I agree with this. The Flames last 2 coach firings have been bad. Keenan may have had detractors with respect to defensive play but his playoff exit was with a ridiculously injured team. Hartley came off an unexpected overachievement with a jack Adams season to another gong show season with injuries and a 3 headed goalie monster.
Gully has frankly been an expected improvement from a disappointing previous season and now floundering this year. I think he is ok but not a difference maker.
And experimenting with a coach to grow with the team was in my opinion a bad move by the GM, the better move was a guy like Gallant who had proven himself to get a growing team to achieve
Gallant wasn't available when Gulutzan was hired. He was still coaching the Panthers. Hopefully when Gulutzan get's canned there is someone great available. Or just grab Darryl Sutter.
You know what really sucks for the Flames? It is the fact that all the 4th liners on this team are absolute dog crap. They can't do anything remotely good offensively anymore aside from once in a blue moon. Basically completely unplayable. Just so, so, so no good.
I think it's time to call up two Stockton guys. Fire Freddie & Lazar on waivers, and pressbox Stajan & Brouwer.
This is like the Wideman situation last year. It is so obvious it isn't working from day 1 of the season. But our coach or GM keep trying force something that won't work. Last year we brought in Stone in time to save the season. I hope something is done before it's too late in season to recover.
Funny thing is we could have the answer to our problem in Stockton. But we will never know unless our GM can trade those unwanted players because someone doesn't have the balls to tell them they aren't contributing enough and can't play anymore.
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I agree with this. The Flames last 2 coach firings have been bad. Keenan may have had detractors with respect to defensive play but his playoff exit was with a ridiculously injured team. Hartley came off an unexpected overachievement with a jack Adams season to another gong show season with injuries and a 3 headed goalie monster.
Gully has frankly been an expected improvement from a disappointing previous season and now floundering this year. I think he is ok but not a difference maker.
And experimenting with a coach to grow with the team was in my opinion a bad move by the GM, the better move was a guy like Gallant who had proven himself to get a growing team to achieve
This, a thousand times over. GG has been a head coach before, and an assistant coach as well, and has shown what?
Zilch...and yet we hired him to give him time to grow into the next best and greatest head coach.
Ridiculous. What GG showed before is exactly what he is showing now...Zilch.
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5 minutes in we could tell who was on Christmas break already. Ferland was flying while Johny and Mony were back home for the holidays. Is it not on the coach to adjust for things like this as soon as you see it and not wait until the game is nearly over? Coincidence that as soon as lines changed, so did the performance? 10 minutes in we couldn’t break out of our own zone as the long pass was beyond predictable yet we kept doing it. Is it not on coaching to adjust in game?
We haven't been able to break out of our own zone consistently all season. That is the most glaring problem to me.
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Its pretty remarkable (and telling) that a group of fans, albeit savvy ones for the most part, can correctly identify issues and know when to remedy them but the actual coaching staff cannot or will not.
We aren't wrong either. I remember last year having a back and forth on Twitter with a Calgary media member who told me my fears about the coach were irrational and I needed to be more patient. What I was seeing was a figment of my imagination. A year later, it hasn't changed. Just because I'm a fan doesn't make me an idiot. Much like Farmer's Insurance, we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two I think thats the slogan.
Very likely that the Oilers will only be 3 points back of us after tonight. If that garbage team ends up passing the Flames in the standings, I'm pretty certain that will be my breaking point as a fan. These bums better figure it out quick, or they won't even get a sniff of the playoffs.
Both the gm and the coach should have to answer why this team is a fringe bubble team despite throwing away first and second round picks to shape the roster.
All I kept thinking last night was why, other than the 3rd line, why were 90% of the flames breakouts out of their own zone made to a stationary, or a skating back towards their own zone, forward.
I frigin hate how we have dmen who can move the puck well, yet instead of quick transition once they win back the puck, they have to go deeper into their own zone, play d to d catch for a few minutes before looking up ice.
The team is quite boring to watch, as a result, especially when they lose.
As per the effort, it was embarrassing. Not because it happened but the fact that it feels like every other game at home we see the same thing over and over.
I hope the gm is restricted from making any trades this deadline. Not sure he has a handle on what he has on the roster or what coach is required to build a winner.
Yeah I think Treliving also has to answer for this. If he's going to keep this coach and ride him to a lottery pick for the Islanders he's the one that should be fielding the difficult questions as this mess is all on him. He hired the coach and he traded away futures to help his guy. It hasn't worked and time is running out. He can hold on with his guy in hopes they roll off 10 straight wins like last season but if that doesn't happen and they continue with the win one lose one, win two, lose two it's going to go down as one of the all time most disastrous Flames seasons.
