Well now….TSN and Sports-net are reporting a bit of a whopper for flames fans.
The apparent Demoting of Head coach Jim Playfair, after only One season, and signing of Mike Keenan to replace him.
Soo, lets take a gander at the situation shall we?
Playfair..One season as an NHL Head coach carried his team to 96 points, one of the higher point seasons in recent Flames history.
The best home record in the league, and one of the worst road records.
However…he did pretty good for his first season as a Head coach.
96 pts.
30 home wins(league best in ’07)
Made the playoffs
One of the biggest complaints among fans about
Playfair was the lack of passion/emotion he showed behind
The bench, believing that lack of emotion trickled down
To the players.
And I guess.. I’d have to agree on that, those were my
Feelings as well.
I don’t think the team played with allot of heart this past
Season.
I don’t think the team connected with Playfair like they
Did Sutter either.
And it’s pretty well known Sutter was definitely a harder
Coach than Playfair.
Now I know allot of fans, me included..had hoped that maybe
Sutter would have a change of heart, and come back behind
The bench. Ahh well, you can dream right? lol.
Keenan…Mike Keenan comes with a rep for being a hard ass
Behind the bench. Maybe ten years of not coaching has mellowed
Him out somewhat? or maybe not.
Keenan’s Stats:
1,014 games as Head Coach
569 Wins
447 Losses
140 Ties
20 OT losses.
He ranks #5 all time for wins as head coach.
He’s a Stanley cup winning head coach
And A Jack Adams trophy winner(1985)
Is this a good or bad Move on Sutters part? eh..well I guess
We’ll never know until next season starts and ends.
After visiting the Flames forum though..feelings seem very
Mixed on this move.
Then again.. they were last season with Playfair starting.
The consensus though is that most fans believed a change
Was needed behind the bench, that Playfair wasn’t hard enough,
And that we needed another *Sutter type* coach.
Well..in the end, be careful what you ask for…
For better or for worse, it seems they got what they wanted.
I guess to a degree.. I get to view this from an ignorant
Perspective. Simply.. I wasn’t a hockey fan at the time
Keenan coached in the NHL. So other than the here-say, I can’t
Really say how bad or hard he is as a coach, but the overwhelming
Opinion seems to be…he’s as hard ass as they come.
Now I’m going to say..I’m starting to think that maybe, just
Maybe..this is a great move on Sutters part.
I mean.. IF the team buys into Keenan’s system..his coaching
Style, (something I don’t think the players did with Playfair)
We could become the team that no one wants to play.
I mean..Just think;
Iginla, Regehr, Phaneuf, (possibly Stuart?)Hamrlik, Moss,
And some of our other very physical players, under the coaching
Of Keenan.
He could provide one helluva spark..
Possibly Wayne? Eric Godard, some big players could really
Make an impact.
Only time will tell though, the other side of the coin is that
This will be yet another new coach for the flames, another system
They have to learn, to buy into..
That could prove to be another setback.
And as it stands right now, we have allot of veteran players on
The team, who may be pretty set in their ways, and not easily
Swayed by Keenan’s coaching Antics.
Though a shocking development to say the least, and frankly
Unexpected IMO, because of Playfair only getting one season
To pull out a miracle..I’m going to reserve my judgment on
This move.
After a couple months of seeing him behind the bench we’ll see
What kind of coach he turns out to be for the Flames.
His record with players and GM’s has me wondering..admittedly.
On the other hand, I’m hoping all the time off has had some
Kind of impact for the better.
The biggest concern of all, is if this backfires on Sutter…
There could be allot at stake with Iglina’s, Kippers, and Phaneufs
Contracts coming to an end next season. (Unless he signs them this
Summer to an extension)
Or how someone like Juice may or may not fit into his coaching
Style..or plans.
Whatever happens.. it seems that Mr. Keenan’s name seems destined
To keep appearing, long after most thought he would/should retire.
