Having decided to fill the colour-commentator vacancy left by Doug Barkley, Mike Rogers had also been looking forward to reconnecting with some of his chums.

And no doubt, the storytelling pivot — after 396 games (and 367 points) in the World Hockey Association, after 484 games (and 519 points) in the National Hockey League — had plenty of acquaintances.

“A lot of these people that I played with or against are all over the country,” Rogers said one morning as he monitored the Flames’ 2001 training camp in Banff. “Now will be a chance to catch up with old teammates. They’re all coaches, managers, some are even presidents of teams, so it’ll be fun.”

For the next dozen years, it did look like fun as Rogers served as the savvy sidekick to Sportsnet 960 The FAN’s voice of the Flames, Peter Maher. Always upbeat — even if the on-ice product was not — he had a keen eye for the intricacies of the game and steadfastly operated without an agenda.

He was one of the best in the business. And now he’s mothballed his mike.

Thursday, Rogers, 58, retired.

According to the radio station: “Please join us in thanking our good friend for his dedication, total professionalism and passion for broadcasting over these many years. Mike is one of the best hockey players ever to come out of Calgary; he played in the WHA and with the NHL’s New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers and Edmonton Oilers, even passing the 100-point mark three times in his NHL career. Mike is making the change in order to spend more time with his family and pursue business interests. The search for a new Flames colour commentator is underway!”

The Calgary native will be missed.

Straight-shooting analysis is sometimes hard to find — but not with Rogers in the booth. And his tall tales from the WHA livened up plenty of morning skates. No one can spin a yarn like Rogers.

As news of his retirement spread, warm wishes, via twitter, fluttered in:

* “Best of luck to Mike Rogers who has announced his retirement from our Calgary Flames broadcast. Great colour guy, better person.”



— Dean (Boomer) Molberg of The FAN

* “Really really respected the non-homerism of Mike Rogers. Always knew what he was watching and did not pander, ever. Smart. Fair.”



— Andrew Walker of The FAN

* “Will miss listening to him.”



— Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada

* “On vacation, but have to say this: working with Mike Rogers side by side an honour and a privilege. Best of luck in retirement, my friend.”



— Pat Steinberg of The FAN

* “Blessed to have worked the last 10 years with Mike Rogers. Hanging up the headset in his prime.”



— Rob Kerr of Sportsnet

* “Mike Rogers — Under-appreciated as a hockey player and radio voice. Best of luck, pal.”



— Steve Macfarlane, sportswriter

* “I said when I left, & will say it again. Working with Peter Maher and Mike Rogers was a real honour. Good luck to Mike with his retirement.”



— Bryn Griffiths, former colleague at The FAN

* “Mike Rogers is a real loss to the Flames broadcasts.”



— Kent Wilson of FlamesNation.ca