CALGARY – This time there can be no disputes over the injection of youth, lineup decisions or organizational philosophies.
The quarrel over call-ups that ultimately led to the departure of Brad Treliving and the dismissal of Darryl Sutter can’t happen with Craig Conroy at the helm.
He’ll insist on it, which is why several of the leading coaching candidates are likely familiar, in-house options the Flames new GM already has a good read on.
“We need to work together, we need to be a team — we’re not going to be at odds,” said Conroy when asked at his introductory presser what he is looking for in a coach.
“We’re not going to be lock-step all the time either, but we’re going to have the same vision and passion for this team and the direction it’s going to go.”
In short, he wants a leader, a visionary who can read the room and find ways to engage with, and inspire, everyone in the lineup
“He’s got to be able to make this environment a fun place to be,” said Conroy, well-aware the culture in Calgary is in need of a major overhaul.
“I always came to the rink for 17 years and always had fun, and I would look at the bench sometime (under Sutter) and think, ‘are the guys having fun?’
“Maybe, maybe not. I couldn’t tell.
“When you’re happy and working hard you’re going to put your best foot forward.”
Expect dozens of qualified candidates to throw their hat in the ring, in search of a chance to lead a team Conroy wants to play with offensive freedom and defensive structure.
“Offensively I’d like to see us be more creative from the red line in — I want them to freewheel and do what they do,” said Conroy, hoping his club can regain its scoring touch after being stymied last year.
“We’re going to turn the puck over and then you back check and in the defensive zone they need to play with a structure and a purpose.
“I want to let the Huberdeaus and Kadris have fun and do what they do best.
“I want to let the leash off of them.
“It doesn’t have to be an experienced head coach in the NHL, it can be someone with limited experience as a head coach,” he said.
“We want a guy who can communicate with the players.”
With all that in mind, we present 10 coaching candidates and one fun long-shot:
Ryan Huska, 47
A Memorial Cup-winning coach who also did well with the Flames’ AHL club, the well-spoken Cranbrook, B.C. native has overseen the Flames’ vaunted penalty kill the last five years as an assistant.
Mitch Love, 38
Two seasons as coach of the Flames’ minor league affiliate and two years as AHL Coach of the year. Not bad. There’s a feeling that if the Flames don’t promote him in some fashion, they’ll likely lose him.
Kirk Muller, 57
Muller followed a stellar playing career with a three-year head coaching stint in Carolina, followed by assistant coach stops in St. Louis, Montreal and Calgary, where he’s been the last two years.
Alex Tanguay, 43
A friend and former teammate of Conroy’s in Calgary, the highly-skilled Tanguay oversees the power play in Detroit and may fit the bill as someone who can tap into the offensive creativity Conroy wants his players to explore.
Gerard Gallant, 59
Coached Huberdeau in Florida, one of four head coaching stops for the former player, who has also had success overseeing Columbus, Vegas and with the Rangers. Was Team Canada’s gold-medal-winning coach when Andrew Mangiapane was tourney MVP at last year’s Worlds.
His resume makes him a pricey proposition for a team already spending $4 million to pay Sutter each of the next two years.
Todd Reirden, 51
Two stellar seasons as head coach of the Capitals resulted in a pair of first round exits for the former player who is now an assistant in Pittsburgh.
Joe Sacco, 54
A Jack Adams finalist following his first of four years as coach of the Avalanche, the former player is now an assistant in Boston.
Andrew Brunette, 49
A highly-skilled player who is now an assistant with New Jersey, Brunette was promoted to head coach in Florida the year Huberdeau set an NHL record for a left winger with 115 points.
Peter Laviolette, 59
Another big-ticket item who won a Stanley Cup in Carolina in 2006 and has headed up the Islanders, Flyers, Predators and the Capitals, who fired him at season’s end.
Bruce Boudreau, 68
A Jack Adams Award winner as a rookie coach in 2008, Boudreau had solid stints in Washington, Anaheim and Minnesota before spending parts of the last two seasons in Vancouver where he was fired in January.
Patrick Roy, 57
Having recently switched representation to Gil Scott, there are rumblings that the Quebec Remparts coach is interested in jumping back into the NHL.
We don’t seriously believe he’d come to Calgary, but it’s fun to remind people of the time Roy raced out to attack a young Conroy after the rookie hopeful opened camp by mistakenly ringing a puck off the Hall of Famer’s mask.