Another thing, isn’t it weird that so many people constantly ragged on Iggy when our D was poor, ragged on Iggy for leadership, ragged on Iggy for effort, ragged on Iggy for everything but Gio gets exactly zero of that criticism?
I’m not saying we should blame him but how crazy is it that he’s basically untouchable? Is it just because he’s a Dman? Why does no one blame him for the lack of effort or lack of buy in to the coaches system (allegedly)? I guarandamntee you that if this was Iggy’s team still we’d be debating the country club atmosphere that he’s responsible for and GG would get way less heat.
It's because Giordano puts in a solid effort every single night.
Of all the problems on this team, Giordano is not one of them.
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Another thing, isn’t it weird that so many people constantly ragged on Iggy when our D was poor, ragged on Iggy for leadership, ragged on Iggy for effort, ragged on Iggy for everything but Gio gets exactly zero of that criticism?
I’m not saying we should blame him but how crazy is it that he’s basically untouchable? Is it just because he’s a Dman? Why does no one blame him for the lack of effort or lack of buy in to the coaches system (allegedly)? I guarandamntee you that if this was Iggy’s team still we’d be debating the country club atmosphere that he’s responsible for and GG would get way less heat.
Problem with Iggy was that he didn’t always put in a great effort every night and from time to time, was pretty apathetic on the defensive side of the game. Giordano has been a model of consistently on the effort side night in, night out. He’s no where near as talented as Iggy was, but you cannot question his dedication to hard work. He’s been by far our best defenseman this season and he’s the last person I’d blame for this team’s problems.
Both the gm and the coach should have to answer why this team is a fringe bubble team despite throwing away first and second round picks to shape the roster.
All I kept thinking last night was why, other than the 3rd line, why were 90% of the flames breakouts out of their own zone made to a stationary, or a skating back towards their own zone, forward.
I frigin hate how we have dmen who can move the puck well, yet instead of quick transition once they win back the puck, they have to go deeper into their own zone, play d to d catch for a few minutes before looking up ice.
The team is quite boring to watch, as a result, especially when they lose.
As per the effort, it was embarrassing. Not because it happened but the fact that it feels like every other game at home we see the same thing over and over.
I hope the gm is restricted from making any trades this deadline. Not sure he has a handle on what he has on the roster or what coach is required to build a winner.
To me, it's these things. People talk about a lack of effort last night, but the effort was there for the most part - they threw 25 hits for example - but the way they play can be coma-inducing.
I knew 5 minutes in that it was one of those nights because you could see that Montreal had the breakout covered. The Flames throw it around to the far winger who is standing still, facing the end boards, and it is so easy for the D to pinch and cut the breakout off because the winger is standing still and has no options.
When they utilize the C properly and create options, and are skating, they are able to breakout and then they are a dangerous (and fun to watch team). But when teams pinch that board play off, and they don't adjust, they lose all their momentum and their flow. And it is painful to watch.
That, combined with the fact that their defensive system, without the puck, is to collapse and cover lanes, instead of attack the puck, results in the merry-go-round of spending entire shifts in their end. If they eventually get the puck, ring it around to the far winger. If the D pinches and shuts it off, the process starts all over again.
The D circling back and playing catch also sucks the life out of their speed and transition game.
And of course, the PP is a black hole of anti-momentum.
For me, those three things are what kill them on home ice. Not only is it frustrating, but it makes for boring hockey.
AND ALL THREE THINGS ARE ON THE COACHES.
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That’s great and all but completely ignores the leadership side of things.
If guys on this team are dogging it, shouldn’t Gio be on them as the captain and leader? Iggy was expected to.
It was always Iggy who was responsible for guys putting in a poor effort. But now that Gio is the captain it is the coaches fault?
You keep saying it was always Iggy's fault. That is not a fact, that was the opinion of some.
It is not the captain's responsibility to motivate his team-mates. Some players have the leadership skills to do that at times, but I would argue that Giordano is doing his part by leading by example.
Yeah I think Treliving also has to answer for this. If he's going to keep this coach and ride him to a lottery pick for the Islanders he's the one that should be fielding the difficult questions as this mess is all on him. He hired the coach and he traded away futures to help his guy. It hasn't worked and time is running out. He can hold on with his guy in hopes they roll off 10 straight wins like last season but if that doesn't happen and they continue with the win one lose one, win two, lose two it's going to go down as one of the all time most disastrous Flames seasons.
From what I can tell, there are no tough questions in Calgary unless they are coming from Burke or ownership. And I truly have no idea what they are thinking about the on ice product with all the new arena noise.
This is a strange team in many ways. Trading away top draft picks to strengthen a playoff bubble team. Taking flyers on other teams castoffs. Hiring a yet to be proven coach.
Either Treliving really believes in these guys or something is brewing. As you point out, if that first rounder becomes a top 5 pick, it will be an absolute disaster.
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I think thats the slogan.
