[News] Flames hire Bill Peters as the franchise's 19th head coach

[united]

Just some thoughts from one guy after watching a handful of Hurricanes games from the past couple seasons over the weekend and another over lunch. Note, some of the tactical choices will be due to player personnel, not necessarily due to being set in one tactic...so things can change with the Flames' roster.

- Peters matches his first pairing hard against the other team's scoring line. Peters does everything he can to get the top pair out against line 1 whether at home or on the road. Reminds me of Boston with Chara, or Babcock with the Wings. The first line will often change as soon as reasonbly possible if not out against the other team's top line. The second and third pairings seem to roll for the most part - certainly the third pairing was utilized more then the Flames utilized theirs.

- While the defence is a bit more active in the rush, they still aren't as offensive as I would like to see. But, just having defence who lead the rush will make such a difference, and even defenders who travel below the offensive goal line every now and then is a good thing, too. The big difference I noticed is how hard the defenders pinch down the wall to prevent the opposition from a clean breakout as opposed to passively backing out (aside from Giordano). The weak-side defender is also far more aggressive in retreat in the neutral zone, pinching off the centre of the ice instead of staying on his dots.

- Peters likes having a dedicated two-way shutdown line, a scoring line, a fourth line that is comprised of players who are defensively responsible regardless of lack of offensive ability, and a third line that is a rotating cast. Peters hard matches his shutdown line with the other team's scoring line whenever he can both on the road and at home - on the road this results in the fourth line getting matched frequently by the other team's coach which is likely why it's comprised of defensive forwards. His scoring line is matched fairly hard against the plugs of the other team and primarily in the offensive zone, while the third line rolls as needed all over the ice.

- Peters shortens the bench when trailing in the final 10 minutes. The fourth line may as well hit the showers as they aren't seeing the ice, while the scoring line is over the boards every second shift. The opposite also applies: when ahead, the first line can get comfortable where they are sitting while the bottom six gets some playing time.

- Peters' Hurricanes almost exclusively ran a 4F-1D powerplay. This will be a welcome implementation, although the Flames, with Giordano, Hamilton, and Andersson, have three good options there. On the other hand, their powerplay wasn't exactly pretty. Like the Flames, they struggled getting setup and seemed without creativity or direction once they finally were setup. I really hope the Flames hire an assistant who can fix this as it's so frustrating to watch.

- Peters' penalty kill is simply a joy to watch. While they had a down season most recently, in the three prior years they were arguably the league's best unit and lost two vital players last off-season. The forwards play ultra-aggressive, frequently reading off each other and switching. This gives the opposition puck handler little to no time to setup and make reads, forcing quick decisions and passes, often resulting in the puck being rimmed against the boards (picking the puck up off the boards costs valuable time). The downside is the odd wide-open one-timer against, but the benefits far outweigh the odd breakdown. Note that such a system requires players who are both quick and smart, and are dedicated to hard work.

- I noticed the Hurricanes had some unconventional set plays off offensive and defensive faceoffs. While in hockey the success rate is so low they don't make a huge difference, it's great to see teams at least trying new things. The Ducks are probably the poster childs for this, even going as far as losing offensive draws on purpose when there is a defensive defenceman who is a poor puck mover in position for a won draw (per 31 Thoughts podcast), but the Bruins run their share of set plays, too.

- And not a systems observation, but a note on the Mike Commodore interview that has been mis-characterized by some on here. I can almost guarantee that the notion Peters lost the room this year came from Justin Williams, whom Commie is really tight with. I guess you can treat that one of two ways: for me, I see it as a positive as it shows Peters is hard on the guys when needed and the fact it took three years and the 'Canes losing some key veterans for it to happen isn't to be ignored. On the other hand, it also shows that perhaps he's a bit hard on youngsters. For me, I'm all over it being a positive.

- Again, could be personnel, could be tactics, probably a mix of both, so everything subject to change.

- I thought his press conference today was pretty good, too. Looking forward to next season. Brodie is so much better on the right-hand side, both defending the rush - preferring to skate shoulder to shoulder with his in his outside hand - and on the breakout himself. Liked his comments on Andersson, too. I'll have to check out the Fan 960 interview later to see what he said in that one.

[mikeecho]

Originally Posted by Red

In the 960 interview he talked about how you need to play your players where they are most comfortable and successful even if it goes against your system or beliefs.

Such a contrast from GG square pegs in round holes.

