[News] Ryan Huska named HC. 12:30 PM MT presser

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by bax

Personally, I think hiring a rookie head coach for a roster with this many established vets is a big enough risk in itself.

Yeah, I think people are a little bit obsessed with Love's AHL regular season record.

Love has 5 years of head coaching experience, 2 in a pro league, zero championships.

Huska has 11 seasons of head coaching experience, 4 in a pro league, 1 championship, and then 5 seasons of NHL coaching experience.

Why are players supposed to show up for Love, a guy with no NHL coaching experience who is barely older than some of the vets, any more than they would for Huska, a guy they know and respect?

The reality of the AHL Coach of the Year award is that Jon Cooper is the only coach in the last 20 years of it who has gone on to have success at the NHL level. And Cooper didn't just win the award, he actually had championships under his belt. He started coaching high school hockey and won a championship right off the bat, then won two NAHL championships, then a USHL championship, then an AHL championship, and was named coach of the year in every league he coached. THEN he got his shot at the NHL, and it still took him 10 years to win a Stanley Cup.

AHL Coach of the Year? Cool, great, but Love's teams haven't accomplished anything that matters, so while he's a fresh, exciting pick, people have absolutely jumped the shark on how great of a pick he would've been. He's not Jon Cooper. People need to come down off the ledge.

[btimbit]

Stream just started

[Toonage]

Commodore there, waiting on the Babcock rant audible from the back of the room

[Locke]

Originally Posted by FlamingHomer

Oh God, stop with the Jordan Sigalet!

Nevar!!

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Toonage

As suggested (I think in this thread) if Love finds his way to Toronto with the Marlies, thats a pretty straight line to potentially coaching the Leafs. Or he can stay here and be an assistant. Already passed over once basically.

A move to Toronto wouldn't shock me.

With Carbery going to Washington, I believe the Leafs have an assistant coach opening with the big team as well.

[Toonage]

Huska presented a powerpoint. I shouldn't lol...but

[btimbit]

I wonder if Huska will get to talk

[Burning Beard]

Dude looks super happy. Hope for the best with this.

[Toonage]

Yep, absolutely pulling for this guy.

[CroFlames]

I think we need a new PP coach.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Yeah but on the same team? I don't think so.

Not everyone views things the same way.

Personally I would be a bit pissed off if I had the track record he has had in the AHL and got passed over for a guy that had middling results in the AHL.

The AHL is a development league. It’s not about wins or losses, their records are almost irrelevant.

Huska has 5 years of NHL experience to Love’s 0. Love only has 2 years of professional experience total. It’s crazy to think that he doesn’t have more to learn.

[automaton 3]

Huska is very well spoken, really good presser so far.

[Reign of Fire]

Dropped a process already :/

[automaton 3]

Conroy says he had a green light from Bean and ownership to hire whoever he thought was best for the role.

[Toonage]

Huska mentions he will get a group of assistants together, internal or from the outside.

Makes me think no one is coming back (MacLean, Muller)

[Ferarri]

Very well spoken. Hope it translates into success for him.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by automaton 3

Conroy says he had a green light from Bean and ownership to hire whoever he thought was best for the role.

*cough horsefeathers cough*

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by mrdonkey

The thing that bothers me about this isn't necessarily the decision itself, per se. Like, I'm not enthusiastic about Huska as a coach, but I don't think even Scotty Bowman could squeeze results out of the mess Treliving left behind, so ultimately the coach won't matter until this team has a better, younger core to build around.

But what concerns me more is the philosophy being put on display here. How focused the local media and even the statements from Conroy himself are on Huska's tenure above his actual results, like this was some kind of loyalty hire for a guy who "paid his dues." That's such a spectacularly stupid way to do business, and completely on brand for this organization. I was really hoping that the off-ice changes would have herladed a change in approach from what we're used to, but it sounds exactly like what we've come to expect from the Edwards regime. Cheap out, take half-measures, hope to sneak in, and see what happens.

The team isn't taking any risks here, so I don't see why we should expect anything but more of the same.

Love could be the better hire but he has to demonstrate that through the interview process. Think about it, the Flames probably had a list of things they wanted to hear. Conroy said that during his second interview he realized he needed to come in with a clear plan. Huska can tell you what he plans to do with certain players, that Love has never coached. If he is smart, Love would see that opportunities at the NHL are not easy to acquire and he could strengthen his opportunity if he chooses to be an assistant with the Flames. My hope is he still will be on board when we find out who is part of the coaching hires.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

Love could be the better hire but he has to demonstrate that through the interview process. Think about it, the Flames probably had a list of things they wanted to hear. Conroy said that during his second interview he realized he needed to come in with a clear plan. Huska can tell you what he plans to do with certain players, that Love has never coached. If he is smart, Love would see that opportunities at the NHL are not easy to aquire and he could strengthen his opportunity if he chooses to be an assistant with the Flames. My hope is he still will be on board when we find out who is part of the coaching hires.

Hopefully Huska strongly considers Love. I've said it in a previous post (not sure where, we're all over the place), but Huska knowing the veterans on the team and Love being the guy to help with Huska with his knowledge of the young guys pushing for a roster spot.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

Love had success with Wolf and helped him develop.

Gillies won both the NCAA and the World Juniors, and Huska saw him regress into the ground. Albeit, Gillies had a major injury. But Mason McDonald and Parsons, among the highest goalie picks in their drafts, didn't develop either.

If anything, I think it's an argument for Love and against Huska.

Gillies was .920, .910 and .917 under Huska not much of a regression. He was .889 and .907 under Cail Maclean.

And he won the WJC? His team won in 2013, and Gibson was the starter, Gillies played 1 period against Germany. He was the starter in 2014 though - and went 2-2 and his team finished 5th.