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Old 08-08-2020, 10:13 AM   #1
transplant99
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Default Flames players heap praise on Geoff Ward

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“The one thing I will say is he’s brought our group way closer together,” said captain Mark Giordano after his club advanced through the NHL’s first-of-its-kind play-in round with a 4-0 shutout in Thursday’s clincher against the Winnipeg Jets. “He’s just a guy who demands respect. He has been there and he’s won before, so his words carry a lot of weight.”

“I think he has done a really job of us buying into one another, buying into the system, making us believe in ourselves and believe in each other,” said Lucic, who goes way back with Ward — they sipped champagne together with the Bruins. “Yeah, the systems and Xs and Os and all that type of stuff is there, but from a motivating standpoint and bringing the guys together and making us believe in it all, I think that’s the biggest thing he’s done.

“I think Wardo has done a really good job of making everyone feel important and embrace their role.”

“We tightened up quite a bit, and you can see we’re not giving up nearly as many chances,” Talbot said after his 31-save shutout in Game 4 at an empty Rogers Place. “We pack it into the middle of the ice really well, and we don’t give a whole lot of chances from the middle. We’re doing a great job of forcing guys to the outside, forcing guys to the top, and then guys are getting in shooting lanes, blocking shots and forcing them to go back to below the goal-line. So we’re not giving up a ton of Grade A chances.

“But in the room, too, (Ward) is such a good motivator. He’s a calming influence. He’ll give you the kick in the ass when you need it, but he’ll also praise you when the time is needed. He’s been a heck of a leader for us and a lot of the credit has to go to him stepping into that role and really owning it.”
https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...box=1596825562
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:19 AM   #2
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Oh my! Who are we to believe?
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:29 AM   #3
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I enjoyed that article. None of us are in the room so it’s nice to hear the players appreciate what the coach is doing. It’s minuscule in the grand scheme of things but the fact Gio calls him “Wardo” is also a good sign IMO.

Getting Lucic and Dube going in the regular season with Ryan and then replacing Ryan with playoff Bennett has worked out brilliantly. Talbot in goal was also the right call. Also, getting them to play structured defence to lock it down late is a key to making a run. I’m excited.
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:29 AM   #4
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Very encouraging that's for sure
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Old 08-08-2020, 10:35 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by tvp2003 View Post
I enjoyed that article. None of us are in the room so it’s nice to hear the players appreciate what the coach is doing. It’s minuscule in the grand scheme of things but the fact Gio calls him “Wardo” is also a good sign IMO.

Getting Lucic and Dube going in the regular season with Ryan and then replacing Ryan with playoff Bennett has worked out brilliantly. Talbot in goal was also the right call. Also, getting them to play structured defence to lock it down late is a key to making a run. I’m excited.
That is the single biggest thing he has been able to get introduced to this group...even if they stray from it at times...is plugging the middle up in their own end and not having guys running around out of position. Its all about trusting the guy next to you to be where he should be.

Preventing goals was, is, and always will be the most effective way to success.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:12 AM   #6
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Hmmm. Apparently, not a very popular topic.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:24 AM   #7
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Hmmm. Apparently, not a very popular topic.
Give it half a day, we are all still in the moment having watched the oilers collapse in their own building and are now literally outside the bubble.



There is still a lot of hockey to be played before we really know whether Ward can bring the best out of this team as a head coach. I'm hoping that the tight defensive play continues into the next round.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:30 AM   #8
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The Jets weren't a tough opponent, nor a particularly difficult one, not with their depleted roster. The team just won a series so they're feeling good about themselves and their coach. It's to be expected. The real playoffs are the real test, this was a warmup run to weed out the non-competitive teams.

Now all that said, Ward got the team playing at their best in the most crucial moments. That's not nothing.

Bring on the real thing, I want to see how far we can go.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:45 AM   #9
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The players certainly aren't going to air their gripes at this time, especially to the media. I do get the sense though that he is well liked.
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Old 08-08-2020, 11:45 AM   #10
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...Getting Lucic and Dube going in the regular season with Ryan and then replacing Ryan with playoff Bennett has worked out brilliantly. Talbot in goal was also the right call. Also, getting them to play structured defence to lock it down late is a key to making a run. I’m excited.
I loved how Ward shuffled the lines at the start of Game #4 with Lucic serving his fighting penalty. It was brilliant to get everyone into the game quickly, and the lines themselves made a real impact. Dubé scored a goal skating with Monahan and Bennett.


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Old 08-08-2020, 12:06 PM   #11
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I'm still in the "can't tell if the glass is half-full or half-empty" camp. I REALLY like what I saw in a couple of the games: good structure, details being attended to, very workmanlike attitude from everyone, and contributions across the board. If that continues, I'll be a glass-half-full guy.

Hoping that is the case, and maybe even that the glass gets fuller!!
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:57 PM   #12
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Ward made some intuitive coaching decisions that positively impacted the play, such as choosing Talbot to start, setting the line of Lucic, Bennett and Dube and giving that line the start in games three and four. Those were smart calls on his part that suggest at least having a good read of his players and of what's called for in a game and series. Those are positive signs. I hope he keeps it up.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:12 PM   #13
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Let me guess, Wes Gilbertson?

Lost count of how many Ward questions he asked the players after Game 4.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:18 PM   #14
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If players get asked about the coach, they are going to say positive things. What I look for in these types of articles is, what exactly are the players listing as positives?

Add me to the list of people that are really pleased to here the talk about tighter defense, and there is no question that the Flames played a pretty tight series against the Jets. But it is also fair to point out that they weren't exactly a high-octane opponent with Sheifele and Laine out. For me, I want to see it continue into the next round before I start gushing about it. But it was, at minimum, a step in the right direction.

Bottom line is this for me: this is the playoffs, and the only thing that matters is winning. So I want to hear them talking about being on the same page, and seeing them play like they are on the same page and believing in each other.

It doesn't matter what the strategy is, it only matters that they win. And so far they are winning.

I will also say that he is a very likable guy, so I am really rooting for him, and would love for him to turn out to be a great coach. So far, so good.
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Old 08-08-2020, 02:25 PM   #15
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I'm not putting too much stock into a qualifying round win against a depleted Jets team. They need to be extremely competitive against the Blues/Stars for me to consider him as a legit option as full time head coach. This is an offseason where there's proven coaching names available and losing in the first round of the playoffs is something even Gulutzan provided so I need to see more before I get on this bandwagon. There are still bad trends like the poor starts to games that he's not been able to address so IMO he's still work in progress.
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Old 08-09-2020, 07:26 AM   #16
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Let me guess, Wes Gilbertson?

Lost count of how many Ward questions he asked the players after Game 4.

Exactly. He seemed to ask every player loaded questions about Ward during the post-game pressers. What are they supposed to say? "Yeah, we won despite the coach..." Of course they're going to find the positives to say about Ward. The questions were a fishing expedition because Gilbertson had already started writing the article in his head before the series was over. Don't get me wrong, Ward has done a good job as caretaker coach but if the Flames want to push to the elusive next level they need to have the right coach in place and there are a couple good ones available this off-season. I'm personally hoping for Gallant.
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