But part of me wanders if he was given some talking points to communicate to the fans.
Obviously Tre is aware of the negative reception this was met with so maybe they wanted to address the teams biggest fan perceived issues at the presser.
Brodie playing off side.
No square pegs in round holes.
Be ready.
Fast transition.
Quick starts in games.
Quick start to the season.
Not a bubble team and on and on.
All things we have been complaining about here.

Either way, he made a really good first impression on me.

I don't think he was just throwing out talking points from a list, but he spent all day yesterday and the early part of this morning with Treliving and the team reviewing things. The fact he talks about these things suggests that they have all been talking about these things for the past 2 days and are likely top of mind for Treliving.

[The Boy Wonder]

Originally Posted by Red

I am not implying that Tre isn't confident in this hire. I am sure he is.
I just thought that maybe they wanted the masses to be less critical so they threw in some candy at the crowd. And judging by my own view and this board in general I think it worked.

I just really don't think you actually want your GM doing or thinking about doing damage control on the day he announces the hiring...

I agree that whatever it is or was it worked.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Peters said all the right things, hitting all of the check boxes for areas of needed improvement. Now he just has to deliver. Bring on training camp.

[GioforPM]

Thanks for the well thought out post. If I may be presumptious and comment:

Originally Posted by united

Just some thoughts from one guy after watching a handful of Hurricanes games from the past couple seasons over the weekend and another over lunch. Note, some of the tactical choices will be due to player personnel, not necessarily due to being set in one tactic...so things can change with the Flames' roster.

- Peters matches his first pairing hard against the other team's scoring line. Not much different than GG except he tried Brodie against McDavidPeters does everything he can to get the top pair out against line 1 whether at home or on the road. Reminds me of Boston with Chara, or Babcock with the Wings. The first line will often change as soon as reasonbly possible if not out against the other team's top line. The second and third pairings seem to roll for the most part - certainly the third pairing was utilized more then the Flames utilized theirs.

- While the defence is a bit more active in the rush, they still aren't as offensive as I would like to see. But, just having defence who lead the rush will make such a difference, and even defenders who travel below the offensive goal line every now and then is a good thing, too. The big difference I noticed is how hard the defenders pinch down the wall to prevent the opposition from a clean breakout as opposed to passively backing out (aside from Giordano). The weak-side defender is also far more aggressive in retreat in the neutral zone, pinching off the centre of the ice instead of staying on his dots.

- Peters likes having a dedicated two-way shutdown line, a scoring line, a fourth line that is comprised of players who are defensively responsible regardless of lack of offensive ability, and a third line that is a rotating cast. This seems like the Flames a lotPeters hard matches his shutdown line with the other team's scoring line whenever he can both on the road and at home - on the road this results in the fourth line getting matched frequently by the other team's coach which is likely why it's comprised of defensive forwards. His scoring line is matched fairly hard against the plugs of the other team and primarily in the offensive zone, while the third line rolls as needed all over the ice.

- Peters shortens the bench when trailing in the final 10 minutes. The fourth line may as well hit the showers as they aren't seeing the ice, while the scoring line is over the boards every second shift. The opposite also applies: when ahead, the first line can get comfortable where they are sitting while the bottom six gets some playing time.Obviously this was a complaint about GG, though maybe not as well-founded as some think

- Peters' Hurricanes almost exclusively ran a 4F-1D powerplay. This will be a welcome implementation, although the Flames, with Giordano, Hamilton, and Andersson, have three good options there. The Flames were 4-1 for a long time until they finally gave up and put Gio/Hamilton on the first unit. Now maybe the failuire was because Brodie just isn;t a good PP QBOn the other hand, their powerplay wasn't exactly pretty. Like the Flames, they struggled getting setup and seemed without creativity or direction once they finally were setup. I really hope the Flames hire an assistant who can fix this as it's so frustrating to watch.

- Peters' penalty kill is simply a joy to watch. While they had a down season most recently, in the three prior years they were arguably the league's best unit and lost two vital players last off-season. The forwards play ultra-aggressive, frequently reading off each other and switching. This gives the opposition puck handler little to no time to setup and make reads, forcing quick decisions and passes, often resulting in the puck being rimmed against the boards (picking the puck up off the boards costs valuable time). The downside is the odd wide-open one-timer against, but the benefits far outweigh the odd breakdown. Note that such a system requires players who are both quick and smart, and are dedicated to hard work.

