falling down after getting out of bed. I played hockey and figure skated in the town carnival. As a hockey player, I was fast, tall and skinny, I loved to hit hard and I had stone hands. I was invited to the Saskatoon Blades’ camp (junior A), but I never did go and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t go and embarrass myself.”

2. How do you think small-town life shaped your character?

“I think it was really great from a value standpoint. My kids laugh because one of a number of homilies was never lie, never cheat, never steal and work hard beyond what is expected of you, and don’t complain about the money. We were clean, well-fed and poor as church mice, but nobody, nobody, outworked a King. My dad passed away in 1982 and my mom (Rose) is 91 and lives in Saskatoon. She’s a wonderfully thoughtful and intelligent woman.”

3. What was your boyhood dream?

“Actually, I wanted to be a lawyer (chuckling). But I did not go on to university. We were a poor but happy family and I was anxious to make some dough and get on with the world. I went on to that fateful summer job which became a permanent job. I was advertising sales trainee at the newspaper in Prince George, B.C. I loved the newspaper business and I loved selling. A lot of friends of mine are lawyers and I’m glad I didn’t become a lawyer.”

4. Who was your mentor?

“There were many, but on a personal front it was my oldest brother Ray. He was my hero – everything you ever wanted to be. He was big and he was strong and he was smart. There was also a guy named Maurice Pearson, who used to sing on the Lawrence Welk Show. He wound up being the advertising manager in Prince George. He thought he recognized some sort of raw talent in me and he told me outright: ‘You’ve got something and, if you get serious about it, you could accomplish some things.’ That was a great door opener for me. It gave me confidence.”

5. What have your first six weeks as Flames’ CEO been like?

“I’ve never worked harder in my life. And I’m a horse. But I’m enjoying it so much. After 30 years in the newspaper business, it’s new oxygen for me. I’m energized. I think I could do this for 30 years, too. I have a wonderful wife (Marilyn) who understands that in the short-term this is going to take a great amount of time. She knows I love her and she knows there will eventually be daylight in terms of having more time with the family.”

6. How do you plan to put your stamp on the Flames’ organization?

“I think that hockey was once in such substantial demand that what you needed to do was manage the growth and enjoy the benefits of that. I think there’s still ample demand for hockey, but there’s lots of competition for it, and I think it’s conceivable that two tickets for 45 games as the prime fundamental underlying subscriber base may be changing where it’s now four tickets or six tickets for fewer games. I think that we have to go back to the value statement.

"It has become really expensive, and I think some of our biggest fans are saying: ‘Gee, can I still afford to get in the building, and is it worth that much of my hard-earned income?’ So we have to make sure that it is worth it, and look at our model to make sure we’re not over-pricing it or putting it out of reach of people.”

7. So what’s the key to enhancing the product?

“My sign, and I don’t have one on the wall, but if I did it would say: ‘It’s the hockey, stupid.’ Our core competency and our fundamental business is hockey. We need to be brilliant at hockey. We obviously can’t out-spend our competitors, but we can sure as hell out-think them. The longer-range issues for the league are the impending collective-bargaining agreement and that type of thing, but I don’t see that as a panacea. It’s pretty hard to blame high-priced hockey players that are cashing cheques that we give them. So I think the responsibility is squarely on us as operators to provide real good hockey and excellent value, and we’ll be just fine.”

8. What are you hearing from the fans?

“Frankly, I anticipated that there might be some people saying: ‘Oh, boy, did you lose your mind or what?’ But everybody has been positive and enthusiastic. But clearly we have lots of work to do to re-engage the fans in participating in our 40-some odd events, and then of course the playoffs, which we will be in.”

9. Were there some mixed feelings in being the successor to your friend, Ron Bremner?

“Yeah, there was. And we remain close friends. I felt he had come under a great deal of unfair criticism. I think he became an outlet for people’s frustration, and I’m not sure that was fair. Ron did a lot of important things. My approach will be different than his. I’m a hands-on operator. I believe in allowing people to do their job, but I also believe in getting involved at lots of levels to understand the operation. I’m an aggressive operator. But I want to be mindful that whatever I think I am is not suggesting that he (Bremner) wasn’t that.”

10. Do you plan on changing the presentation of the game?

“We need to understand that this is a hockey game and that the other events that take place are supplementary to the hockey game and don’t supercede the hockey game. This is a very sophisticated hockey town. People pay to see hockey, and that’s what we really need to focus on. People want to holler at the ref and they need some time and some space to do that. And it’s hard to do that over rock and roll playing at decibels that are too high.”

