The Deal With Geoff Ward

[Newton]

Maybe the Leafs can pay Mike Babcock to coach in Calgary

[nieuwy-89]

I know there is baggage there but it would be amazing to see what Babcock could do with this team. He’s polarizing but I don’t see how he could make this team any worse.

Gallant would be interesting too. Could he bottle up some of that “us against the world” energy from his first season in Vegas?

Boudreau has never really impressed me.

[DeluxeMoustache]

I would not like to listen to Babcock being interviewed, but feel I would be quite capable of avoiding hearing them.

It’d be an upgrade

[jg13]

Originally Posted by nieuwy-89

Boudreau has never really impressed me.

GP 984
Wins 567
Losses 302
OTL/SOL 115

Brings far more than any coach we've seen in the last decade and its not even close.

Edit: Picking up points in 69% of his games. Nice

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by jg13

GP 984
Wins 567
Losses 302
OTL/SOL 115

Brings far more than any coach we've seen in the last decade and its not even close.

Edit: Picking up points in 69% of his games. Nice

His roster was stacked 90% of those years and he was a failure in the playoffs for the most part

[jg13]

Originally Posted by dino7c

His roster was stacked 90% of those years and he was a failure in the playoffs for the most part

Outside of his Washington years i'd argue our roster is nearly as strong or should be IMO.

also who cares about his playoff record at this point? Geoff Ward isnt even getting us there.

[PepsiFree]

Just throwing this out there as a possibility, but I wonder if beyond being a bad coach whether the players respect Ward at all at this point.

I kind of wonder if the Bennett situation wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t think it’s unfair say that Ward did not treat Bennett with respect. If you look at Bennett’s healthy scratch after he was just coming on, the Flames scored 26 goals before that point, and 26 goals after. But they allowed 23 goals before that point, and now 39 after. The differential has swung huge. It’s not like they were world beaters before that, the mark of a bad coach for sure, but the wheels have fully come off.

This isn’t to suggest Bennett is important or to add to “the legend of Sam Bennett” or whatever. On the contrary, I think it could have been any player. I just get the feeling that disrespecting a guy who has been in that room with a lot of the guys for years, especially with this team where you can argue that they’re not above quitting on coaches or whatever, could be enough to push them over the edge.

People have pointed to Bennett being the distraction and suggested his trade request would make him an outcast somewhat on the team, but what if it’s the opposite? If Ward was already having trouble getting buy-in and respect in the room, I could see that as the thing that pushes it over the top.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by dino7c

His roster was stacked 90% of those years and he was a failure in the playoffs for the most part

So, he took teams that were supposed to win a lot of games and.....won a lot of games.

If the Flames are a good team then that shouldn't be a problem.

[Jason14h]

Is there a single player who is playing above their expectations under Ward?

The stars are all playing poorly (JG and Lindholm at 'expectation)
The young players arent really getting any better
The role players are useless (Does the 4th line have a goal this YEAR?)
The special teams are not good - And especially bad after the first 4 games

We are outshot every game. We don't dictate any part of the game

Usually a 'bad' coach still has a strength or 2, but they bad outweighs the good.

I honestly can not name 1 good thing about this team? Is there a single player who has improved under Ward?

That should be telling enough

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dino7c

His roster was stacked 90% of those years and he was a failure in the playoffs for the most part

Those Ducks teams weren’t amazing at all, and neither were the Minnesota teams.

He’s a great coach and teams would be stupid to pass on him just because of a perceived lack of playoff success which really comes down to bad luck and a bad goaltending in Game 7’s.

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I put way more faith in the bigger sample sizes. Playoffs are a bit of a crap shoot and goaltending and luck play a huge factor. I don't think it was anything that Boudreau was doing that was causing his teams to struggle in the playoffs.

Of coaches with over 600 games coached he has the second highest regular season win percentage to just Scotty Bowman with a .635 win percentage. More division titles and 100 point seasons as a coach than the Flames have in their entire history. Yeah I'd take that guy.

Not like any of those Washington, Anaheim, or Minnesota teams had immediate playoff success after he left.

Boudreau is a guy that would squeeze every last drop out of a team over the longer sample size of multiple regular seasons, tends to win division titles, and puts up 100 point seasons. I put more faith in that than a guy that got lucky and had a good playoff run one time (Gallant for example).

He had a history of #### goaltending and bad luck in Game 7 in the playoffs too.

