[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by bax

Ward took over in the middle of a chaotic season where Brodie collapsed on the ice during practice, the team was thrown into a whirlwind of drama due to a racist coach, and a global pandemic paused the entire season and he still had them playing pretty good hockey. It would have been all too easy for the players to pack it in.

Ward had the team motivated and playing for each other. It's well documented that the players loved him for his communication and teaching style, while implementing ownership in the teams systems and individual development. For the first time since Hartley the team seemed to have some self belief.

He is still a rookie head coach so he isn't perfect, but I think he will only get better with more experience. Like Scorp said, the big names didn't start out as big names. Even then he does have a cup to his name and runs a really strong powerplay.

I think he can be a great coach in this league. On the scale of coaches his style is much more Jon Cooper than he is John Tortorella. Communication, teaching, empowerment, and ownership. He has a really good formula, it's just a matter of putting it all together.

It makes sense to bring him back just to bring some stability to the team after that crazy season. Everyone will know what to expect right from the hop. More time to implement any system changes that he may want to as well.

And I won't be mad if his presence helps lure in Taylor Hall.

Just for another example on these two points, let's consider Jared Bednar for a second.

Remember when Patrick Roy rage-quit in August just before training camp was set to begin? The Avs scrambled to hire someone and settled on Bednar since he was just coming off a Calder Cup win in the AHL in pretty convincing fashion. They liked him so much that the Blue Jackets franchise gave him a new 2 year deal in July of 2016 as the leader of their AHL team.

However, Bednar was put in an impossible situation to succeed in Colorado, so he largely didn't:

On August 25, 2016, Bednar was named head coach of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).[3][4] Bednar's first season as an NHL coach was not successful. Due to the timing of his hiring–less than a month before training camp–he did not have nearly enough time to implement his own system. He also did not have enough time to hire his own staff, and had to make do with holdovers from his predecessor, Patrick Roy. Despite having talented players, such as Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene on the roster, the team regressed considerably and finished with only 48 points, the worst record in the league and the worst since the team moved from Quebec City in 1995.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Bednar

That's a pretty terrible beginning, and my perception at the time was that he was a terrible coach that was a panic choice because they didn't have anyone else to do the job. But, when you consider the situation he was asked to deal with, along with having no real NHL experience, it's no wonder he struggled so much...but his talent was there and needed time to develop.

In his second season with the team, Bednar guided the team to a 47-point improvement. The team faced some adversity early in the season with the distraction of Duchene's public trade request. Following the trade, Bednar guided the team to one of the hottest second half records and snapping a four-year playoff drought in the process. After the Avalanche's first round exit in 6 games to the Nashville Predators, Bednar was signed to a one-year contract extension on April 23, 2018.[5] A few days after signing a new contract, Bednar was nominated for the Jack Adams Award, given to the coach who is voted best in the NHL.[6]

Now, consider that Ward stepped in on a dime and took over, and yes, he was already part of the coaching staff, so the transition isn't as abrupt, but don't tell me he didn't have severe adversity to deal with as part of his transition to head coach. Still, the team had a very strong winning percentage and honestly looked better in the playoffs than I have seen them in a very long time (Monahan and Gaudreau notwithstanding). They had a set back against a Stars team that seems destined to go all the way to the cup, but they were close. So be it.

I'm not saying that Ward doesn't have things to learn or do better. He clearly does. But what do you think Bednar did with that 48 point season? Was it all a waste or did he figure out how to become a better coach in that time? The results say the rest about him. Nobody gave up on Bednar after a 48 point season even if he made plenty of mistakes (he definitely did). We shouldn't be so down on Ward for a few mistakes, because he has a lot of positives going for him when it comes to this team.

I think he's a very good coach who is learning how to be in the top job at the NHL level. That's an adjustment no matter who you are. He has won championships before as a head coach (2014/15 in the German DEL league), so he does have some pedigree as a winning head coach at the pro level.

I think my only point here is that Ward earned enough good will to be made the coach, and with his established rapport with the players, which by all accounts is exceedingly positive, it gives him an advantage over another big name coaching hire that would possibly come in and not have that same chemistry. Players tend to be better under coaches they like, respect, and have a positive relationship with. I think that strong established relationship is worth more than a great established head coach's reputation.

Just for another example on the other side of the equation, look at the impact Joel Quenneville, likely considered one of the (if not the best) coach of the last 20 years, had on the Florida Panthers. They went from 86 points to 85 points (prorated) from Boughner's season to Quenneville's. Literally, no impact whatsoever. Quenneville was brought in to teach defense and create a stronger system, which he did overall, but not enough to have any impact on the standings.

In the end, it's not about acquiring the big name guy, it's about finding the guy who is the right fit for that team. It's no secret that the Flames have been coach killers in the past, so it might just be difficult to find that secret sauce in a coach that is able to communicate with them but also produce results. I think we saw some of that with Ward in his short time, and there's enough there to think he can be a very good head coach if given the opportunity to operate under normal circumstances. Let's hope he becomes our Jared Bednar and takes the team to the next level. Hoping for him to fail just to confirm a pre-determined narrative is so antithetical to being a fan. Don't let the past dictate how you feel about the team. Every year is a new beginning and therein lies hope. Whenever this next season starts, I will be hopeful. I sincerely believe you all should be as well. Otherwise, your time might be better spent reading a good piece of literature or starting a hobby.