[POLL] Calgary Flames coaching change mega-thread—with poll

[kukkudo]

I think what Treliving saw in Gulutzan was potential and that he learned from his mistakes in Dallas. But Gulutzan has failed to adapt and make those adjustments which has made him fail here and in Dallas.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by direwolf

I'm a Flames fan through thick and thin until the day I die, and like many folks here, I made it through the dark years (Young Guns) without jumping off a bridge. But this is the first season in a very long time where I've completely run out of patience, and the disappointment seems to hurt more than any previous season. I think it's because the expectations were so much higher going into this season. On paper this is a solid roster that should have easily made the playoffs. Gulutzan has had two full years to make this a playoff caliber team. He failed miserably.

Treliving isn't stupid. He knows he's on the hot seat and needs to make some major changes, and it starts with the coaching staff. I think he'll do the right thing.

This is exactly my sentiment as well, I have never turn off the tv before the game is finished, let alone just after one period. Like you, during the Young Gun era, I watched every game till the bitter end. Gulutzan's brand of hockey is boring, cannot score and cannot defend other team from scoring.

[Toonage]

I'm not sure who on this board said this (so my apologies if I don't have it exactly right) but they suggested that after a Flames win, they weren't excited so much as relieved. That pretty much sums up a ton of games under GG.

I had next to no confidence in him, his system and the team for 2 seasons.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by midniteowl

This is exactly my sentiment as well, I have never turn off the tv before the game is finished, let alone just after one period. Like you, during the Young Gun era, I watched every game till the bitter end. Gulutzan's brand of hockey is boring, cannot score and cannot defend other team from scoring.

I slogged through the Young Guns era like many, and I never ever left a game until the buzzer sounded. I've left the games after the 2nd period twice now under Gulutzan's tenure...and I've only been to about 6-7 games since he arrived. I can't really explain it, but it's hockey that just sucks the energy right out of you. You end up looking for excuses to leave or watch something else.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Table 5

A summer where there are potentially 4-5 rock solid coaching candidates, the Flames will hold onto their mediocre coach on a short leash (so he'll get fired during the season when all the good guys are no longer available)?

That would be a very Flames thing to do.

Well to be fair they fired Hartley and had a summer to pick last time. They just picked the wrong guy. They also did that with Keenan and Brian Sutter.

They just aren’t good at scouting talent. Which is why they are where they are.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Well to be fair they fired Hartley and had a summer to pick last time. They just picked the wrong guy. They also did that with Keenan and Brian Sutter.

They just aren’t good at scouting talent. Which is why they are where they are.

I think you mean Brent Sutter. Brian was the coach in the 90s.

And Brent should have worked out. He was an amazing junior coach, and had two really good years in NJ prior to coming to Calgary. All signs pointed to that hire being great. Obviously it didn't work out at all, but on the surface it sure looked good at the time.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

I think you mean Brent Sutter. Brian was the coach in the 90s.

And Brent should have worked out. He was an amazing junior coach, and had two really good years in NJ prior to coming to Calgary. All signs pointed to that hire being great. Obviously it didn't work out at all, but on the surface it sure looked good at the time.

As soon as Darryl saw him use Chris Butler and Jay Bouwmeester as his first pairing he should have fired him on the spot.

[Hank Hill]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

I think you mean Brent Sutter. Brian was the coach in the 90s.

And Brent should have worked out. He was an amazing junior coach, and had two really good years in NJ prior to coming to Calgary. All signs pointed to that hire being great. Obviously it didn't work out at all, but on the surface it sure looked good at the time.

I liked Brent Sutter as the coach, he tried to convince management to trade Iggy a year or two earlier than they did. They did not buy into his vision of a rebuilding and they decided to mutually part ways. As it turned out Brent was right, they should have started the rebuild when he was there.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by OldDutch

Well to be fair they fired Hartley and had a summer to pick last time. They just picked the wrong guy. They also did that with Keenan and Brian Sutter.

They just aren’t good at scouting talent. Which is why they are where they are.

I guess at the end of the day it's same #### different pile type of comment from me, but are you sure they picked the wrong guy, or simply failed to attract the right guy. I still look back on that summer as very weird timing.

