[News] UPD: Geoff Ward officially named the franchise's 20th head coach (2 year deal)

[Jiri Hrdina]

The two year contract makes sense to me, because if you are saying he's your guy, you can't create a lame duck scenario. Those rarely go well. So I always assumed if he was brought back it would be with at least 2 years.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Totally normal for a former GM to go on the local radio station to defend the owners from the fanbase perception that they are cheap.

Happens in every market.

Totally normal.

I don't know if money itself is the reason, but maybe wasting money is.

Ward applied for the job before and was hired as the Associate Coach. That tells me that he was really close to getting the head coach position before and was ear marked as the successor if it came to it. I think it's just possible that they have faith in Ward. I don't think anyone can claim to really know what he is capable of yet.

Last season was a mixed bag all year with Peters and then Ward, so I don't think Ward diminished anything when he took over. You can argue that he didn't improve anything, but I am willing to wait and see what he can do with a full training camp and control from day one.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I’m not a fan of gate keeping but with some of the vitriol I’m reading in a surprising number of posts should mean you have to retire as a flames fan if Ward/BT/Flames succeed.

Saying Flames are cheap, an embarrassment, content with mediocrity, hard to cheer for etc should be a self ban if proven wrong. Not that it would matter I think. He’s already a failure no matter what happens.

Being disappointed we didn’t get your desired coach is one thing. Proclaiming the organization a failure because of that and based on some imaginary organizational dedication to mediocrity with a side of purposefully screwing the fans as some weird spiteful motivation is just plain weird.

I'm seeing most people not excited about the hire but still obviously hoping it goes well. Same thing when Gulutzan was hired. Same thing with Peters. The Flames now have a track record of not hiring coaches with prior success, that's a fact. The onus is on the team now to show they've made the right decision, but coaching decisions haven't gone great under this management team. Not sure why its unreasonable to be skeptical. Doesn't mean people are wishing for failure. They just haven't been shown a lot of success with that strategy.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by Stanley

After 483 posts still waiting for player accountability...

We bitch about the players in every other thread. This thread is a discussion about the coach.

[Manhattanboy]

I was hoping for significant changes and thought hiring a proven head coach was the logical place to start.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I'm seeing most people not excited about the hire but still obviously hoping it goes well. Same thing when Gulutzan was hired. Same thing with Peters. The Flames now have a track record of not hiring coaches with prior success, that's a fact. The onus is on the team now to show they've made the right decision, but coaching decisions haven't gone great under this management team. Not sure why its unreasonable to be skeptical. Doesn't mean people are wishing for failure. They just haven't been shown a lot of success with that strategy.

I’m not following. Are you concerned with the “consensus” amongst fans or something? Because that’s not what I was talking about. Or are you claiming those opinions don’t exist ITT?

I’m specifically referring to the opinions which I outline in my post, lifted almost verbatim from some posts. It just seemed like a lot of work to multiquote that many people.

[dino7c]

Be skeptical all you want but to say Gallant or BB would for sure do better is just stupid

Gallant had a stacked Vegas team barely over .500 last season and BB teams have underachived most of his career.

Neither guy has ever actually won but you guys are acting like the Flames turned down Scotty Bowman in his prime.

Ward earned an actual shot at coaching the team IMO...full year from the start no BS. Reality though is the players often make the coach look good/bad.

[kukkudo]

Maybe they let go some assistant coaches? Gelinas? Sigalet? Huska? Edwards? Also wonder if Sutter would come onboard as an Associate?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I don't know if money itself is the reason, but maybe wasting money is.

Ward applied for the job before and was hired as the Associate Coach. That tells me that he was really close to getting the head coach position before and was ear marked as the successor if it came to it. I think it's just possible that they have faith in Ward. I don't think anyone can claim to really know what he is capable of yet.

Last season was a mixed bag all year with Peters and then Ward, so I don't think Ward diminished anything when he took over. You can argue that he didn't improve anything, but I am willing to wait and see what he can do with a full training camp and control from day one.

I didn't think the flames are cheap, I think they display the same kind of mentality as someone with a classic car that prioritizes the things they like playing with over the things that would make it run the best.

Lots of the classic car guys I've known over the years don't care if it spends 80% of the time on blocks in the garage if they have a fun experience re-doing the interior or mucking with the transmission.

Giving it to a real mechanic to have it run properly wasnt ever really a consideration because a reliable vehicle wasn't the point, getting their hands greasy was the real return.

[Enoch Root]

I didn't want to see Ward given the position because I thought he failed in the playoffs. His pitch-it-out, dump-it-in style doesn't suit the roster. And when Dallas locked out their (ridiculously simplistic) break-out, there was no adjustment. Then of course there was the panic move in game 6.

As for his regular season record, it was inflated by the 8-game winning streak that they went on when Peters was canned, and that was all about Peters, not Ward. After that, the team was largely similar, though somewhat improved, over the prior version.

So, I am not thrilled with the decision. But here we are.

And now, one of two things needs to happen, or Treliving is done, IMO.

