Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bozek
I suspect Gio and Iginla have/had similar approaches to being a captain. Sometimes the followers need more than a quiet demonstration of how to do it.
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God bless Jarome Iginla, but i've always maintained that the true leader of the 2004 Flames was Darryl Sutter.
When things were bad, Darryl told them there was nothing to worry about and put them at ease, when things were good, Darryl made sure they didn't get over confident.
Iggy and Kipper led by example on the ice, but it was always Darryl who set the mood and guided the team mentally. That's what a great coach has to be, a beacon of stabilization. The players have to believe in that coach and trust him. That trust comes from how he treats them but also on experience.
Last year Peters got the team rolling and implemented an effective system, but when things went bad, he had no answers and you could see it in the players.
From what i've seen so far, I don't think Ward is that stabilizer that this team needs. The inconsistency is a sign of the leadership group (players and coaches) lacking stability.