Flames fire Geoff Ward, hire Darryl Sutter, signs 3 year deal

[Sandman]

When the Flames announced before the year that they were going "Full Retro", I didn't think that included personnel...

[JD]

Darryl does more than just kick guys in the pants though. You'd be kidding yourselves if you didn't think the last few coaches also didn't kick them in the pants at various times during the seasonal downs. What Darryl does is give everyone a specific role and when he kicks you in the ass, you know exactly what to do to shape up.

With the last coach, you could hear it in the media clips; "We just gotta work harder!". I don't think anybody knew specifically what they needed to do better.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by JD

Darryl does more than just kick guys in the pants though. You'd be kidding yourselves if you didn't think the last few coaches also didn't kick them in the pants at various times during the seasonal downs. What Darryl does is give everyone a specific role and when he kicks you in the ass, you know exactly what to do to shape up.

With the last coach, you could hear it in the media clips; "We just gotta work harder!". I don't think anybody knew specifically what they needed to do better.

One of Darryl’s keys, based on what I have read, is holding players accountable to their teammates

That is likely under appreciated

[Manhattanboy]

Quite the night. Wow. I am really intrigued.

[Kidder]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Darryl coming in on Saturday with the Oilers coming off 3 embarrassing losses.

It has all the makings to be a great game.

So I will expect an absolute turd.

I think this is what has us Flames Fans who remember the Sutter (and pre-Sutter) era so excited.

This is the man who took over a directionless team in midst of ‘03 and vowed they wouldn’t miss the playoffs again. And he kept his word (as coach).

This is the man who ended the cup curse. And got us back within a whisker (or whistle) of that same Cup for the first and only time since.

This is the man who then led us to our first division title in over a decade, and after the game 7 letdown (to a team that would win the Stanley Cup the next season) fired himself as bench master for his self-admitted disappointing performance. He holds everyone accountable, even himself.

The Flames were a joke. A perennial letdown. And Sutter was the man who came in and changed all that. With his gruff, no-guff attitude that changed the culture of the team and gave the city back its pride in the Flaming C.

Sure he had his faults as GM. But finally, for all the rightful dour expectations we currently hold of this core and this team, we have the coach that can shift all that.

Not sure Sutter will be behind the bench Saturday. But I bet by the end of the season, our collective expectations will have shifted for the better. And for once, we might not be left in disappointment.

[jeffman]

I. Sutter we trust

[Oil Stain]

As an Oilers fan, Damn this sucks.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by Kidder

I think this is what has us Flames Fans who remember the Sutter (and pre-Sutter) era so excited.

This is the man who took over a directionless team in midst of ‘03 and vowed they wouldn’t miss the playoffs again. And he kept his word (as coach).

This is the man who ended the cup curse. And got us back within a whisker (or whistle) of that same Cup for the first and only time since.

This is the man who then led us to our first division title in over a decade, and after the game 7 letdown (to a team that would win the Stanley Cup the next season) fired himself as bench master for his self-admitted disappointing performance. He holds everyone accountable, even himself.

The Flames were a joke. A perennial letdown. And Sutter was the man who came in and changed all that. With his gruff, no-guff attitude that changed the culture of the team and gave the city back its pride in the Flaming C.

Sure he had his faults as GM. But finally, for all the rightful dour expectations we currently hold of this core and this team, we have the coach that can shift all that.

Not sure Sutter will be behind the bench Saturday. But I bet by the end of the season, our collective expectations will have shifted for the better. And for once, we might not be left in disappointment.

All true...and he sees right through Eric Francis like the rest of us.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

As an Oilers fan, Damn this sucks.

So business as usual

[Jetfire]

Originally Posted by JD

Darryl does more than just kick guys in the pants though. You'd be kidding yourselves if you didn't think the last few coaches also didn't kick them in the pants at various times during the seasonal downs. What Darryl does is give everyone a specific role and when he kicks you in the ass, you know exactly what to do to shape up.

With the last coach, you could hear it in the media clips; "We just gotta work harder!". I don't think anybody knew specifically what they needed to do better.

Agreed. Darryl is extremely demanding, but he's a great man. He's the type to go out to the L.A. media every night and play "dumb farm boy" protecting his players and giving silly answers and stuff to take unnecessary pressure off of his guys, quietly working his way to two Stanley Cups. He can burn some guys out with his intensity, but those aren't players you win with. He expects a lot of you and he shoulders a lot himself.