1) Ward needs to show that he can adapt his style, and implement a transition game that will allow this team to be more successful. Or,

2) Treliving needs to make changes to the core and build a team that suits his coach's (and presumably, his own) desired style.

I don't expect either to happen, but I am willing to wait and see.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by kukkudo

Maybe they let go some assistant coaches? Gelinas? Sigalet? Huska? Edwards? Also wonder if Sutter would come onboard as an Associate?

Oh my god don’t dare mention Sigalet. He is to never be spoken of, he is irreplaceable, he is the goalie coach for now and forever. Shush youz.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I didn't think the flames are cheap, I think they display the same kind of mentality as someone with a classic car that prioritizes the things they like playing with over the things that would make it run the best.

Lots of the classic car guys I've known over the years don't care if it spends 80% of the time on blocks in the garage if they have a fun experience re-doing the interior or mucking with the transmission.

Giving it to a real mechanic to have it run properly wasnt ever really a consideration because a reliable vehicle wasn't the point, getting their hands greasy was the real return.

I think the better analogy would be the classic car that was able to drive to the car meet, and looked great from 20 meters away in the parking lot. Then when you get up close, the paint is all janky, the engine bay is filthy, the interior is faded and worn. They're happy it's functional, but that thing is never going to win a trophy.

[Locke]

Sweet.

They're definitely banking on people watching the games because there is precious little else to do.

I hope the core guys love the fact that management has basically told them that the next two years of their lives dont matter.

Geoff Ward is a good coach. But hes not the coach thats going to get you over the hill.

This was a mistake.

It'll likely be one of Treliving's last and he's probably going to wind up taking Ward with him.

[Icon]

Originally Posted by Locke

I hope the core guys love the fact that management has basically told them that the next two years of their lives dont matter.

While I don't like the signing, the players seemed to like Ward. So there's something to keeping the players happy (sedated?) in this scenario.

Maybe the players do a movie trope of a "[/i]this is all we've got to work with? band together & get'r done[/i]" mentality. But that's probably wishful thinking.

[GullFoss]

For a guy who's been a head coach for about half a season in his entire career, maybe Ward actually did a pretty good job in the playoffs...

Sure he made a few mistakes. But he did a lot of things right too.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Icon

While I don't like the signing, the players seemed to like Ward. So there's something to keeping the players happy (sedated?) in this scenario.

Maybe the players do a movie trope of a "[/i]this is all we've got to work with? band together & get'r done[/i]" mentality. But that's probably wishful thinking.

Who cares if they're happy? They're under-achieving.

You know who is a miserable jerk? Someone who is fighting to win.

Winning sucks until its done. You see the happy faces of the Stanley Cup winners when they're hoisting the trophy but everything else up to that point is misery.

Who cares if they like him? The players liking the coach should literally be the least of management's priorities.

I'm sure the players 'liked' Gulutzan too, but he was an idiot who couldnt coach his way out of a wet paper bag.

[Strange Brew]

Funny this talk about Brent Sutter made me realize he was the last Flames coach I was excited about when they hired him eleven years ago. Since then:

Hartley - GM hires his best friend, not a great sign
Gulutzan - WTF, but hey the new GM is smart and it was an exhaustive process
Peters - missed playoffs all 4 years previous and reputation as an #######
Ward - I might like this the best of these, just wish he'd shown a little more against the Stars

[Chonger]

Should have been fired after game 6 for being an absolute moron

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

For a guy who's been a head coach for about half a season in his entire career, maybe Ward actually did a pretty good job in the playoffs...

Sure he made a few mistakes. But he did a lot of things right too.

I want to be clear. Geoff Ward is not a bad coach by any means. Hes not great, but hes not Glen Gulutzan.

What he is not, in my opinion, is the one that is going to move this team forward. To move them to a higher rung of the standings and deep into the playoffs.

So if he is not that man, then this team is treading water.

The next 2 years is likely going to suck and then this team is going to get blown apart. Simply because too many of the pieces are ageing.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I didn't want to see Ward given the position because I thought he failed in the playoffs. His pitch-it-out, dump-it-in style doesn't suit the roster. And when Dallas locked out their (ridiculously simplistic) break-out, there was no adjustment. Then of course there was the panic move in game 6.

As for his regular season record, it was inflated by the 8-game winning streak that they went on when Peters was canned, and that was all about Peters, not Ward. After that, the team was largely similar, though somewhat improved, over the prior version.

So, I am not thrilled with the decision. But here we are.

And now, one of two things needs to happen, or Treliving is done, IMO.

1) Ward needs to show that he can adapt his style, and implement a transition game that will allow this team to be more successful. Or,

2) Treliving needs to make changes to the core and build a team that suits his coach's (and presumably, his own) desired style.

I don't expect either to happen, but I am willing to wait and see.

The bolded is a very good point. I don't like throwing out win streaks or lose streaks when analyzing records, but you sure have to look extra hard when it's just a small sample size.

Guess I'd say to those who point to Ward's win % as some harbinger of success that ultimately there is not enough of a sample size to conclude much of anything.