Washington
2007-2008: Round 1 - Lost in Game 7; .905 Save Percentage
2008-2009: Round 2 - Lost in Game 7; .895 Save Percentage in Round 2
2009-2010: Round 1 - Lost in Game 7; .897 Save Percentage
2010-2011: Round 2 - Lost in Game 4; .856 Save Percentage in Round 2

Anaheim
2012-2013: Round 1 - Lost in Game 7; .916 Save Percentage
2013-2014: Round 2 - Lost in Game 7; .908 Save Percentage in Round 2
2014-2015: Round 3 - Lost in Game 7; .897 Save Percentage in Round 3
2015-2016: Round 1 - Lost in Game 7; .928 Save Percentage

Minnesota
2016-2017: Round 1 - Lost in 5; .918 Save Percentage (But 4.4% shooting percentage.
2017-2018: Round 1 Lost in 5; .904 Save Percentage

Change one of those Game 7's to a win and suddenly it changes his whole career narrative potentially. Such a fine line between winning and losing in the playoffs.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Those Ducks teams weren’t amazing at all, and neither were the Minnesota teams.

He’s a great coach and teams would be stupid to pass on him just because of a perceived lack of playoff success which really comes down to bad luck and a bad goaltending in Game 7’s.

I cannot believe we are sitting here watching Geoff Ward flounder as the head coach of the Calgary Flames while BB is just sitting there.

[Erick Estrada]

The Ducks and Wild teams he coached were both on the decline and he kept them above water. There's no doubt in my mind he could probably get a lot out of this team but we are at the point where that team needs to change as well. I'm not so sure a $9 million Matthew Tkachuk is a direction you want to go with this team and Gaudreau will probably have to be traded in the offseason if he doesn't want to negotiate an extension (why would he really?).

[Wastedyouth]

I vote for Boudreau. He would take this D corp and make Calgary a massive pain in the ass to play against in their own zone. 6 mobile guys who can move the puck well? Boudreau would have a field day.

And he's a hard ass.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

I vote for Boudreau. He would take this D corp and make Calgary a massive pain in the ass to play against in their own zone. 6 mobile guys who can move the puck well? Boudreau would have a field day.

And he's a hard ass.

He is adaptable as a coach. He can be a players coach but he can also bring the heat if the players are not doing their job. He is a very good offensive coach which totally fits this roster. I think BB would be a home run pick which is exactly why it will never happen. It isn't the Calgary Flames way.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I cannot believe we are sitting here watching Geoff Ward flounder as the head coach of the Calgary Flames while BB is just sitting there.

BB isn’t just sitting there waiting for a job. He literally just moved his family to Hershey to start a Jr. A team there “to help the community”. He owns another team as well.

He has also said very divergent things about his coaching desires - at one point he insisted Minnie was his last coaching gig. Right when he was fired he said he’d like another shot. He’s 66 in a league where coaches are getting younger all the time. But that was right when he was fired and his ego may have been talking. At the very least a midseason move isn’t some no-brainer for him. His wife wouldn’t likely come with him for one thing, because of COVID.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

He is adaptable as a coach. He can be a players coach but he can also bring the heat if the players are not doing their job. He is a very good offensive coach which totally fits this roster. I think BB would be a home run pick which is exactly why it will never happen. It isn't the Calgary Flames way.

Yeah, he tried to bring the heat once. It failed and he got fired by the Caps. I don’t know where some of you get this “Boudreau will be tough” thing.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

BB isn’t just sitting there waiting for a job. He literally just moved his family to Hershey to start a Jr. A team there “to help the community”. He owns another team as well.

He has also said very divergent things about his coaching desires - at one point he insisted Minnie was his last coaching gig. Right when he was fired he said he’d like another shot. He’s 66 in a league where coaches are getting younger all the time. But that was right when he was fired and his ego may have been talking. At the very least a midseason move isn’t some no-brainer for him. His wife wouldn’t likely come with him for one thing, because of COVID.

He really wants to coach though, he even considered an associate coach job in Toronto. If the Flames came calling I have a very hard time thinking he would say no.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, he tried to bring the heat once. It failed and he got fired by the Caps. I don’t know where some of you get this “Boudreau will be tough” thing.

He didn't get fired for that and his team responded well that game. They felt it was time for a change so they made it. That doesn't mean BB is a bad coach or that he can't win. There are lots of good coaches that never won the holy grail of hockey.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

He didn't get fired for that and his team responded well that game. They felt it was time for a change so they made it. That doesn't mean BB is a bad coach or that he can't win. There are lots of good coaches that never won the holy grail of hockey.

I’m not talking about “a game”. He tried to change his methods and be a tough guy and it wasn’t him. The players didn’t respond and he was gone.

There are plenty of articles about it if you want them.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I’m not talking about “a game”. He tried to change his methods and be a tough guy and it wasn’t him. The players didn’t respond and he was gone.

There are plenty of articles about it if you want them.

The players had tuned him out no matter what. It happens to every coach. The fact he tried to change his tactics to get the most out of his team is a positive. The exact opposite of Geoff Ward.