The way I understand it a good NHL coach takes the players he's given and uses a system that plays into the strengths of the players. This is what Hartley has done.
It's also common practise for the AHL coach to implement the system that the NHL team uses so that when a player is called up, he can seamlessly fit into the NHL team. This isn't always the best fit for the AHL team but the AHL coach has to get instep. If he won't there is trouble and he's probably going to be replaced. That's what happened to Ward IMO, he wasn't willing or able to adjust. His short WHL experience was a symptom of this. Kind of reminds me of Brent Sutter although Brent seems to be able to relate to junior players.
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