[News] UPD: Geoff Ward officially named the franchise's 20th head coach (2 year deal)

[Stanley]

I wasn't a fan at all of the goalie pull in game 6, and I'd love to see what a 'higher profile' coach could do but all in all I'm rooting for Ward.
We can sit here and bitch all day about how this org doesn't spend the $ on bigger names but who's to say they would fare any better?

What I do like is how the players seem to like Wardo, buy in as a team, have improved defensively and on the PP and I'm confident he's not so stubborn that he wouldn't look at making some adjustments to the system to generate more offense.

Now it's on Tre to make roster adjustments...

[dammage79]

Sam Bennett will be happy Ward is staying. Ward is his best shot at stable ice time at center.

[Flash Walken]

imo supermatt18 unsurprisingly had the best criticism of Ward, but I think it also illustrates that the coach can only do so much with what they are given

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Some Geoff Ward “highlights” from this series

- Took until game 6 to change the structure to slow down the Stars forecheck and stretch pass breakout

- Kept the same forwards on the ice for the last 3 minutes of game 4, Stars tie it with 12 seconds left and win in OT

-Pulls the playoffs MVP after a lucky goal that hit a stick and two legs to put in a goalie that hadn’t played a meaningful game since March 8th

- Dressed Zac Rinaldo for 3 games even though the team was outplayed drastically ever game he played in the playoffs, and removing him from the lineup is what turned the tide against the Jets

Honestly he’s not the reason they lose this series but he cost them tonight’s game. And it kills me because I think those guys on the ice actually gave it their all tonight up until the coach made one of the worst coaching decisions I’ve ever seen.

[Canada 02]

Originally Posted by JurassicTunga12

Maybe we can still hire Boudreau as an assistant, haha.

apparently the Leafs interviewed Bruce Boudreau to be an assistant coach, but ended up hiring Manny Malholtra

https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-maple-lea...taff-1.1525769

Think Tre/Ward should hire an experienced Associate coach

[Toonage]

Keep in mind with Ward making $950k its highly unlikely they hire an assistant or associate who makes more than that.

[JTech780]

Troy Mann would be a good target to run the forwards and PP.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by JTech780

Troy Mann would be a good target to run the forwards and PP.

I'd like to see Dominic Pittis move up to the big club, not as an assistant though, but rather in a developmental role focusing on skating. It's what he did originally with the farm club.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

What is so special about Boudreau? The guy has a sub .500 record in the playoffs at 43-47. 10 playoff appearances in his career. 6 first round exits. 3 second round exits. 1 third round exit. That is with teams that consisted of 8 division winners, 4 conference winners, 1 presidents trophy winner.

People like to complain about our lack of playoff success, but we are losing in round 1 with mediocre teams, not ones that are constantly underachieving in the playoffs like Boudreau's teams have.

His time in Anaheim was more successful than his time in Washington, despite the team not being as good, so maybe he has improved as a coach. But his time in Minnesota was a complete and utter disappointment, so it really makes me wonder.

How does that compare to the Flames post season record?

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by zamler

How does that compare to the Flames post season record?

You missed my point. I will simplify it for you.

Flames have sucked in the playoffs as an overage team.
Boudreau has sucked in the playoffs on contending teams.
When coaching an average team Boudreau has been a disaster in the playoffs.

How exactly is that an improvement?

Ward literally has the same number of playoff games won with the Flames as Boudreau had with 3+ years in Minnesota.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

It is such a weird year, though: in which "getting into the playoffs" required a tight performance in a playoff-style tournament. I was very impressed by how Ward coached in the play-in, and for portions of the first Round. The radio guys have said a few times over the past couple of days that he had the Flames playing a better, more effective brand of "playoff hockey" than any coach with this group, and I tend to agree. I don't really think Ward damaged his own cause in the playoffs—the goalie decision was poorly handled, and I didn't like how he lined the team up for the final minute of Game #4, but otherwise he handled things pretty well all things considered.

And to be fair, one would think one decision shouldn't override 40 some games of success.

You are right, he had the team playing better than any other coach.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

You missed my point. I will simplify it for you.

Flames have sucked in the playoffs as an overage team.
Boudreau has sucked in the playoffs on contending teams.
When coaching an average team Boudreau has been a disaster in the playoffs.

How exactly is that an improvement?

Ward literally has the same number of playoff games won with the Flames as Boudreau had with 3+ years in Minnesota.

So what would you do to fix the Flames not being able to perform in the post season.

BTW I clearly said Bruce was not my first choice.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by zamler

So what would you do to fix the Flames not being able to perform in the post season.

BTW I clearly said Bruce was not my first choice.

You also said you'd pick him over Ward.

As for the playoffs, I'm not as down on this teams performance this year as many. I believe we probably beat Dallas had we not lost Tkachuk to injury. His injury not only removed one of our top shutdown players, but it also made defending our team easier because they could put the majority of their focus on Gaudreau and Monahan without worrying about Tkachuk. This is especially dangerous against a team like Dallas because they are one of the better defensive teams in the league.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

You also said you'd pick him over Ward.

As for the playoffs, I'm not as down on this teams performance this year as many. I believe we probably beat Dallas had we not lost Tkachuk to injury. His injury not only removed one of our top shutdown players, but it also made defending our team easier because they could put the majority of their focus on Gaudreau and Monahan without worrying about Tkachuk. This is especially dangerous against a team like Dallas because they are one of the better defensive teams in the league.

I thought that the Flames looked like a top-notch, contender-level team for most of the Winnipeg series, and for SOME of the Dallas series.


What I didn't like - and I think this is a carry-over from last year - is how our team seemed to get out-coached. Dallas found a way to neutralize Calgary fairly effectively. However, Calgary was almost up 3-1 in the series.


It is an argument that I don't think either side will really prove to the other. I am somewhere in the middle.



I actually believe that this team - given a couple more pieces - can actually turn into a contender (and that includes Gaudreau and Monahan). I do, however, think that this team needs a 'tactician' that can see what the other team is trying to accomplish both in stopping the Flames and in generating their own offence. I don't think it is just Tkachuk. I think they need 3 legitimate lines clicking and a coach to make use of it - especially getting the defence to be part of the attack more often. It used to be a thing here, but as we can see, defensive scoring is down. I don't think this is just on Tkachuk getting injured - or even mostly. It was just another piece missing from the puzzle that was already missing a couple of pieces.



That's why I personally wanted Darryl, or Laviolette. They have history of doing just that. I do think given the time-frame, I bet that Treliving did reach out to Laviolette, perhaps even interviewed him. Caps wanted Laviolette, and the rest is history.


I don't think having Gaudreau on the team the team is conducive to winning if he is expected to dig pucks out of the corners on dump-ins, or if they are trying to generate offence through the cycle. Have a different system for him while he is on the ice - try to create more odd-man rushes, try to generate more on a quick transition. If Ward doesn't want to do that, then I think he should tell Treliving so that Treliving can move Johnny out and bring someone who would be better along the boards.


Another product of the slower transition system - Colorado did this last playoffs, and Dallas started doing this as well - neutral zone to trap Gaudreau. They used 4 men continuously on Gaudreau during the Colorado series, and Dallas was using 3-4 quite often. I griped about it during the Colorado series, and I kept saying "Why doesn't Calgary do that to MacKinnon back?"


They couldn't. It wasn't because MacKinnon was better than Gaudreau (I mean, he is better of course, but that's only partially why). Having a slower transition means the other team is set on defence. There is no confusion. Gaudreau can dipsy-doodle all he wants, but not MacKinnon, not McDavid, not Barkov, not Crosby - nobody at all - can routinely beat 4 guys. Then you had Gaudreau start dumping pucks in instead, and you had a 5th guy down lower to try and beat the wingers.



Scoring off the rush happens a lot easier with speed and confusion. It is much more difficult to confuse a team 5on5 when they are set on defence. Players are less likely to make mistakes. That's the trade-off with this 5-man system. It works WAY better with bigger teams that are bigger with footspeed who can either beat the other team on dump-ins, or do better along the boards winning 50/50 puck battles.


IMO, this team is better at scoring off the rush in a quick transition. Losing Brodie will weaken this team's ability at doing that, and let's see what other changes happen to see how this team should play.


I wanted a coach that could come in and figure out a system that utilizes this team's skill-set, or at least have a 'system-B' in trying to generate offence when the top line is on the ice.



Bennett's line showed well that series because they are built for 5 man unit systems, and have the footspeed and physicality to get to pucks in the corner or win 50/50 puck battles.



I think running both systems is probably manageable for the Flames with some practice, but it would be a tougher adjustment for other teams to make, especially as the game wears on and different lines are caught on the ice.


