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Flames Name Darryl Sutter Head Coach, Fire Geoff Ward

The Calgary Flames have fired Geoff Ward as coach and will bring in Darryl Sutter to take over behind the bench.

The Calgary Flames have made a change behind the bench. As the organization searches for answers on a troubling season, the franchise has called upon a familiar named to take on the coaching duties. The team has hired Darryl Sutter in a move that has caught more than a few people by surprise.

Related: Sam Bennett a Healthy Scratch For Flames Again… Trade Unavoidable?

Interestingly, the announcement comes about an hour after Calgary’s 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. Clearly, this was a decision that had been made by general manager Brad Treliving prior to the game.

The Flames were 11-11-2 this season under Ward, who took over the team in November 2019. Ward was named full-time head coach in September of 2020, lasting just over five months.

Sutter coached the Flames from 2002 to 2006, and served as the team’s general manager from 2003 to 2010. He last coached with the Los Angeles Kings and has 18 seasons of head-coaching experience in the NHL.

This is clearly the Flames going back to the well with a coach that knows the city, the organization and has a winning record with a reputation for not accepting anything but a full effort. His record as Flames head coach is 107-73-15-15.

The Writing Was On The Wall

This Calgary team was far too inconsistent and there were too many games that you couldn’t tell what the frame of mind of the players were. Ward wasn’t able to get his players motivated on a consistent basis. If the Flames players thought they were uncomfortable before, they’re in for a wakeup call now.

This is probably the easier decision for the Flames as a trade would have been more difficult to pull off. The question fans will be asking now is if this was a quick decision and if Sutter is the right type of coach for this situation and in the way the game has changed.

Next: Canucks Getting Close to a Decision on Tanner Pearson’s Future

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  1. Pingback: New Jersey Devils Willing to Trade P.K. Subban, Bruins Might Be a Fit

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