List of Calgary Flames head coaches

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Mike Keenan was the head coach of the Calgary Flames from 2007 to 2009.

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The team is a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flames arrived in Calgary in 1980 after transferring from the city of Atlanta, Georgia, where they were known as the Atlanta Flames from their founding in 1972 until relocation.[1]

Al MacNeil remained the Flames' coach when the franchise transferred to Calgary, serving as the team's first coach in Calgary. "Badger Bob" Johnson, who succeeded MacNeil in 1982, is the Flames' all-time leader in games coached and wins.[2] He was behind the bench when the franchise made its first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986. Johnson was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, a year after his death from cancer.[3] Johnson's successor, Terry Crisp, led the Flames to their only Stanley Cup championship in 1989.[4]

The Flames went through several coaches between 1990 and 2003 as the team struggled to find playoff success. Doug Risebrough, Dave King, Pierre Page, Brian Sutter, Don Hay and Greg Gilbert all failed to lead the team past the first round as the Flames endured a 15-year period of playoff futility.[5] Darryl Sutter ended that streak in 2003–04 when he coached the Flames to a marked improvement over their previous season, ending with a trip to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. Though he did not win, Sutter earned a nomination for the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach as a result of the team's performance.[6] Bob Hartley became the head coach in 2012 and won the 2015 Jack Adams Award. He was fired after the 2015-16 season.[7] The current head coach of the Flames is Ryan Huska.[8]

Key[edit]

Darryl Sutter coached the Flames between 2003 and 2006. He returned to coach the team from 2021 to 2023.
# Number of coaches[A]
GC Games coached
W Wins
L Losses
T Ties
OL Overtime or shootout losses
Win% Winning percentage
* Elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Spent entire NHL coaching career with the Flames

Coaches[edit]

Statistics are correct through the 2022–23 NHL season.
Jim Playfair was the Flames' head coach in 2006–07.
# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs Awards
GC W L T OL[B] Win% GC W L Win%
1 Al MacNeil[C] 19801982 160 68 61 31 .522 19 9 10 .474
2 Bob Johnson* 19821987 400 193 155 52 .548 52 25 27 .481
3 Terry Crisp 19871990 240 144 63 33 .669 37 22 15 .595 1989 Stanley Cup
4 Doug Risebrough[9] 19901992 144 71 56 17 .552 7 3 4 .429
5 Guy Charron[D] 1992 16 6 7 3 .469
6 Dave King 19921995 216 109 76 31 .576 20 8 12 .400
7 Pierre Page 19951997 164 66 78 20 .463 4 0 4 .000
8 Brian Sutter 19972000 246 87 117 37 5 .439
9 Don Hay 2000–2001 68 23 28 13 4 .463
10 Greg Gilbert[10] 20012003 121 42 56 17 6 .442
Al MacNeil[E] 2003 11 4 5 2 0 .455
11 Darryl Sutter 20032006 210 107 73 15 15 .581 33 18 15 .545
12 Jim Playfair[11] 2006–2007 82 43 29 10 .524 6 2 4 .333
13 Mike Keenan 20072009 164 88 60 16 .585 13 5 8 .385
14 Brent Sutter 20092012 246 118 90 38 .557
15 Bob Hartley 20122016 294 134 135 25 .498 11 5 6 .454 2015 Jack Adams Award
16 Glen Gulutzan 20162018 164 82 68 14 .543 4 0 4 .000
17 Bill Peters 20182019 110 62 37 11 .614 5 1 4 .200
18 Geoff Ward[12][F] 20192021 66 35 26 5 .568 10 5 5 .500
Darryl Sutter 20212023 194 103 63 28 .603 12 5 7 .417 2022 Jack Adams Award
Ryan Huska[G] 2021 2 0 1 1 .250
19 Ryan Huska†[13][H] 2023–present 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • A A running total of the number of coaches of the Flames. Thus, any coach who had two separate terms as head coach is only counted once.
  • B Before 1999, overtime losses were included in the loss column;[14] Since 2005, ties are no longer possible.[15]
  • C Does not include coaching record for the Atlanta Flames.
  • D Charron served as interim coach for the remainder of the 1991–92 season following Risebrough's resignation.[16]
  • E MacNeil served as interim head coach during the 2002–03 season following Gilbert's dismissal.[17]
  • F Ward served as interim head coach during the 2019–20 season following Peters' resignation. Ward also served as head coach for one game, a 3–2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres, during the Flames' investigation into alleged misconduct by Peters during his previous coaching tenures. That win is reflected in Peters' totals.[18]
  • G Ryan Huska served as interim head coach after Sutter's signing on March 4, 2021, who was unable to join the team due to the COVID-19 protocol.[19][20]
  • H Several years after his previous interim coaching stint, Huska was promoted to permanent head coach in June 2023, after Sutter was fired.[21]

References[edit]

General

Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean (eds.). 2007–08 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 102.

Specific
  1. ^ Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean (eds.). 2006–07 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 4.
  2. ^ 2007–08 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
  3. ^ "The Legends – Bob Johnson". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  4. ^ "Players – Terry Crisp". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  5. ^ "Recap: Calgary 3, Vancouver 2, OT". Yahoo! Sports. 2004-04-20. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  6. ^ Roarke, Shawn P. (2004-04-21). "NHL announces awards finalists". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  7. ^ "Flames relieve Bob Hartley of coaching duties". flames.nhl.com. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  8. ^ "Flames Name Ryan Huska Head Coach". NHL.com. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "Doug Risebrough coaching record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  10. ^ "Greg Gilbert coaching record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  11. ^ "Jim Playfair coaching record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  12. ^ "Geoff Ward coaching record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  13. ^ "Flames Name Ryan Huska Head Coach". NHL.com. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  14. ^ Caldwell, Dave (2008-02-17). "Playing It Safe for a Bonus Point in the N.H.L." New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
  15. ^ Burnside, Scott (2005-07-25). "Rule changes geared toward entertainment". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-09-14. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ^ "Doug Risebrough - President and General Manager". Minnesota Wild Hockey Club. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  17. ^ Marshall, John (2002-12-03). "Flames dump Gilbert, name MacNeil". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  18. ^ White, Ryan (2019-11-29). "Bill Peters resigns as Flames bench boss, Geoff Ward named interim coach". CTV News. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  19. ^ "Calgary Flames - Edmonton Oilers - March 6th, 2021". NHL.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ottawa Senators - Calgary Flames - March 7th, 2021". NHL.com. March 7, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  21. ^ "Flames Name Ryan Huska Head Coach". NHL.com. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.