Darryl Sutter: The best coach in the NHL?

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by nik-

Babcock took an artillery shell crater into the playoffs this year.

He's still the best.

I'd have to agree with you, this season really proved what I already suspected. I guess I also like the 'make a play' type of team more than the 'dump and chase and play hard' style, which may bias me somewhat.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

No way. LA sought him out mid-season to take a talented team over the top. Nothing ass backwards about it.



I disagree with the bolded text. Sutter's shortest stay was three years in Chicago in his first job. He coached the Flames for 3 seasons, but the lockout was during that period so three doesn't quite cover it. He also replaced himself as coach in Calgary, so I don't know why people would assume he lost the room. He lasted 6 seasons in San Jose, which is a pretty lengthy run.

He has now won the cup with LA. He has never missed the playoffs when coaching the season start to finish.

I would say he is clearly better than Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff, who are some of the longest lasting coaches.

Great coach, wish he stuck to it here.



What? LA finished 11 points clear of 9th.

I don't know as 3 years with the Hawks and Flames and he was teetering on being fired less than 3 years into the Kings job. The Sharks run was good and I believe there was incremental improvement every season until the final one but that's his longest stay by a large margin. When I say he has a short shelf life I don't mean that he's a lesser coach but more his style of coaching is taxing on players and can be exhausting similar to Ken Hitchcock where we have seen him take teams to great heights only to level off and decline.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't know as 3 years with the Hawks and Flames and he was teetering on being fired less than 3 years into the Kings job. The Sharks run was good and I believe there was incremental improvement every season until the final one but that's his longest stay by a large margin. When I say he has a short shelf life I don't mean that he's a lesser coach but more his style of coaching is taxing on players and can be exhausting similar to Ken Hitchcock where we have seen him take teams to great heights only to level off and decline.

I'm not sure what you are talking about, LA players absolutely love him. Unless by taxing, you mean playing the game hard.

Also, first time I've heard that Darryl's job was on the line.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I'm not sure what you are talking about, LA players absolutely love him. Unless by taxing, you mean playing the game hard.

Also, first time I've heard that Darryl's job was on the line.

Me too. And I watch TSN non stop. Never heard a single person say his job was on the line.

Why would it be? The guy has turned LA into a contender every year he's been there. They haven't underachieved a single iota. If they fired him he'd have a job lined up the next day.

[jg13]

LA kings fans have not been this excited since they became Kings fans in 2012.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I don't know as 3 years with the Hawks and Flames and he was teetering on being fired less than 3 years into the Kings job. The Sharks run was good and I believe there was incremental improvement every season until the final one but that's his longest stay by a large margin. When I say he has a short shelf life I don't mean that he's a lesser coach but more his style of coaching is taxing on players and can be exhausting similar to Ken Hitchcock where we have seen him take teams to great heights only to level off and decline.

After 3 years with the Hawks he stepped down to spend more time with his son and family. After 3 years coaching the Flames he stopped down to take over the GM role full time. He never wore out his welcome as a coach in either of these places.

[CsInMyBlood]

Reading this thread I'm surprised Barry Trotz's name hasn't been mentioned as a top coach. Totally underrated as evidenced by this thread.

I really, really hope Vancouver or Edmonton don't land him.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Dude you do realize he was brought in mid-season and had one of the best records in the NHL while he was the coach and they went from being out of a playoff spot to making the playoffs and winning the cup. You think if they missed the playoffs (which wouldn't have been far fetched considering they were really struggling before he came in) he would have been fired after 49 games?

had they missed the playoffs in 2012 the GM would have been fired and he likely wouldn't have remained coach.

Before that playoff run Daryl wasn't the most popular guy, his hiring was mocked by many around the league.

Look I am saying he is one of the best coaches just commenting on how fickle the profession is. A couple wins/losses here or there you are either a bum or a hero

last week him being fired was all over the place, now they win 3 in a row and he is back to being the best coach in the NHL

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Didn't the Kings have Carter and Richards when their old coach was fired?

yes. All the pieces were in place when Sutter took over a few months into the season in 2012 before they won the cup.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by dino7c

had they missed the playoffs in 2012 the GM would have been fired and he likely wouldn't have remained coach.

Before that playoff run Daryl wasn't the most popular guy, his hiring was mocked by many around the league.

I don't recall that at all

I don't recall anything about his job being in jepordy.... do you have a source?

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

Reading this thread I'm surprised Barry Trotz's name hasn't been mentioned as a top coach. Totally underrated as evidenced by this thread.

I really, really hope Vancouver or Edmonton don't land him.

Well he's not a coach right now.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by dino7c

had they missed the playoffs in 2012 the GM would have been fired and he likely wouldn't have remained coach.

