Conroy makes great save on first day as American

Former Spokane Chiefs coach Al Conroy had a busy day on Friday in Spokane, becoming both a United States citizen and a lifesaver in the matter of an hour or so.

Conroy, whose contract was not renewed by the Chiefs after the end of the Western Hockey League season, had been going through the process of naturalization as a U.S. citizen. He is a native Canadian, but courtesy of a Green Card, has been working in the United States in various hockey jobs for more than a decade.

So, Conroy decided to join his wife and children as U.S. citizens and went through the annual Law Day ceremony downtown on Friday. It was while killing some time in the hour before the ceremony that Conroy looked across Riverside and noticed a woman choking.

Conroy said he watched as the woman was receiving assistance from another bystander, but noticed that help might still be needed. So, he rushed across the street and applied the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a piece of hard candy that had stuck in the woman’s throat.

The act of heroism was witnessed and assisted by Rob McCann, an employee of the nearby Catholic Diocese of Spokane. McCann, coincidentally, is a billet for Chiefs players.

After saving the woman, Conroy noticed McCann, stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, Rob,” as they calmed down the woman.

McCann passed on the story to the Chiefs office, unbeknownst to Conroy, who then forwarded it to The Spokesman-Review.

When contacted, Conroy said, yes, it was a good day all-around.

“Not as good a day for me as it was for that woman,” said Conroy, noting it was the first time he had used the first-aid move. “I think everybody understands what they need to do in those situations,” he added.

Conroy, still looking for work, may want to add the item to his resume.

Stopped dead in his tracks

Thoroughbred trainer Wayne Lukas said the boxes at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby were always packed.

“I think they sell eight tickets for six seats,” he said.

One time he spotted an empty chair in the box in front of his and asked an elderly woman in the box if he could borrow it.

She politely said yes, then explained that the chair had belonged to her late husband.

“I said, ‘Gee, why didn’t you invite one of your friends to sit with you?’ ” Lukas said. “She said, ‘Oh, they’re all at his funeral.’ “

Anatomically correct

Curt Schilling “bobble-ankle” dolls, complete with bloody sock, are being sold for $25 to benefit ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Schilling pitched with an injured ankle in the 2004 postseason.

The last word

“Not that Mark McGwire has gotten overly sensitive or anything since his Capitol Hill grilling,” wrote Dwight Perry in the Seattle Times, “but when asked how his Christmas went, Big Mac reportedly replied, ‘I refuse to answer questions about the presents.’ “