Almost a total alignment with Boudreau becoming available when they pulled the trigger on Hartley, only to then take forever to land on GG. It could be exactly what it appears, they just took their time, did their process and selected GG, but a huge part of me feels like they may have taken stabs at both Boudreau and Carlyle and failed to attract them (whether that would have been good or bad is another discussion). I'm not saying I was disappointed with GG hire at the time, but it did always feel like they might not have gotten their first choice in that process.

Regardless, whether it's a poor choice, or a failure to attract who you wanted, the end result is the same, so it's likely neither here nor there.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

but a huge part of me feels like they may have taken stabs at both Boudreau and Carlyle and failed to attract them

Boudreau said they never contacted him. Whether he would have accepted the job or not is another story but Treliving dropped the ball not even contacting him.

[EVERLAST]

So much weight will be lifted off of so many people when Glen gets canned.
I can hardly wait for the list of potential candidates to come up.

I really hope Murray Edwards isn't too gun shy to open his wallet and get us a experienced coach with a established resume.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by InCoGnEtO

Owners are too cheap to pay top dollar for experienced coaches.

Duhatschek was on 960 yesterday talking about a conversation he had with Scotty Bowman about how many coaches will be fired this off-season. Bowman thinks it will only be 2 or 3. Not because management has become patient about coaches turning things around, but because with coaches getting paid a lot more these days, owners are reluctant to fire them when they have term left.

So yeah, I have real doubts that Flames owners will fire Gulatzan with term left and hire an established coach and pay him the going rate ($3 mil/year and up). I expect the Flames will stick with GG, or replace him with a newbie (cheap) coach.

[dammage79]

I thought Gullys contract was up after this season. And there was an option for a third. Did we ever get clarity on that or is that still wrapped within the cone of silence?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Duhatschek was on 960 yesterday talking about a conversation he had with Scotty Bowman about how many coaches will be fired this off-season. Bowman thinks it will only be 2 or 3. Not because management has become patient about coaches turning things around, but because with coaches getting paid a lot more these days, owners are reluctant to fire them when they have term left.

So yeah, I have real doubts that Flames owners will fire Gulatzan with term left and hire an established coach and pay him the going rate ($3 mil/year and up). I expect the Flames will stick with GG, or replace him with a newbie (cheap) coach.

Which is hilarious considering they'll spend to the cap no matter what it is.

Cap goes up $5mil? Spend! We could hire the right guy to get maximum results from the players? What do we look like, a bank?!! Get lost!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Inferno

Boudreau said they never contacted him. Whether he would have accepted the job or not is another story but Treliving dropped the ball not even contacting him.

I am not sure if I would take statements like that at face value though. Teams like to have a certain level of confidentiality (at least as much as possible these days). If they contacted him and he wasn't interested, it would be the polite thing to simply deny it was an option.

[Mattman]

https://www.capfriendly.com/coaches

This is pretty cool.

If Quenneville is fired this season he might not be cheap considering he's making 6 mil/year. But then again that contract looks like it might be a "reward" for the glory years the Blackhawks had.

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by bax

I’ve never understood this logic. What difference does it make over an 82 game season if the wins come in streaks or every other game?

If you're consistently good, you have a better chance of having success in the playoffs. To win the Cup, you need to play well over a stretch of around 22 games (assuming 5.5 games per series).

If you rely on 2 mid-season hot streaks to make the playoffs, as we did last year, and then struggle in the final weeks of the season, you get swept in the first round. Or, if that 2nd hot streak never comes, you miss the playoffs altogether.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I thought Gullys contract was up after this season. And there was an option for a third. Did we ever get clarity on that or is that still wrapped within the cone of silence?

I have heard that and I have heard it was a 3 year deal. Not sure which is accurate.

[Jacks]

TSN Insider Trading has Gulutzan at the top of their list of coaches in trouble.
http://fw.to/WhRRFLm

Edit: looks like the list is alphabetical but he's still one of the 9 they list.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I have heard that and I have heard it was a 3 year deal. Not sure which is accurate.

Yeah either way paying Gully one year to not coach the team isnt going to make the owners sweat.