Flames' Huska earns respect and, eventually, a new contract

[Aarongavey]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...-new-contract/

For Conroy, that means putting a stop to the organization’s revolving door of coaches.

“To me, it's about having consistency with the staff, because when you're changing coaches all the time it just gets the players wondering if maybe they're going to get rid of the coach,” he said.

“It’s also hard because they have different systems, different philosophies, different ways they want to handle things.

“You have to make sure they know, ‘this is the boss, he's in charge, this is what we need to do,’ and you're not outwaiting the coach.”

Good news, great quotes from CC in the article.

[Groot]

I heard someone screaming and cursing downtown and I guess dissentower has heard the news.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Groot

I heard someone screaming and cursing downtown and I guess dissentower has heard the news.

Boo.

[butterfly]

The headline is confusing after reading the article. Did he get a new contract or does Francis expect they will talk about it later?

[chummer]

Originally Posted by butterfly

The headline is confusing after reading the article. Did he get a new contract or does Francis expect they will talk about it later?

Well it does say eventually so no he did not get a new contract.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by butterfly

The headline is confusing after reading the article. Did he get a new contract or does Francis expect they will talk about it later?

Sounds to me like it’s coming.

If he can get this lineup into the playoffs and win a round I think he should definitely get some recognition.

Keep in mind the experts tagged the Flames as potentially being the worst team in the history of hockey at the start of the season

[Calgary4LIfe]

I really love Huska. What he is able to do with both the vets and the young kids is amazing. How he isn't afraid to scratch or bench a player (like he did with Huberdeau last season) speaks to how he will do what he thinks is right.


I loved coaches who squeeze blood out of a rock like Hatley and Sutter do (and Hartley's coaching ability is greatly overshadowed by his methods, unfortunately, but he is a really solid coach aside from his temperament). However, these coaches all have shelf-lives. Then you have players' coaches who I think end up being too scared to lose a room, and I find bad habits start to creep onto teams, which then requires a 'hard ass' to come in and fix things by changing the culture.


I think Huska is a modern NHL coach, much in the same vein as Coleman alluded to in the article above - like Jon Cooper. You listen to him speak, and he is intelligent and thoughtful, and usually has an answer. When he doesn't, he isn't afraid to say: "I don't know". Nobody has all the answers. Geoff Ward's press conferences were not ones where I increased my belief in him as a coach. Sutter's conferences were funny and 'must watch', but only when he felt like it would he reveal really interesting insights.



I hope Huska continues to grow and, much like Cooper, becomes a very long-tenured coach here. He doesn't strike me as a coach that is too abrasive, and he is definitely not allowing poor play to continue without consequences either. Some may disagree, but I see him squeezing blood from a stone right now just like Hartley did in 2015, but unlike Hartley, he isn't killing this team in the process.

[Goriders]

The first time I heard Huska interviewed I thought he was very well spoken. He seems like a pretty cerebral guy.

[Enoch Root]

One of the things I find interesting about coaches is that people don't seem to allow them time to grow - they have to be great, from day one. Yet at the same time, many complain that it is a revolving door of retreads. Well yeah, if you want 'immediately good' then you are going to hire guys with experience (i.e. retreads).

I would rather see a coach grow into the role, and have some consistency at the position. Instead of the constant oscillation between hardliner and 'player's coach', why not have someone that is more even keeled? More consistent? More continuity from year to year?

And why not allow them the opportunity to grow into the role and improve on their craft?

[PaperBagger'14]

Huska has grown on me, admittedly I thought Mitch Love deserved the head coaching spot when the flames hired Huska. He really has this team playing far better hockey than they realistically should, this team on paper looks closer to a bottom 3 roster instead of flirting with the playoffs.

One place I see room for improvement is getting the absolute most out of your star players. For years now the best players havent been living up to their pay grades (Kadri has moments where he does) and without re hashing THAT discussion again, these guys could be producing a lot more. Is Huska the coach to push the top players to the next level? Questionable.

Also the PP has been brutal for quite an extended period, despite having multiple special teams coaches. Is this bad assistant coach selections, a questionable roster or does it move upstream to some of Huska’s choices? Remains to be seen.

All in all Huska deserves an extension at least until this team enters its next contention window.

[FanSince'01]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

One of the things I find interesting about coaches is that people don't seem to allow them time to grow - they have to be great, from day one. Yet at the same time, many complain that it is a revolving door of retreads. Well yeah, if you want 'immediately good' then you are going to hire guys with experience (i.e. retreads).

I would rather see a coach grow into the role, and have some consistency at the position. Instead of the constant oscillation between hardliner and 'player's coach', why not have someone that is more even keeled? More consistent? More continuity from year to year?

And why not allow them the opportunity to grow into the role and improve on their craft?

It's the exact same for rookie NHL coaches as it is for rookie NHL players, IMO - there's a significant increase in difficulty and pressure coaching/playing in the NHL and most newcomers are going to need time to adjust. And I agree - for some reason, we're okay with giving rookie players loads of runway to learn and grow but rookie coaches have to have their sh** together from day one.

It's only been a year and a half, but thus far I really like the growth I'm seeing from Huska and I think he can be a top tier coach in this league, he certainly appears to be a quick learner and he's smart and humble enough to know that he doesn't know everything and to make the appropriate adjustments to his approach over time.

[EVERLAST]

I think Huska has the level of smart and calm when he needs it and has a level of maturity that Paul Maurice only developed after Zito went after him because he saw something.

I hated Maurice as a coach in Winnipeg. Now. His guys will KILL for him.

I bet the first time Tkachuk was in a room with Maurice it was awkward AF

He got Matty to buy in and dialed Bennet back and Lomberg is a perfect guy and Huska loves him because he makes he and his coaches jobs easier.

Coleman saying Huska reminds him of Cooper is the ultimate compliment.

Huska deserves anything theyll give him . He earned it by work not by reputation of shirting all over everyone top to bottom like certain coaches i used to respect.

Get it done Craig

[Goriders]

Huska has most likely played a part in the team’s culture. Which looks to be very good.

[fotze2]

He seems like a good guy. Calm temperament and a defenceman whisperer. I think we will need that with our defence studs coming up.

Also, His kid assisted one of my kids goals last week too, he’s a good player. Haha.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

This sort of chatter is premature. Great job so far, BUT... make the playoffs.

So often over the years we've dolled out praise mid-season only to wind up with a nothing season in no-mans land when the dust settles.

A 10th place finish would be virtually the same result as we got under Sutter after he lost his mind.

Huska has been good for developing players and giving ice time based on merit again which has been great to see. But I wouldn't go as far as to say the revolving door should stop at Huska without a larger sample and some success.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

This sort of chatter is premature. Great job so far, BUT... make the playoffs.

So often over the years we've dolled out praise mid-season only to wind up with a nothing season in no-mans land when the dust settles.

A 10th place finish would be virtually the same result as we got under Sutter after he lost his mind.

Huska has been good for developing players and giving ice time based on merit again which has been great to see. But I wouldn't go as far as to say the revolving door should stop at Huska without a larger sample and some success.

Yes, because let's not apply any context to it, or give consideration to the roster at their respective disposals.

[Rhett44]

But I was told by one poster that the only reason we struggle to score is because we have an awful coach. And that we actually have a lot of scoring talent.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Yes, because let's not apply any context to it, or give consideration to the roster at their respective disposals.

Fair.

He's more than adequate for the rebuild. And the rotating door can stop for this phase of the team's development. He deserves respect for the work he's done in that regard.

But to be the guy to lead them beyond that he will need to show that he can attain results. We saw what happened when our last GM got too attached to some lower profile coaches when that up and coming core probably needed a more experienced guiding hand who had won at this level.

[Reggie Dunlop]

One of the greatest hockey minds to ever grace the Calgary Flames bench.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

One of the greatest hockey minds to ever grace the Calgary Flames bench.

Purely as a hockey mind, nobody could touch Badger Bob.