There is no Mike Keenan barking and blowing the whistle. No stops and starts. No penalty-killing drills or scrimmages.

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"There's a few barn chores, help prepare the horses for the races, harness and hook all that and go in the way with him. That's mainly my job" says 26-year-old Flames forward Curtis Glencross.

Photograph by : Calgary Herald

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"It's a little different," admits Curtis Glencross, the hard-working winger with the Calgary Flames, as he rests against his camper trailer along the south side of the High River Exhibition Grounds chuckwagon camp. "It's good to get away from the rink, do some things a lot of other guys definitely don't do.

"Something I enjoy doing." Glencross, for a second summer, has hooked up with longtime buddy Rae Croteau for the much of the summer's World Professional Chuckwagon Association's Dodge Tour.

As a barn hand, an ambassador, a brother to the young Bonnyville reinsman.

"He's pretty easy on me, actually," confesses the 26-year-old, who joined the Flames last season as a free agent after brief stints with the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets. "It's kind of nice because my chores aren't really set in stone.

"I just do as much as I'd like to help, as much as I can. He definitely doesn't force me to do anything I don't want to do, that's for sure.

"There's a few barn chores, help prepare the horses for the races, harness and hook all that and go in the way with him. That's mainly my job."

Glencross isn't the only current or former National Hockey League player who surfaces around the wagon camps during the summer. Tiger Williams is a frequent visitor to the Jerry Bremner barn and D. J. King hangs out on the Canadian Pro circuit.

"Yeah, D. J. is with St. Louis, we have the same agent and we both have friends in chuckwagons so it's kind of neat," adds Glencross, who'll join Croteau in an autograph-signing session today from noon to 1:30 p. m. at High River Toyota.

As far as not knowing who's going to be blowing the whistle this winter now that Keenan has been relieved of his duties, Glencross doesn't care if it's Darryl Sutter, Brent Sutter or whoever that takes over the coaching reins.

A coach is a coach, he says.

"They come and go and that's what's happened with us. I still have to go out and do my job, my part, and hopefully it works out for me as well."