Flames believe in Sutter

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This article was published 26/03/2021 (1625 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Darryl Sutter should be in some sun-drenched southern locale right now, or, at the very least, enjoying the serenity of a daily horseback ride while checking out the north 40.

Instead, he’s hunkered down on the Calgary Flames’ hot seat.

Sutter, 62, was hired by Calgary general manager Brad Treliving in early March, replacing head coach Geoff Ward who was canned an hour after the Flames beat the Ottawa Senators 10 games ago.

At the time, the product of Viking, Alta., four years removed from coaching in the NHL, was back on the farm and had, presumably, moved past a life behind the bench. 

Not so, said Sutter, now in his second stint as the team’s head coach.

“I don’t think it ever is out of your system. I’ve been fortunate to coach, or stay in one place five or six years at a time, which is probably more than the normal expectancy for coaches, and have been able to have some success with all those teams,” Sutter said Friday afternoon, prior to the Flames’ matchup with the visiting Winnipeg Jets.

“There is a sort of cool-down or step-away after that, and if the right situation comes back then you’re ready for it. I wasn’t interested in coaching 31 teams, that’s not even a question mark. It’s favourite teams and teams you think can evolve or become championship teams.”

There were only a couple of assignments he was willing to take on, and the revival of the Flames was certainly at the top of the list.

“I think Alberta (was) No.1 — proximity — those things are personal. But on the other side of it, this team from watching them lots (had) taken a step backwards in terms of their work and their execution. I just felt I could help them with that so they could take the next stop forward to being respectable and have a chance to become a good team again,” he added.

Treliving called Sutter “one of our game’s greatest coaches” when he made the move to improve the team, which was 11-11-2 at the time.

The Flames haven’t exactly scorched the land since his arrival, going 4-5-1 prior to a three-game series with the Jets.

Calgary was mired in sixth place in the North Division, four points back of the Montreal Canadiens — idle for at least another few days owing to COVID-19 concerns — and needs a sharp reversal of fortune in a hurry.

But defenceman Noah Hanifin said the coaching change has had a positive effect on the group.

“He’s came in, and the all-business attitude is something the team definitely needed. Obviously, getting the structure right was a goal but I think it was more just getting the most out of our players, and the will,” said Hanifin, 24 in his third season on the Calgary blue line. “That’s something he’s had a great track record of doing in the past, he’s won Stanley Cups and has had a lot of success. Just bringing that experience in the room so far has been good.”

Sutter coached the Flames from 2002 to 2006, and guided the organization as its general manager from 2003 to 2010. In 2004, he led Calgary to the Stanley Cup final before the club fell in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He was also the bench boss in Los Angeles for six seasons, leading the Kings to Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014.

Jets veteran winger Trevor Lewis, who played on both Cup-winning squads, remembers Sutter taking over from Terry Murray just prior to Christmas, 2011. The King went 25-13-11 to close out the regular season and then went 16-4 in the postseason, upending the New Jersey Devils in six games to claim their first NHL title.

“He came in and right away didn’t try to change too much,” said Lewis. “He knew how to motivate guys and get guys going and which guys to push. He definitely held everyone accountable and was a big success there, for sure.”

Flames forward Elias Lindholm said with Sutter aboard, there’s an unwavering belief the team can still qualify for the playoffs.

“He has a lot of experience and has won the Cup, so he knows what it takes and kind of demands a lot from us,” said Lindholm. “It’s time for us to pick it up a little bit and play a little bit better and score some goals. He always comes up with a good game plan, and if we stick to that for 60 or 65 minutes we usually have a good results.” 

Winnipeg and Calgary met four times during the first three weeks of the 2021 campaign, but then went more than six weeks between visits prior to Friday’s contest at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Those were pre-Sutter days. However, the former Blackhawks forward who scored 161 in 406 games (1979-87), all with Chicago, said he’s well-informed on Winnipeg’s strengths and the challenges the division rival can dispense.

“I’ve watched the Jets lots, and I’m not just saying it just because we’re playing them, but they’re built (as) a playoff team with the additions that they’ve made post-bubble (2020 playoffs),” he said. “Just going over some of the summaries (from earlier games) and watching some from the previous meetings between the two clubs, they were pretty good hockey games, so, hopefully, they are again.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell