Fire Huska

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Imagine blaming the newly hired coach when your team has:

- 0 elite players
- 0 game breakers
- 0 clutch performers (outside of the goalies on occassion)
- 0 go-to shootout specialists
- 0 ability to beat your arch rival up north for years now
- and most importantly, 0 support from your owner to go down the path of a full rebuild to acquire said elite talent

Huska is far down the list of issues with the team this season.

I like how you repeated the same point three times to make a list lol

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Not sure why I'm bothering...................

Toe the company line. I mean, I'm not even sure what you're getting at here. The Flames have a new coach this season who has the team right about, or possibly higher, in the standings where they should be. This is not a good team with basically zero elite talent. We haven't even hit the All Star break yet. You really believe......and I mean really believe......there's a chance they'd fire him right now? That's insane.

You're very quiet when they're winning. When they're losing you're gumming up threads blasting Huska for everything. It's just bizarre man.

This team is not that different than last year, with the major difference of goaltending being massively improved this year. We are on pace for 11 fewer points. Not sure how you can say this is where they should be as a statement of fact.

I'm in almost every post game thread win or lose, so don't say I am quiet when they win.

Huska sent Osterle out with under a minute to go and Osterle screwed up and cost the Flames the win. There is no reason for that player deployment. After that questioning what the heck Huska is doing is fair game.

At least the 4th line players Sutter irrationally overplayed were good NHLers at one point. If Huska is this amazing player development coach them why is Osterle in over other prospects who can rotate with DeSimone and give you the same level of play with future upside?

[ResAlien]

So are we doing a retool/rebuild or not? Cause wild fan histrionics like this certainly support the idea that this isn’t a market that can handle even a quick reload. Most fans understand the situation but that’s usually the more plugged in type. Your casual gets whipped into a frenzy pretty easily it seems

[jlh2640]

I cannot believe someone already calling for this lmao. It is a retooling year, relax.

[Bleeding Red]

Interesting thought on the last 32 thoughts podcast re:coaches. Noticed that Lameriello has done some research and hires coaches who are mostly in their second (or beyond) stint as coach, no first timers.


How has this impacted the Flames?

Huska - first NHL HC job - struggling.
Sutter - NHL HC vet - playoffs
Ward - First NHL HC job - struggling.
Peters - NHL HC vet - top of division
Gulutzan - First NHL job.

Maybe an experienced HC is the way to go.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Bleeding Red

Gulutzan - First NHL job.

Gulutzan was head coach of the Dallas Stars before the Flames hired him.

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

I cannot believe someone already calling for this lmao. It is a retooling year, relax.

Huska was hired to coach the team into he playoffs, as told by the Fla.es themselves. Judging him based on their stated goals seems reasonable.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

I cannot believe someone already calling for this lmao. It is a retooling year, relax.

The OP was calling for it the second Huska was hired. This is nothing new and a shining example of confirmation bias.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Infinit47

Huska was hired to coach the team into he playoffs, as told by the Fla.es themselves. Judging him based on their stated goals seems reasonable.

Well, then, they haven't missed the playoffs yet with Huska as coach.

In fact, no team in NHL history has ever missed a playoff that was held between October and January.

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The OP was calling for it the second Huska was hired. This is nothing new and a shining example of confirmation bias.

I mean, I've changed my mind before, I ate a ton of crow on Sharangovich and Conroy for that deal.

I didn't like that the Flames didn't go with a fresh set of eyes for HC, and also that they didn't pick anyone with a relevant history of HC success. Since then I've listed what I see as systemic issues under Huska and how the team plays under him vs. our previous coach. I think one system has a proven record of success, and the other does not.

People defend husky almost exclusively by saying the team is happier and young players are doing well, while ignoring the actual wins/losses and how often we get completely pumped.

You can call it confirmation bias, but that doesn't mean Huska is a good coach.

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Well, then, they haven't missed the playoffs yet with Huska as coach.

In fact, no team in NHL history has ever missed a playoff that was held between October and January.

Apologies for extrapolating the second half of the season based on where they are at now. I will obviously be wrong if they rally and make the playoffs, but that is a tall order.

[HighLifeMan]

Originally Posted by Bleeding Red

Interesting thought on the last 32 thoughts podcast re:coaches. Noticed that Lameriello has done some research and hires coaches who are mostly in their second (or beyond) stint as coach, no first timers.


How has this impacted the Flames?