Before that playoff run Daryl wasn't the most popular guy, his hiring was mocked by many around the league.

Look I am saying he is one of the best coaches just commenting on how fickle the profession is. A couple wins/losses here or there you are either a bum or a hero

last week him being fired was all over the place, now they win 3 in a row and he is back to being the best coach in the NHL

Are you now are pretending you knew that Darryl was hired mid season and went on to win a cup in that same year? Because in your previous post you said Darryl would have been fired in 2012 with the cup which was false since he hadn't won anything yet. Just admit you had your years wrong and the date he was hired wrong instead of changing your argument completely.


And if him being fired was all over the place can you provide something more than "all over the place" since I never saw anything of the sort.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

After 3 years with the Hawks he stepped down to spend more time with his son and family. After 3 years coaching the Flames he stopped down to take over the GM role full time. He never wore out his welcome as a coach in either of these places.

Yep, EE has no idea what he's talking about.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...1978-nhl-draft

On June 19, 1995, Darryl Sutter resigned as Blackhawks coach after leading his team to the conference finals so he could devote more time to a family that included a young son born with Down syndrome.
At the time, Sutter never imagined committing again to anything in hockey other than the Indian

"I know for a fact that I'll never work for another club," Sutter said that day, according to Tribune archives. "Once you have that crest tattooed on your butt, you can't get it off.''

"Darryl told me for some time he was going to do that and when the time came along he walked away from hockey for his family, and he was only (36),'' recalled Bob Pulford, the longtime former Blackhawks coach and executive. "Darryl has been very close to us since we drafted him in the 11th round (of the 1978 NHL draft).''

They loved him there and he was in no trouble of getting fired.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I don't recall that at all

I don't recall anything about his job being in jepordy.... do you have a source?

Lombardi's job was in MAJOR jeopardy that season, hiring Daryl was a last ditch attempt to save himself

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/73...ed-calculation

Lebrun on Sutter's hiring

"This could be Lombardi's last coaching hire in Los Angeles. So, with his own job on the line, Lombardi reached out to someone he trusts."

its was a hail mary and it worked, good on them

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Are you now are pretending you knew that Darryl was hired mid season and went on to win a cup in that same year? Because in your previous post you said Darryl would have been fired in 2012 with the cup which was false since he hadn't won anything yet. Just admit you had your years wrong and the date he was hired wrong instead of changing your argument completely.


And if him being fired was all over the place can you provide something more than "all over the place" since I never saw anything of the sort.

I meant to say he would have been fired without a cup had the Flames won a couple more games. Look at the article above that hire was Lombardi's last ditch attempt to save himself. It worked, just saying...fickle

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Lombardi's job was in MAJOR jeopardy that season, hiring Daryl was a last ditch attempt to save himself

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/73...ed-calculation

Lebrun on Sutter's hiring

"This could be Lombardi's last coaching hire in Los Angeles. So, with his own job on the line, Lombardi reached out to someone he trusts."

its was a hail mary and it worked, good on them

Sorry I meant the 2nd sentence.... before the playoff run, Darryl wasn't the most popular guy and mocked around the league?

[puckluck2]

nm

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

Sorry I meant the 2nd sentence.... before the playoff run, Darryl wasn't the most popular guy and mocked around the league?

holy F

when the kings first hired him the hiring was mocked around the league and thought to be a bad decision...there are many articles about it, I just posted one. Lombardi would have been fired had they not made the playoffs so likely Daryl too

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/73...ed-calculation

on a separate note:

Last week when they were down 0-3 they talked about sutter being on the hot seat and wearing out his welcome on the fan960, tsn panel, prime time sports, not sure where else


coaching is fickle, I'm glad its not my profession

hope I made everything clear

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I meant to say he would have been fired without a cup had the Flames won a couple more games. Look at the article above that hire was Lombardi's last ditch attempt to save himself. It worked, just saying...fickle

Anyone who remembers that season knows we really didn't have a chance. We went on a little late run after being completely out of it to jump a bunch of teams after being in the 11th-13th spot for quite some time. We really weren't a threat to the Kings at all.

Darryl took that team and had a record of 25-13-11 and still barely made the playoffs. That previous coach was definitely underachieving with the exact same team.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Anyone who remembers that season knows we really didn't have a chance. We went on a little late run after being completely out of it to jump a bunch of teams after being in the 11th-13th spot for quite some time. We really weren't a threat to the Kings at all.

Darryl took that team and had a record of 25-13-11 and still barely made the playoffs. That previous coach was definitely underachieving with the exact same team.

Daryl did great I agree, had they missed the playoffs Lombardi and Daryl would have been fired.

Flames and Kings both had 34 Row wins, LA did better in the shootout and that is why they made the playoffs