Darryl Sutter returns as Flames head coach after Geoff Ward is fired just hours following win

A seven-goal outburst by his club Thursday night could not save Geoff Ward’s job. The Flames announced a few minutes before 1 a.m. ET Friday, just about an hour after he addressed the media postgame at the Saddledome, that Ward was relieved of his duties.

The news was somewhat expected (Ward was on SN’s NHL coaches on the hot seat) with Calgary having compiled a mediocre 11-11-2 season thus far. Ward is the second NHL head coach to be axed this season — and, coincidentally, the second after his team played the Senators. What was a little more surprising was that general manager Brad Treliving went to the recycling bin and pulled out former Flames bench boss Darryl Sutter — and, according to reports, signed him through the 2022-23 season.

One-sixth of the famous Sutter brothers and one of three to coach the Flames, the 62-year-old originally led the Flaming C from Dec. 28, 2002, until turning over the coaching reins in July 2006 to assistant Jim Playfair for the 2006-07 season. Sutter was also the team’s general manager from 2003-10.

During his tenure in his hometown province (he hails from Viking, Alta.), Sutter posted a 107-73-15-15 record and led the squad to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. He eventually collected the ultimate prize with the Kings in 2012 and 2014 during his six seasons in Los Angeles. 

But that’s the kicker: The last time he coached was in 2017 and the game has been tinkered with since then. Sutter likes to play a heavy game (LA led the NHL in hits per game from 2010-17 with 29.02) but the Flames don’t necessarily have players who can bang. (Calgary is averaging 19.68 hits in 2021, fifth in the North Division). The one thing that could work in the Flames’ favor: During Sutter’s Kings tenure, LA led the league in fewest goals allowed. Calgary is the second-lowest scoring team in the North and having a stronger defensive game could provide a nice balance.

Aside from the tweaks to game strategy across the league, players today are also built differently. It will be interesting to see how the cantankerous bench boss handles the young stars of this team. He will have one familiar face: Mark Giordano played seven games under Sutter back in the 2005-06 season. He also left Calgary for the 2007-08 season to play in Russia when he couldn’t come to a contract agreement with Sutter. He did return a year later, however. 

Turning back to the present, Calgary needed a shift in philosophy. Ward was elevated to head coach in November 2019 after Bill Peters resigned following the disclosure by former player Akim Aliu that Peters directed racial slurs at him and other players coming forward with allegations of physical abuse. A 2011 Stanley Cup champ with Boston, Ward was given a two-year contract after summer bubble hockey but seemed to struggle in 2021 with getting this team on the right track. 

Inconsistency plagued the squad. The lineup had spurts of quality hockey but more often than not looked atrocious from puck drop. It appeared Ward’s message wasn’t getting through and it seemed to wear on the bench boss, who was in his first NHL head-coaching gig. Oftentimes the team fell behind before the first 20 ticked off and there appeared to be no pushback, no fight in the group, and the game would fall apart from there. 

After signing the No. 1 free-agent goalie, Jacob Markstrom, and adding other pieces in the offseason, the pressure was on inside the Saddledome. Just before 11 p.m. Thursday in Alberta, Treliving made the switch. 

Sutter brings a solid resume: Aside from the Cups, he has been a head coach across 18 seasons — 15 of those winning years. That puts him well above .500 overall (634-467-101-83). 

Treliving will surely be asked later Friday “Why now?” after a blowout win. Why did he turn to Sutter now when he could have gone to him before hiring Peters? And Sutter will surely be asked “Why now?” after saying in 2018 he was retired from coaching.

But above all, there is one more important question that needs to be asked of the new head coach: What were you doing when you were offered the job?