- I noticed the Hurricanes had some unconventional set plays off offensive and defensive faceoffs. While in hockey the success rate is so low they don't make a huge difference, it's great to see teams at least trying new things. The Ducks are probably the poster childs for this, even going as far as losing offensive draws on purpose when there is a defensive defenceman who is a poor puck mover in position for a won draw (per 31 Thoughts podcast), but the Bruins run their share of set plays, too.

- And not a systems observation, but a note on the Mike Commodore interview that has been mis-characterized by some on here. I can almost guarantee that the notion Peters lost the room this year came from Justin Williams, whom Commie is really tight with. I guess you can treat that one of two ways: for me, I see it as a positive as it shows Peters is hard on the guys when needed and the fact it took three years and the 'Canes losing some key veterans for it to happen isn't to be ignored. On the other hand, it also shows that perhaps he's a bit hard on youngsters. For me, I'm all over it being a positive.

- Again, could be personnel, could be tactics, probably a mix of both, so everything subject to change.

- I thought his press conference today was pretty good, too. Looking forward to next season. Brodie is so much better on the right-hand side, both defending the rush - preferring to skate shoulder to shoulder with his in his outside hand - and on the breakout himself. Liked his comments on Andersson, too.Be prepared to be disappointed in Brodie's positioning. Unless he's third pairing I don't see him on the right. IMO Brodie's issues have little to do with positioning

[Johnhitbox]

I guess i'm onboard with this guy, not like we have a lot of say in the matter.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I caught bits of the presser and the 960 interview between my time spent crushing the dreams of a poor second-year biology major who wrote a very marginal term paper.

But I have to say this: Bill Peters makes a tremendous first impression. Wow.

I was frequently critical of numerous posters over the past two years who called out Gulutzan for his demeanour, and for how little confidence it inspired from the bench. For a long time now I have felt that such things should not matter, and have been sceptical about how big of a difference a strong persona can make. But this introduction to Bill Peters makes me feel like I have never been more wrong.

I was never a big fan of the Hartley hiring, but I will say this for him: his introductory press conference was amazing—perhaps the best I had ever heard. That is, until today. Bill Peters knocked this out of the park. He sounds confident, intelligent, and determined. He leaves me with little doubt that he knows what he wants and how to get it from his players. He talks about the importance of speed, pace, tenacity, hard work and good decision making as key ingredients to successful hockey, which I think were big issues with this Flames team from last year.

I think Treliving got this right. Welcome to Calgary, Bill Peters.

As I've said earlier, this team needs a General and Bill Peters seems like he might be up to the task.

[Buff]

I still don't know if B'ill Peters is the right man for the job. Before hearing him speak today I felt that he would be an improvement over Gulutzan. However, after hearing him speak, the only thing preventing me saying that he is the right guy for the job is seeing the actual results. We need to fast forward to next April for that, but in the mean time he impressed me with is words and made some of my doubt disappear.

[the2bears]

I haven't had the chance to listen to the press conference or radio interview yet, but from what people have said I'm finding myself cautiously optimistic. Thanks to everyone providing updates and insights.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I caught bits of the presser and the 960 interview between my time spent crushing the dreams of a poor second-year biology major who wrote a very marginal term paper.

But I have to say this: Bill Peters makes a tremendous first impression. Wow.

I was frequently critical of numerous posters over the past two years who called out Gulutzan for his demeanour, and for how little confidence it inspired from the bench. For a long time now I have felt that such things should not matter, and have been sceptical about how big of a difference a strong persona can make. But this introduction to Bill Peters makes me feel like I have never been more wrong.

I was never a big fan of the Hartley hiring, but I will say this for him: his introductory press conference was amazing—perhaps the best I had ever heard. That is, until today. Bill Peters knocked this out of the park. He sounds confident, intelligent, and determined. He leaves me with little doubt that he knows what he wants and how to get it from his players. He talks about the importance of speed, pace, tenacity, hard work and good decision making as key ingredients to successful hockey, which I think were big issues with this Flames team from last year.

I think Treliving got this right. Welcome to Calgary, Bill Peters.

Thanked for two reasons:

1) Admitting you are wrong about a rhetorical topic when I know it's hard for you to admit that. Usually you stick to your guns right to the bitter end. I myself have changed my tune about Gulutzan's ability to lead men from the beginning of this year to the end. I was certain he was the major reason the team lacked consistent efforts. I'm hopeful that Peters can get a strong performance from this group night in and night out.

