Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Flames' Huska earns respect and, eventually, a new contract

Calgary4LIfe · 01-25-2025, 01:07 PM

I really love Huska. What he is able to do with both the vets and the young kids is amazing. How he isn't afraid to scratch or bench a player (like he did with Huberdeau last season) speaks to how he will do what he thinks is right.

I loved coaches who squeeze blood out of a rock like Hatley and Sutter do (and Hartley's coaching ability is greatly overshadowed by his methods, unfortunately, but he is a really solid coach aside from his temperament). However, these coaches all have shelf-lives. Then you have players' coaches who I think end up being too scared to lose a room, and I find bad habits start to creep onto teams, which then requires a 'hard ass' to come in and fix things by changing the culture.

I think Huska is a modern NHL coach, much in the same vein as Coleman alluded to in the article above - like Jon Cooper. You listen to him speak, and he is intelligent and thoughtful, and usually has an answer. When he doesn't, he isn't afraid to say: "I don't know". Nobody has all the answers. Geoff Ward's press conferences were not ones where I increased my belief in him as a coach. Sutter's conferences were funny and 'must watch', but only when he felt like it would he reveal really interesting insights.

I hope Huska continues to grow and, much like Cooper, becomes a very long-tenured coach here. He doesn't strike me as a coach that is too abrasive, and he is definitely not allowing poor play to continue without consequences either. Some may disagree, but I see him squeezing blood from a stone right now just like Hartley did in 2015, but unlike Hartley, he isn't killing this team in the process.

01-25-2025, 01:07 PM	#7
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I really love Huska. What he is able to do with both the vets and the young kids is amazing. How he isn't afraid to scratch or bench a player (like he did with Huberdeau last season) speaks to how he will do what he thinks is right. I loved coaches who squeeze blood out of a rock like Hatley and Sutter do (and Hartley's coaching ability is greatly overshadowed by his methods, unfortunately, but he is a really solid coach aside from his temperament). However, these coaches all have shelf-lives. Then you have players' coaches who I think end up being too scared to lose a room, and I find bad habits start to creep onto teams, which then requires a 'hard ass' to come in and fix things by changing the culture. I think Huska is a modern NHL coach, much in the same vein as Coleman alluded to in the article above - like Jon Cooper. You listen to him speak, and he is intelligent and thoughtful, and usually has an answer. When he doesn't, he isn't afraid to say: "I don't know". Nobody has all the answers. Geoff Ward's press conferences were not ones where I increased my belief in him as a coach. Sutter's conferences were funny and 'must watch', but only when he felt like it would he reveal really interesting insights. I hope Huska continues to grow and, much like Cooper, becomes a very long-tenured coach here. He doesn't strike me as a coach that is too abrasive, and he is definitely not allowing poor play to continue without consequences either. Some may disagree, but I see him squeezing blood from a stone right now just like Hartley did in 2015, but unlike Hartley, he isn't killing this team in the process.