Quote:
Originally Posted by CFO
Essentially Sutter is a good xx oo coach but last two years went on a huge power trip. No fun at rink. Players and staff hated and feared him. The Huberdeau poop break was hated by players. The small jabs hated. Half players on exit interviews ripped apart Sutter. 7 players in next 1-2 years said will not be back. Sutter didn't assign a captain so he could retain power. Trelieving quit on team because of Sutter. Markstrom was extremely fragile mentally. Says with new gm and coach believes all players will rebound including goalie.
Fast forward. Conroy gm hire was a breath of fresh air. Some players feel better now. Lindholm and hanafin probably won't be back/resign due to Sutter damage. Talked about advantage in places like Florida. Matthew had ex flames over during year for a BBQ. Jet ski etc. Big life style changes.
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Well, that’s one opinion. An opinion from a guy who battled Sutter weekly because Sutter didn’t play nice with him or give him the inside scoop that Francis feels entitled to.
“Half the team wanted him gone”, what about the other half? Guys like Toffoli and Zadorov, to name a few. He’s always pushed buttons, here when he coached the first time, whether it be a poop break comment or something internally, but has gotten results.
If the Flames made the playoffs and made some hay, does the end justify the means? It has before, here and LA and SJ.
Captain, old school and he didn’t see captain material, which is always been a full time player, that plays the way he sees a captain should play. Iginla here, Dustin Brown in LA. Lucic and Lewis aren’t captains, not full time impact players. Backlund doesn’t play the prototypical Sutter style, and even if he was considering it, him campaigning to be captain hurt his chances, not helped it. Tanev wasn’t a Flame long enough, but I figured he’d have been Sutter’s natural choice….but the decision to not have one can take many more reasons from the stretch of logic of the opinion of Sutter hoarding control out of rage or jealousy or whatever he’s getting at.
Sutter damage to Hanifin and Lindholm? More likely due to linemates (Lindholm) and American teammates (Hanifin), seeing MT and JG depart and cash in last year, more than Sutter hurting their feelings.
He’s gone and that’s the decision made; it’s easier to push out a coach then 6 or 7 players unhappy about a bad season and the Flames stepped up to pay him out. And sure, his Jack Adams last year allowed him to justify his methods (despite all this behind the scenes stuff, with average goaltending and not having the worst overtime record in the league, the team makes the playoffs) but Francis is grandstanding for a captive audience.
The other time the team (many of them still here) felt relief and breath of fresh air was when Peters was fired and were all happy when Ward came in and the was kept. Players wasted little time after a terribly coached and played game 6 loss to Dallas, in seizing control of the room away from the coach and wasting a window season…let’s hope that doesn’t happen again, especially with a seemingly happy go lucky GM still feeling his way around being in charge as well.