11. What are your thoughts about the commitment of the ownership in keeping the Flames in Calgary long-term?

“I can’t guarantee that this team will never be put up for sale. What I can guarantee is that it would be easier to sell it now, more profitable to the owners and far less challenging to sell it than to keep it. To keep it here is costly, difficult, open to all sorts of criticism and comments, and I applaud the owners for taking the hard road. I think they’re unfairly criticized as rich owners, but they’re really devoted to the city. We’re also determined not to take a do-or-die attitude. We’re not going to stick a gun to anyone’s head. This team needs to be viable and, if it’s not viable, it won’t be here.”

12. What’s the key to the long-term viability of the team?

“Competitiveness.”

13. Will you try to lure Lanny McDonald back into the organization?

“If Lanny thinks there’s a role here that’s suitable for him, I would be absolutely thrilled for him to be involved. He is a Flames’ icon and a Calgary icon. If I can interest him in being involved in the team, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

14. What’s your vision for the Flames for 2005?

“It would be glorious to see that the league has righted itself on the common sense front, that teams are like-minded relative to taking a more sensible approach. The best way to make teams competitive in other leagues has been salary caps and that type of thing. I think in 2005 we have a good relationship with the players, a reasonable (collective bargaining) contract and a broadly competitive league of which we are among the top teams because we’re among the smartest, we’re in a great city and the city recognizes the benefits being provided.”

15. Are there any other goals beyond the on-ice success of the team?

“I would like to see us focusing our ancillary efforts on our charitable organization and on minor hockey and all minor sports.”

16. As a former Edmontonian, what was it like switching sides in hockey’s Battle of Alberta?

“I remember the first Flames’ game that I saw here was against the Oilers. When the Oilers scored, my wife leaped up in a cheer much to the chagrin of the people sitting around her. I said: ‘Welcome to Calgary, dear.’ Kevin Lowe (Oilers’ GM and former player) is a great friend of mine and I was the emcee at his wedding. And, yes, the Battle of Alberta is on.”

17. Who are the business leaders you most admire?

“Doug Creighton (founder of Sun newspapers) and Conrad Black (CEO of the Hollinger media group). They were purists who understood what they were doing, and they were good at getting people to help them do it. And they were very smart people, and very decent people.”

18. What are your shortcomings?

“I’m a full-value guy and being full value means that you do some things that you’re not proud of and really wish you hadn’t done them. Probably, if there is anything that I’d like back, it’s that I’ve inadvertently or directly hurt anybody through my actions, but it was not intended. When you’re in a position where you influence a lot of people, that can happen. My flaws are not hard to detect. What you see is what you get and that ain’t all good and it ain’t all bad.”

19. God taps you on the shoulder and says you can change one thing in your life? “I have been really fortunate. God did tap me on the shoulder and sent me four angels – my mother, my two daughters and my wife. And He did tap me on the shoulder and give me more blessings than I can count, maybe even more than I deserve. But what I’d wish for is that He could lessen the misery of others.”

20. What were your initial thoughts on hearing about the terrorist tragedy in the U.S.?

“Disbelief and great sadness for the lives of all of those people that have been inalterably changed and the passing of innocence of young people. It was very confusing and frightening for children. I don’t think we prepared our children for anything like this.”

IN PROFILE: Ken King

* Born/raised/age: Davidson, Sask.; Hanley, Sask.; 49.

* Title: President/CEO, Calgary Flames (since August 15, 2001).

* Education: High school, Davidson, Sask.

* Family: Wife Marilyn, daughters Amanda and Jocelin.

* Career: Prior to joining the Flames, King spent 30 years in the newspaper industry, including stints as publisher of the Calgary Sun (1988-96) and publisher of the Calgary Herald (1996-99). Since launching his career in 1970 with the Prince George Citizen in B.C., he has held numerous management positions, including general manager of the Edmonton Sun.

* Community: King is a member of numerous organizations, including the board of trustees for the Howard Mackie CIAU Athlete Of The Year Awards, a director of the Calgary Philharmonic Society and was named B'nai Brith Man of the Year in 1991.

* Boyhood idol: Frank Mahovlich.

* Passions: Community service, youth sports, golf, old-timers’ hockey.

THE COMPANY: Calgary Flames

* Brass: Ken King, president/CEO; Craig Button, general manager/VP.

* Ownership: The Flames are owned by seven local entrepreneurs – Murray Edwards, Harley Hotchkiss, Alvin Libin, Allan Markin, Bud McCaig, Byron Seaman and Daryl (Doc) Seaman.

* Arena: Pengrowth Saddledome (capacity, 17,100).

* Home opener: Oct. 3 vs. Edmonton Oilers.

* Website: www.calgaryflames.com

* Phone: 403-777-2177.

* Address: Box 1540 St. M, Calgary, AB T2P 3B9.