Quote:
Originally Posted by Drury18
That was probably me and I haven't changed my stance. Bluntly, Huska is not the correct guy to coach this team. He was not ready to be an AHL coach last year and I don't believe he's a correct fit for the culture we are building and expectations we have. He's more suited to the WHL. Adirondack had a number of issues last season which never saw correction (alot of it covered in this thread: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=146429). He never got control of the penalty issue, penalty kill was hot for a stretch and horrid most of the year. Huska preached to the media about discipline, but we never saw results from the players, which is his job to get. Huska also appeared to blame the "ebbs and flows" of the league, rather then work towards correction of a problem. He made alot of excuses which by January got really old. He looked to have lost the room a couple of times during the season as well. When you heard from players (which was rare) not many praised Huska or even spoke of him. They would speak of Tousi or Gillies or player leaders in the room and never the coach. By comparison, most at least had something to say about Ward, good or bad. The players didn't have the drive to play for him that they did for Ward. Again, for good or bad reasons. Sometimes hating the coach motivates you. Huska didn't seem to draw any feelings from his players.
Honestly, I'm disappointed that the Flames didn't try to get Todd Nelson when he became available. I would have liked to see a strong, successful AHL coach run our Stockton team. There are far better coaches out there, I really wish the Flames would retain one and put Huska in a position more at his level. Perhaps leaving him in Adirondack to coach the ECHL and get more experience. We need a more engaged and experienced coach for Stockton and the AHL team then Huska. We need a guy who can help these prospects to the next level and ensure our development system is one of the best in the AHL. Huska is not that guy. |
Thanks for the analysis. It can be hard to pick up signs of poor coaching, especially at the AHL level. So do you think that Huska will not improve as he gains experience? The fact the he uses excuses and lacks leadership seems to indicate that he has personal flaws which will prevent improvement/success.