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

[GioforPM]

I would imagine that partying and winning is something you can do short term - like a magical season such as 04. But it's not sustainable - to be consistent you have to focus on more important stuff.

Probably the same for individual performances - a player, especially a young one, can party up and still put up points, but that doesn't last.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I would imagine that partying and winning is something you can do short term - like a magical season such as 04. But it's not sustainable - to be consistent you have to focus on more important stuff.

Probably the same for individual performances - a player, especially a young one, can party up and still put up points, but that doesn't last.

It also may have changed in the last decade. Players are becoming healthier all the time. So what you may have been able to get away with a decade+ ago, no longer works.

[Aarongavey]

This is great news, clearly the best guy for the job. Treliving went through the process, scoured the hockey world for the right coach and found out he was here the entire time. Hard to imagine every possible option was not thoroughly reviewed by BT and his team.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It also may have changed in the last decade. Players are becoming healthier all the time. So what you may have been able to get away with a decade+ ago, no longer works.

It's different getting smashed at 23 and 30 as well.

Or, it's different getting smashed at 30 playing a bunch of 22 year olds.

Or, it's different if half of the team is pulling in one direction and the other half doesn't even know it's happening until after the fact.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Azhouse

I couldn’t be more underwhelmed.

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

It has been reported before that Gallant does not get along well with management types. He had a franchise record 103 point season, then a roughly 0.500 record in the first 22 games the next season before being fired in Florida, while the team was full of injuries.

In fact, they didn't just fire him. They took his crap off the team bus and left it in the parking lot. They didn't even call him a taxi. It was just "later dude".

Then he has an expansion team record setting season with Vegas, and gets let go at the first sign of adversity.

I get the sense that some people just can't stand him after a while and will look for any reason to fire him. I don't know the guy, but there has to be some back story for how much little rope he gets and why he gets little goodwill.

Laviolette on the other hand is just a jerk. Unless you are contending, or at least in one of the most desirable locations to play in, players are not going to tolerate being miserable at work. Do you risk getting Laviolette, spin your wheels, and have every player wanting out? In a perfect world, they should just have to suck it up, but unfortunately, players have more leverage than ever now. The Flames management (allegedly) let some core players chase out a big meanie of coach, so the inmates already run the asylum.

An elite professional head coach is going to be an ####### of cosmic proportions.

I don’t know why it’s become so in vogue to suggest the way to get the most out of athletes is to be nice to them.

Watch the Last Dance. Michael Jordan is as big a dickbag to his team mates as you could possibly be. Yet he has two 3-peats, 6 Finals MVPs. It’s the price of playing poker.

Nothing worthy of widespread acclaim and recognition is accomplished by being nice. It’s not to say you can’t cross the line, but if you don’t want someone screaming in your face for you to do better, quit cashing your million dollar cheques and join the workforce.

[Psytic]

Lets go Kraken's!

[Jacks]

Not impressed. If they inquired about the top end coaches that are available and none of them were interested then I suppose there isn't much else they could do. If they didn't even inquire, like when they hired Peters, that would be pretty damn disappointing.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

An elite professional head coach is going to be an ####### of cosmic proportions.

I don’t know why it’s become so in vogue to suggest the way to get the most out of athletes is to be nice to them.

Watch the Last Dance. Michael Jordan is as big a dickbag to his team mates as you could possibly be. Yet he has two 3-peats, 6 Finals MVPs. It’s the price of playing poker.

Nothing worthy of widespread acclaim and recognition is accomplished by being nice. It’s not to say you can’t cross the line, but if you don’t want someone screaming in your face for you to do better, quit cashing your million dollar cheques and join the workforce.

I don't really disagree. This is why I think some of the players on the roster are a bigger issue than coaching. Some of them do not have the mental fortitude to handle a tough coach. It's become a bit of a country club. After one season of Peters, they seemed to quickly tune him out. Some people on here claim that Guadreau and Monahan both demanded that Hartley get fired, or that they should be traded.

This team has some rot in their core and I am not sure any coach can change that.

[Dion]

I like Geoff Ward!

[timbit]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

An elite professional head coach is going to be an ####### of cosmic proportions.

I don’t know why it’s become so in vogue to suggest the way to get the most out of athletes is to be nice to them.

Watch the Last Dance. Michael Jordan is as big a dickbag to his team mates as you could possibly be. Yet he has two 3-peats, 6 Finals MVPs. It’s the price of playing poker.