2) For crushing the dreams of a student. I do this myself from time to time, not because I love doing it, but sometimes it's the only thing to help them realize that this whole higher education racket just ain't their thing.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

The name "Bill Peters" does not contain an apostrophe.

A're you sure?

[calumniate]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

The name "Bill Peters" does not contain an apostrophe.

What about "Bill Peters' Drive In" ?

Also, I can't believe this guy is from Alberta. He sounds like he's from the coast, or from the 'park

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Thanked for two reasons:

...For crushing the dreams of a student. I do this myself from time to time, not because I love doing it, but sometimes it's the only thing to help them realize that this whole higher education racket just ain't their thing.

I still hate making 20-year-old girls cry. I probably should harden my resolve to be more soul-crushing, but in the end I conceded to bump her grade from a "C" to a "C+" for no good reason beyond the fact that I made her cry.

[SmoggyFlamesFan]

I apogize if I have missed this in earlier posts, but does anyone have a link to the press conference, or can provide a quick recap on what was said? I was against the move at first, but am actually quite impressed after reading the Darren Haynes article posted earlier.

[Split98]

This was a very good day for Bill Peters and his relationship with the fans. I'm really impressed with how today turned out.

While I still have reservations (I am still in the 'but... what about the other available options?' camp), Brad addressed that directly less than 2 minutes into the introduction:
- He's familiar with him
- He was focused on him when he fired Gulutzan
- This was not reckless, and to avoid talking to candidates
- Knows the field and there's some great candidates there
- He was focused on Bill

He said "a couple of comments I guess, as I'm sure questions will come up". I wonder if there's a bit of addressing comments the fanbase is already making, or if everything the fanbase is writing was predictable. Either way, it went far to shift the mood before he was even introduced.

Then we see the players are there, which definitely helps boost the mood on the hiring. Is that a common thing? I don't remember anyone there for Gulutzan or Hartley. Even if it is common, it helps sell Peters to you a little bit.

Then you start hearing things like
- Modern game. Huh?
- Offence from your defence. Good
- Possession game. Ok...
- Hard team to play against. Good
- Brodie on the right. PERFECT
- Similarities to the way he's coached before. Ok...
- But make some adjustments. Alright...
- Quicker. Excellent
- Line pairs + complementary. I like it
- Communication (specifically mentioned players playing on the wrong side). Excellent
- Play to THEIR SKILLSET. YESSSS!!!!!!!

I'm also not against giving Brouwer a shot again. Seriously. I hope we don't spend a lot of time on it, but it's worth trying if he's available to us. Brouwer has been a very useful player for other teams and it would be a bit of a waste to not give one more kick at getting that out of him with a new coach.

His eagerness to get going brings you in a little bit though you're hoping that we're eagerly running to a team that's going to win. But we're hearing good stuff so far and he's very confident. You can tell he just wants to get on with it.

So while I still have that fog of disappointment that it wasn't Darryl grumbling up there today, he absolutely took a huge step towards clearing it.

[Angelino]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

Peters posted a record of 137-138-53 in four seasons behind the Hurricanes’ bench, including a 36-35-11 mark in 2017-18.
During his 4 years Carolina did not finish better than 5th in their own division.
Wish him the best hopefully Peters is the right fit here but after 2019 if he isn't Treliving 100% should own it no more excuses and be fired.

Burke should be fired as well. I wouldn’t be happy if he hired another Treliving. Ken King should be evaluated as well. I’m not a believer in putting a bandage on a cancer patient.

[Joe Nieuwendyk]

I'd like to see how Peters does with some good assistant coaches.

In Carolina, he inherited Rod Brind'Amour who was already an assistant there and who is also in management...the dynamics had to be strange there.

The other assistant was Steve Smith, who has now missed the playoffs all 9 years of his coaching career.

[direwolf]

Not sure if this has been posted yet. Here's another Peters interview, this time with Ryan Leslie.

https://www.nhl.com/flames/video/one...092/c-60069003

[GoJetsGo]

Originally Posted by Angelino

Awesome, can’t wait! Dream coach! #plantheparade

Originally Posted by Angelino

Fire Bill Peters

So we heard you repeat over and over and over and over how you didn't like this hire when it was being rumoured, and how you don't think Treliving is a good GM. And over.

But now that the hire is official, and we heard Peters speak today... the above is all you have to say?

Nothing productive to comment about hearing Peters speak?

Or are you just going to parrot the same negative crap a few more dozen times?

[shadowlord]

I'd like to compare this to CP's reaction to GG's first media interview when GG got hired.