Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Cory Sarich - Bob Hartley "was the worst coach I ever had"

Calgary4LIfe · 01-18-2018, 12:42 PM

I find a lot that is written here by some posters pretty wild.

Yes, you can point at the Flames' win/loss record as being terrible under Hartley, but what can be expected out of a rebuilding team? They were a bottom-5 team once. They were also universally lauded by media everywhere for how hard that team worked, and how fun they were to watch.

The Flames didn't get shelled in the games that he played. I don't remember Edmonton-esqe or any other rebuilding team's type of blowout games. Sure, there were a few every season (still is under Hartley, was under Brent Sutter and Mike Keenan too), but for a rebuilding squad? They were terrific.

You can't point at Hartley's record as being laughably bad and simply ignore the make-up of the team, and what that team was trying to accomplish. Remember the "rebuilds aren't hard" joke that was almost a meme here?

It wasn't a 'flukey season'. It was 1.5 seasons of what a team that is considered an underdog can do with a tonne of hard work and heart. Hartley matched a record for most 1-goal games in the league. Those comebacks were monumental, and they shouldn't just be ignored because "you can't have success by playing from behind all the time" - the Flames showed a tonne of heart in keeping themselves in games. Remember how we used to laugh at the comments from Edmonton? Like when RNH stated so definitively that "you can't come back from 3 goal deficits in this league", and then the Flames do exactly that?

Now people are saying that Gulutzan took a long time to 'break bad habits' that Hartley imposed? Say what again? One of the very best attributes that Hartley had as a coach was his willingness to get on the ice and pull guys to the side to teach them. He was a teaching coach. It is amazing how many media personalities keyed-in on this during the morning skates in away games.

Giordano and Brodie were phenomenal. What bad habits did Brodie have? Backlund became sensational under Hartley. A lot of the team was.

Hartley's team got shelled in the last year he was here, but a tonne of it had to do with the GLARING goalie situation. That team came undone in games playing in front of such inconsistent goaltending.

Now with that being said, it sure sounds like Hartley was a bit much. I like Sarich, and I don't think he is lying or even exaggerating much. However, I would prefer to hear from players who played for a much longer time under Hartley, rather than a half season from someone who wasn't used to being rotated in and out of the lineup at the end of his career. Eventually it will come out, but it hasn't yet, even with a lot of turnover in the last few years. Would be more interesting to hear what players have to say after playing 3 or 4 years under Hartley.

One thing I note from Hartley that to me was unexpected was him NOT forcing guys to fight. Yeah, there was that game in Vancouver... but for the most part, the Flames became too soft under Hartley. Not the picture at all that Scott Parker painted. It was a team that was seemingly more concerned about drawing penalties than taking them.

I myself will always be thankful for Hartley's tenure here. I thought he did a fantastic job in teaching the youth the finer aspects of the game, demanding physical fitness off the bat, and instilling that hard-working culture that was plain to see and easy to cheer for. We as fans didn't have 4 years of 'terribleness' as one should expect from a rebuilding squad. We got entertained nightly, and all expectations were greatly exceeded that playoff run. To dismiss it as 'flukey' I think is to undermine that accomplishment from a team that worked extremely hard to get there, and a team that did it even with all the injuries it had. It was an amazing time as a Flames' fan watching those plucky underdogs succeed with a system that seemed so suited to the composition of the team, and give other teams grief (like the one coach - thought of as Darryl Sutter, but never confirmed - who stated that this team gives them nightmares about how they score).

Hopefully Hartley works on his professionalism (if what is being said about him is true and not exaggerated), and finds his way back to an NHL coaching gig. A Hartley coached team is a lot of fun to watch.

01-18-2018, 12:42 PM	#87
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I find a lot that is written here by some posters pretty wild. Yes, you can point at the Flames' win/loss record as being terrible under Hartley, but what can be expected out of a rebuilding team? They were a bottom-5 team once. They were also universally lauded by media everywhere for how hard that team worked, and how fun they were to watch. The Flames didn't get shelled in the games that he played. I don't remember Edmonton-esqe or any other rebuilding team's type of blowout games. Sure, there were a few every season (still is under Hartley, was under Brent Sutter and Mike Keenan too), but for a rebuilding squad? They were terrific. You can't point at Hartley's record as being laughably bad and simply ignore the make-up of the team, and what that team was trying to accomplish. Remember the "rebuilds aren't hard" joke that was almost a meme here? It wasn't a 'flukey season'. It was 1.5 seasons of what a team that is considered an underdog can do with a tonne of hard work and heart. Hartley matched a record for most 1-goal games in the league. Those comebacks were monumental, and they shouldn't just be ignored because "you can't have success by playing from behind all the time" - the Flames showed a tonne of heart in keeping themselves in games. Remember how we used to laugh at the comments from Edmonton? Like when RNH stated so definitively that "you can't come back from 3 goal deficits in this league", and then the Flames do exactly that? Now people are saying that Gulutzan took a long time to 'break bad habits' that Hartley imposed? Say what again? One of the very best attributes that Hartley had as a coach was his willingness to get on the ice and pull guys to the side to teach them. He was a teaching coach. It is amazing how many media personalities keyed-in on this during the morning skates in away games. Giordano and Brodie were phenomenal. What bad habits did Brodie have? Backlund became sensational under Hartley. A lot of the team was. Hartley's team got shelled in the last year he was here, but a tonne of it had to do with the GLARING goalie situation. That team came undone in games playing in front of such inconsistent goaltending. Now with that being said, it sure sounds like Hartley was a bit much. I like Sarich, and I don't think he is lying or even exaggerating much. However, I would prefer to hear from players who played for a much longer time under Hartley, rather than a half season from someone who wasn't used to being rotated in and out of the lineup at the end of his career. Eventually it will come out, but it hasn't yet, even with a lot of turnover in the last few years. Would be more interesting to hear what players have to say after playing 3 or 4 years under Hartley. One thing I note from Hartley that to me was unexpected was him NOT forcing guys to fight. Yeah, there was that game in Vancouver... but for the most part, the Flames became too soft under Hartley. Not the picture at all that Scott Parker painted. It was a team that was seemingly more concerned about drawing penalties than taking them. I myself will always be thankful for Hartley's tenure here. I thought he did a fantastic job in teaching the youth the finer aspects of the game, demanding physical fitness off the bat, and instilling that hard-working culture that was plain to see and easy to cheer for. We as fans didn't have 4 years of 'terribleness' as one should expect from a rebuilding squad. We got entertained nightly, and all expectations were greatly exceeded that playoff run. To dismiss it as 'flukey' I think is to undermine that accomplishment from a team that worked extremely hard to get there, and a team that did it even with all the injuries it had. It was an amazing time as a Flames' fan watching those plucky underdogs succeed with a system that seemed so suited to the composition of the team, and give other teams grief (like the one coach - thought of as Darryl Sutter, but never confirmed - who stated that this team gives them nightmares about how they score). Hopefully Hartley works on his professionalism (if what is being said about him is true and not exaggerated), and finds his way back to an NHL coaching gig. A Hartley coached team is a lot of fun to watch.