Huska - first NHL HC job - struggling.
Sutter - NHL HC vet - playoffs
Ward - First NHL HC job - struggling.
Peters - NHL HC vet - top of division
Gulutzan - First NHL job.

Maybe an experienced HC is the way to go.

Darryl missed the playoffs in four of his last six seasons as a head coach.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Infinit47

Huska was hired to coach the team into he playoffs, as told by the Fla.es themselves. Judging him based on their stated goals seems reasonable.

Sure, but then turning around and just outright dropping a first-time NHL coach for not meeting the stated goal is maybe not the best response, either. I don't know about you, but in every job I have ever had I have made mistakes, and I was never fired for them.

Some people tend to have this very atomistic view of NHL coaching—a coach is either "good" or "terrible," and should be judged by the results of every individual season on the basis of this metric. Well, it's not that simple. It's a complex job that requires effectively managing individuals, then groups, and formulating systems and tactics to emphasize their strengths and promote success. So much of this occurs through trial and error, and so much of it is subject to however individual players might be feeling or thinking in the moment. A coach is almost always only as good as his players can perform, and so, it is usually pretty futile to analyse an individual coach's value on the basis of just what we see from one game to the next.

The Flames CLEARLY believe in Huska, and this is part of their investment in him. I don't think they had any doubt that there would be growing pains as he works his way into this job at this level, and they are unquestionably committed to seeing him through this. Is he a great coach? Is he terrible? We just don't know yet, and likely won't for a long time. Some coaches get off to a running start the moment they land in the HC role, but this does not always happen. Coaches like Jared Bednar or Peter Laviolette did not have immediate success, and others, like Jim Montgomery and Bruce Cassidy experienced setbacks on their way to establishing themselves with great teams.

Huska could still become one of these guys, we just can't know that yet. And, I tend to think evaluating him on the basis of just his "system" right now is probably also not the best measure for assessing his overall abilities and his potential as a NHL HC. NHL coaches don't get to this level without knowing EXACTLY what every system ever conceived looks like, how it works, its drawbacks and strengths. The trick is getting the right system going for the right group of players at the right time, and often that does not happen right away.

I actually think that the way in which he articulates himself, the way he has handled the bench, a bunch of his in-game decisions, and the enthusiasm that the team plays with all indicate that Huska is probably worth the investment. Who knows—you don't. I don't. None of us knows how this is going to turn out, but so far, I like a lot of what I have seen, and am eager to see how it goes for a couple more seasons.

[Bleeding Red]

Didn't realize Gulutzan was HC of the Stars.

Sutter was HC for 5 seasons (He came in in the middle of a season.)

In those 5 full seasons he was 3-2 for years in the playoffs:
03-04 - in
05-06 - in
20-21 - out
21-22 - in
22-23 - out (by 2 pts)


I was just wondering if anyone thought there was any merit not hiring rookie coaches vs hiring coaches who have a year under their belt (2nd job)? (vs a veteran coach who has been around a while.) One aspect mentioned was that a sophomore coach would be more incentivized to do better to prove the first time was not indicative of his abilities.



Clearly Gulutzan is the example of the theory having no merit.

[Hot_Flatus]

Huska has at least earned my respect for not letting the season turn into a debacle. A lot of bad coaches would have lost the season after that poor start. No reason whey he can't guide this team through a retool and have success.

He's shown willingness to give young players a chance, but still is willing to push buttons and sit players when they aren't producing. What more can you ask for when your roster is at a turning point and the team is devoid of game breakers upfront?

[Badgers Nose]

He wasn’t my first choice, but it would be rash to fire him with this roster.

Transition to zone coverage has been bumpy and they still turnover in dangerous areas way too often. But that’s not worth termination.

The PP is a bigger issue IMO. It’s not the execution that concerns me, but how utterly lost and futile they look.

[midniteowl]

I don't understand, isn't most wanted to tank? This is a tanking team, right? Why fire the coach when he's doing what most want?

[Reggie Dunlop]

Huska is fine.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Imagine blaming the newly hired coach when your team has:

- 0 elite players
- 0 game breakers
- 0 clutch performers (outside of the goalies on occassion)
- 0 go-to shootout specialists
- 0 ability to beat your arch rival up north for years now
- and most importantly, 0 support from your owner to go down the path of a full rebuild to acquire said elite talent

Huska is far down the list of issues with the team this season.

Idk man, Yegor’s pretty money in shootouts

[Roof-Daddy]

This would be like firing the driver because he couldn't win the Daytona 500 with an '89 Ford Pinto.