Nothing worthy of widespread acclaim and recognition is accomplished by being nice. It’s not to say you can’t cross the line, but if you don’t want someone screaming in your face for you to do better, quit cashing your million dollar cheques and join the workforce.

Rick Bowness and Jon Cooper don’t fit your description.

Times have changed.

[SebC]

I don't love it, but I don't hate it.

This is a situation where the allure of the unknown surpasses that of the known. Ward failed to win the first round, whereas a new coach might've won the series against Dallas, so from that perspective a new coach might be better. Emotionally, it is hard not to be for a switch. I don't like that Tre's process seems to not be comparative.

But we must also be rational. Ward's record was pretty good. Losing in the first round is an above-average result. And a new roll of the same dice can produce better results. I think Ward's pull of Talbot was a horrendous mistake, and he doubled down on it publically. However, he did so while in a fight for a job. He may privately know that he did make a mistake, but see that it is not in his interest to admit it. Therefore, we can hope that he learns and grows. And if he can, then there's no reason why he can't be the best choice for the Flames.

That sounds like a lot of things that would have to go right, but the other side of the coin is that the risk is way higher with a new coach. If he doesn't fit in, if the players tune him out, if he can't adapt to the Flames... there are infinite ways in which a new coach could backfire whereas Ward is the one who has at least some degree of track record as coach of this Flames group specifically.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

Who is a better choice and why? Instead of just complaining about "missed opportunities", why don't you actually add to the conversation?

Is Bourdeau an upgrade? He's never had any tangible playoff success.
Is Gallant an upgrade? Why has been suddenly fired twice in about 3 years?
Is Laviolette? Probably but I keep reading how he doesn't want to coach in Canada.

Who else is a better option?

This 1000 times...Gallant and BB have combined for zero cups and underachived other than one season for Gallant...and that team just fired him.

[Vinny01]

Missing out on Laviolette here is similar to when they went with Peters over Vingnault in 2018. Who knows if Laviolette would come here though when he can coach a team out East like the Caps.

I prefer Ward to the Reirden, Yeo types. I think I would have been more excited about Boudreau or Gallant coming in but I am also not overly upset about that.

End of the day if they couldn’t get Laviolette then I am okay with Ward. I think this solidifies big roster changes because you can’t run it back with the same squad again that has lost first round 2 years in a row.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by timbit

Rick Bowness and Jon Cooper don’t fit your description.

Times have changed.

People haven’t changed a bit. At least not when it comes to what motivates men to move mountains.

Mike Babcock never did anything that Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan or Queen Victoria didn’t do first.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by timbit

Rick Bowness and Jon Cooper don’t fit your description.

Times have changed.

I'm not sure it's quite as black and white as greenlantern might make it out to be, but I suspect Bowness and Cooper may be outliers rather than proof.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

People haven’t changed a bit. At least not when it comes to what motivates men to move mountains.

Mike Babcock never did anything that Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan or Queen Victoria didn’t do first.

Babcock and Peters, amongst others, are very real examples that things have changed.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by timbit

Rick Bowness and Jon Cooper don’t fit your description.

Times have changed.

Nor Trotz as far as I can tell.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Nor Trotz as far as I can tell.

Absolutely correct. A strong leader, yet treats players as he would want to be treated. It’s about healthy relationship building.

I am 100 % in favor of the Flames HC hire.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by dino7c

This 1000 times...Gallant and BB have combined for zero cups and underachived other than one season for Gallant...and that team just fired him.

Personally, I prefer others to Ward, but I just don't understand the blind outrage because Flames management is privy to information we aren't.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

An elite professional head coach is going to be an ####### of cosmic proportions.

I don’t know why it’s become so in vogue to suggest the way to get the most out of athletes is to be nice to them.

Watch the Last Dance. Michael Jordan is as big a dickbag to his team mates as you could possibly be. Yet he has two 3-peats, 6 Finals MVPs. It’s the price of playing poker.

Nothing worthy of widespread acclaim and recognition is accomplished by being nice. It’s not to say you can’t cross the line, but if you don’t want someone screaming in your face for you to do better, quit cashing your million dollar cheques and join the workforce.

That #### happened 25 years ago. Are we all still acting the same way and doing the same things from 25 years ago? Things change, often for the better. Let's not be luddites about this.