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With recent developments concerning the Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley and more specifically, the play of certain players (or lack thereof), fans have begun questioning whether this coach is in fact the right decision for a rebuilding team.
I suppose where the argument really takes stride is directly related to how you feel a team like the Flames should be coached. While it has been made perfectly clear that the team is amidst a rebuild, one can argue that the coaching staff perhaps was not informed of said direction with some of the decisions they’ve made with certain players thus far.
Conversely, the tough love expressed by said coach can be viewed as a much needed change for the club who has struggled to develop and or compete in recent years. While both opinions may hold a certain level of validity, it is likely a difficult challenge to assess the relationship between the coach and his players at the present moment as we sit on the outside looking in.
That said, I have expressed my discontent with some of the coaching decisions made by Bob Hartley with certain players this year such as Karri Ramo, Sven Baertschi, Mikael Backlund, to name a few. With these particular players who have limited NHL experience, most fans would expect that this year would be the perfect opportunity for the young players or rookies to be provided with more opportunities to develop at the NHL level.
As I’ve expressed, I am not in favor of simply “giving” minutes or ice time to players and hold that they should be “earned”, however I am not sure that the case exists here where giving ice time to guys like Basertschi or Backlund would work against said notion.
It should be quite simple at this point in time for the Calgary Flames, or at least it appears that way for me. With several key injuries in your lineup (a team who I shouldn't need to add is rebuilding), a coach should take such opportunities to ease his rookie players into those roles and allow them the time and confidence to succeed. Players like Baertschi, Backlund, or Ramo, for instance, have not been afforded such opportunity.
In spite of the fact that all three players could afford to improve upon their respective play, it should stand to reason that they are provided the chance to prove their worth rather than being sat as if they were part of a playoff contending team who cannot afford any mistakes to be made.
Which brings me back to my original point – Is the tough love coaching style necessary for this team as they rebuild and do their best to avoid tolerating a losing environment, or should they focus a little more time and energy on developing their players?
Although two coaching strategies are being presented here, I feel that a balance between the two is necessary for the Flames through their rebuild. A hardnosed coaching style doesn’t always work for everyone, but I do favor the notion that this team will never accept or make excuses for defeat. That said, is Hartley perhaps taking his coaching methods a little too far and are we starting to see his true colors as a coach?
There has been a recent article released by The Denver Post which discussed the relevance and impacts of fighting in the NHL which also made a reference to Bob Hartley. The quote being referred to here was not overly flattering for Hartley, and it might provide a different point of view toward the coach than we’ve been offered otherwise.
In his heyday, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Parker was “The Sheriff,” best known for settling disputes on the ice. Despite his commanding physical presence, Parker said he was subject to bullying by coaches who threatened his roster spot if he ever stopped sacrificing his body. His most harsh criticism is directed at former Avs coach Bob Hartley.
“He was a junior B goalie trying to tell me how to fight. He was always just degrading me. Not to be a (wimp), but he was a bully,” Parker said. “And he could be because he was in a position of authority. What was I supposed to do as a rookie? Go tell him ‘(expletive) you’? I did that stuff at the end of my career, but at the beginning of my career I was just a chess piece to him.”
Bullying tactics
Parker, who estimates he suffered 20 to 25 concussions, said there were several times when he was so banged up he told Hartley he needed a night off, or at least a game off from being asked to fight.
“He would call me a (expletive), say that Hershey (the Avs’ former minor-league affiliate) would be my next stop, where I’d be ‘smelling chocolate fumes all day long.’ I remember I thought I had a broken foot and told him about it, and he called me a (expletive) and said Hershey would love me,” Parker said. “Nobody needed to question my commitment to doing my job. But I was just constantly belittled by Bob Hartley. I really have no respect for the man.”
Hartley, now coach of the Calgary Flames, declined to comment when informed of Parker’s remarks. -Adrian Dater and Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
With that being established, it seems to me that your opinion on the head coach may have changed just a little, or a lot depending on where you sat prior to reading this article. As we have moved into the first couple of months of hockey with the rebuilding Calgary Flames, we have been exposed to signs of favoritism and despite my original reservations, I question whether or not Hartley is in fact the right coach for this team.
Again, my problem isn’t necessarily with his coaching style in that no excuses are going to be accepted; my problem is rather that perchance he has a different goal for this group than does the management team who made it clear that the team would be rebuilding. Is he trying to put winning games ahead of the development of some of their players? Is the NHL truly never a place to develop talent, despite the status of said team? All questions I struggle answering at times to be honest.
Depending on where you stand in reference to these questions, you may feel that there is validity in playing the rookies to limited minutes and having them almost literally fight for their ice time. On the other hand, others may feel that the coaching staff should be a little more lenient toward these players and help boost their confidence while developing at the NHL level by confiding in their skill sets. I can personally respect both view points.
There is certainly no reservation that players like Ramo, Baertschi, and Backlund have a lot of improving to do, however this blog questions whether the approach taken to achieve the desired results is one which will yield the best outcome for each individual or not.
Constantly limiting your players minutes who are thought to be the “future” of the team may only go so far before you start to crush a player’s confidence or development, while for others it only makes them stronger.
It is certainly a tough call to make, but I can’t say that I’ve been overly supportive of the coach’s decisions of late given the current status of the team.
How do you feel about all this?
Thanks for reading!
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