[Snuffleupagus]

Well folks, welcome to boring winning hockey, Markstrom and Rittich are going to love Sutter hockey

[Kidder]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

Well folks, welcome to boring winning hockey, Markstrom and Rittich are going to love Sutter hockey

Haha, I realize the comment is tongue in cheek, but one thing I certainly never was in ‘04 and ‘06 was bored.

And it beats the hell out of boring losing hockey we were playing under Geoff Ward!

[Manhattanboy]

Hospital hockey! I think that’s what Ville Nimenem called it.

Ville’s quote after game 7 in Tampa still brings a tear to my eye: “We came to this place a proud hockey team, and we leave this place a proud hockey team...”

[Calgary4LIfe]

Where can I place my bet now on Markstrom winning the Vezina? LoL


Still super excited about this.



Best case scenario, this team gets turned around.
Worst case scenario, the chaff gets separated from the wheat.


I can't wait until the Flames start forechecking like demons again. Dube, Lindholm, Mangiapane, Backlund - they are all excellent forecheckers already. Sutter will fix Nordstrom's forecheck from going to the wrong areas, and I bet a guy like Nordstrom is going to vastly improve. Bennett is usually a fairly good forechecker too.


This team isn't so vastly 'un-Sutter'. Sutter teams work hard. That's the big thing. If they don't out-skill you, they will out-work you. I am actually rather excited to see Gaudreau and Monahan work in Darryl's system. I think they will have solid seasons.


One thing that I definitely remember - Darryl is great at teaching defencemen to be good defencemen. I often feel like I am sitting on a tack watching this team season over season in how they shoot themselves in the foot by turning over pucks and not playing well in their zone or in the neutral zone. It won't get fixed overnight, but it will get fixed.


I don't know how a guy like Kylington will do here, but he doesn't shy away from making a physical play (tonight's hit wasn't his first impressive hit in Calgary). I am hopeful Darryl can get the yips out of his game. Valimaki is going to grow into a very competent 2-way defencemen being coached by Darryl.

[calgarybornnraised]

One thing you can say about the Calgary Flames is, there are no rats on this ship. Damn

[Barnet Flame]

I logged on late this morning. Thought I’d check the score (I used to get up early and watch on tape delay).

I’m lost for words. There is nothing I can say that conveys how glad I am that Darryl is back.

That said, Ward still has a lot to give the hockey world. He was key as an associate Coach. He got the job under terrible circumstances from out of nowhere.

It isn’t his fault that he was the guy put in a role he had no chance to prepare for, nor was he suited to it.

There are many roles in the NHL to which he is suited. I hope he finds one of them soon.

I wish Geoff Ward every success.

[UKflames]

Well CP got the experienced coach they wanted, now we see how the players react. Should be a fun ride. Why would Daryll need to quarantine, doesn't he live in AB?

I actually think the timing sucks because now we start to play well, make the playoffs, everyone thinks we are good and we head into JG's final season hand tied by the limited NTC.

[Itse]

So many feelings about this.

I don't know if this will work, I don't know if Sutter is the right coach for this team in this situation. Sutter hasn't been coaching for a while, and doesn't know the team, and there isn't much time to straighten the course this season. If there's an initial push back from the players, or Sutters tough approach creates rifts inside the team, this could blow up spectacularly... At least this season.

The media attention and pressure to perform will be insane, and that's not going to make things easy, unless the team immediately starts winning.

All that said, I love it. This isn't arranging deckchairs, this is taking a ramming course towards the iceberg and seeing if this ship/team can take it.

If I was a betting man, I'd go with the crowd that says this isn't a Treliving hire, this just doesn't feel like his style. For one thing, Flames just brought in a guy that's effectively above Treliving. If Darryl says he doesn't like Treliving, the owners won't even listen to his side, Brad will be gone.

Of course that goes both ways. If Darryl gets us a playoff win and Treliving can convince Darryl he knows what he's doing, that probably buys him at least a couple more seasons.

If nothing else, this was an interesting move, and my interest in Flames hockey just got a huge boost.

I haven't been this excited to see what happens with the Flames in a long time

[868904]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

6 years ago, Kings' coach Darryl Sutter praises Flames' Sean Monahan

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/741011

"He's probably in that (Jonathan) Toews group in terms of that all-around guy who can play minutes and play situations and play against top guys," Sutter said.

He isn't the only Stanley Cup winning head coach to see that kind of potential in Monahan. Hartley constantly compared Mony to Ron Francis.

Question now is, has there been too much damage done to our young players with all the bad coaching they've had.

[zamler]

NSFW!

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