I personally think Hartley should be given a couple of years.
I think he is the right kind of coach for a rebuild, actually. He isn't too 'stern', but he isn't a pushover either. I think he is good at keeping the team relaxed, but does put players in their place, it seems.
Also, I am not sure what the anti-rookie bias is. I think he is tough on rookies for sure, but Tanguay and Hejduk both had stellar years as rookies under him. I remember reading about what Tanguay said - something like "he was very tough, but in the end I have to thank him for it".
For all those that would have preferred Tippet - he is apparently notoriously hard with rookies. Most coaches are. The expectations of winning are always high, and most coaches eventually prefer to throw a vet in there who will not make as many mistakes as a rookie would. However, Hartley kept throwing Tanguay and Hejduk in, even though the expectations were very high, right?
Now with about ZERO expectations for the Flames coming up the rest of this season, and the next at least, I think he would be great for this team. I didn't want him signed at first, but I do think he is the right kind of coach for this team, and seems to have the character for it.
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