Now hopefully Ward has a better pulse of the team after taking over for a quarter season (or thereabouts), and having gone through the playoffs. I am really hoping - especially as a new head coach in the NHL - that he can figure something out that makes the most of this team, including Gaudreau. Gaudreau is absolutely a game-breaker in my opinion, but not while he is dumping pucks into corners or trying to retrieve them, nor when he is trying to stickhandle through 4 or 5 players clustered together. He needs to play on the rush.

[GioforPM]

It occurs to me that part of the reason to say there weren’t any other interviews and perhaps give the impression that Ward was the choice all along is that Treliving doesn’t want the players or the fans to think Ward was not the first choice or that someone else rejected the Flames.

Does it help the Flames as an organization or Ward as the bench boss if it’s known that the Flames tried for Laviolette and he said no? I think not.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

That #### happened 25 years ago. Are we all still acting the same way and doing the same things from 25 years ago? Things change, often for the better. Let's not be luddites about this.

In the 25 years since, nobody has two 3-peats with 6 Finals MVPs. LeBron is 3-5. Kawhi is 2-1. The Warriors are 3-1. Kobe was the closest to Mike as far as his mental approach was concerned, and even he couldn’t match him.

Maybe, just maybe, doing things that people talk about decades after the fact requires extreme sacrifice.

I also don’t think for a second any of Mike’s teammates would trade a championship or two or three or four if it meant they got to be better friends with Michael Jordan. That’s not why they’re there.


Bill Belichick hasn’t said a nice thing to Tom Brady since 2001. Six rings.

Someone, maybe it’s Chelios, said Scotty Bowman was the man you hated more than anyone 364 days a year, but on day 365 you were champions.

There are Blackhawks who feel Q is an ass. They’re not wrong.

Darryl isn’t nice.

Nice will rarely sell someone a car, so I don’t know how one would possibly win a Stanley Cup that way.

Whatever your coach might do to you, the guys you’re going against would do worse, with a smile, if it meant they got to hoist that mug and you didn’t.

Coaches get fired because if their brand of psychopathology doesn’t produce wins, all you’re left with is a psychopath, and nobody has time for them.

As always, there are lines you can’t cross, but a room of hyper competitive alpha male elite athletes cannot be lead by some limp-wristed Kirk Van Houten.

The coach is not there to be your friend, he’s there to get the very best out of every player the GM gives him to work with. That takes different forms with different players. And it’s not all gonna be sunshine and roses.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It occurs to me that part of the reason to say there weren’t any other interviews and perhaps give the impression that Ward was the choice all along is that Treliving doesn’t want the players or the fans to think Ward was not the first choice or that someone else rejected the Flames.

Does it help the Flames as an organization or Ward as the bench boss if it’s known that the Flames tried for Laviolette and he said no? I think not.

It's something Treliving learned from Burke.

Do your research, make a list of candidates.
Talk to your contacts about your candidates, because everything you need to know about a coach is out there.
Make a tentative decision based on the information you learn about candidates.
Interview tentative choice, to confirm what you've been told as "you can't win the job in an interview, but you can lose it."

[flamingred89]

I feel like this was a given considering Treliving is presumably on the hot seat. If they miss the playoffs or bow out in the first round, Tre is as good as gone. Ownership is not going to give the go ahead to throw money at a big name coach only to have a new GM come in and want his own coach.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

imo supermatt18 unsurprisingly had the best criticism of Ward, but I think it also illustrates that the coach can only do so much with what they are given

Only thing worse then this is Montoyo leaving Anderson in for 5 dingers in one inning.

[P-DAZZLE]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

As always, there are lines you can’t cross, but a room of hyper competitive alpha male elite athletes cannot be lead by some limp-wristed Kurt van Houten.

It's Kirk Van Houten. With a capital v!

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

It is such a weird year, though: in which "getting into the playoffs" required a tight performance in a playoff-style tournament. I was very impressed by how Ward coached in the play-in, and for portions of the first Round. The radio guys have said a few times over the past couple of days that he had the Flames playing a better, more effective brand of "playoff hockey" than any coach with this group, and I tend to agree. I don't really think Ward damaged his own cause in the playoffs—the goalie decision was poorly handled, and I didn't like how he lined the team up for the final minute of Game #4, but otherwise he handled things pretty well all things considered.

Couldn't have said it better.