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While the majority of people are going to be focussed on the search for the next head coach for the Flames, I am not. To me the biggest news that came out of yesterday’s festivities was the fact that a fracture exists with in the locker room and it is now out on the table.

There always has been and their will always will be whispers about issues with in the locker room and I am here to tell you that they are often just that whispers with no way of backing it up with fact.

With Sutter saying in no uncertain terms that the next head coach has to be able to coach the core of this team and that they are difficult to coach is a pretty obvious that there in lies the problem with this team.

Craig Conroy, who also guested with us, acknowledged that there were groups with in the locker room pulling in different directions, he cautioned that it wasn’t done is a malicious way, but it is there.

I think it will now be incumbent on the core group of players to address the issue and move on, whether it is publicly or behind closed doors.

The next coach of this team will be a Sutter either Brent, if he is released from the swamp, or Darryl for a second tour of duty, and you can bet that fixing the issue with the core priority number 1.

Yet when the season begins for real in the fall, I think the focus of this team will be to win hockey games 1-0.

Random thoughts:

I am not sold that is will be clear sailing for anybody who takes over this team, I think this team will be challenged to turn around its identity.

The two coach system that will be employed by the Oilers this coming season will be very interesting to watch, if it works I think you will see more and more teams hire a tandem like Quinn and Renney.

Lost in the fog of all that has gone this week has been the great tribute that the Windsor Spitfires paid to their fallen captain and Flame draft pick Mickey Renaud who past away last season.

Personally I hope Jim Playfair takes the Flames AHL job because I would love to pick his brain through out the season on Flames prospects, but on the other hand I hope he gets an NHL job right away.

David Marcoux, the flames ex-goalie coach will go to another organization and make an impact, of that I have no doubt.
Kind of jumping around here but just one last thought on the Alberta NHL coaching issues from yesterday, but I am tired of getting excited about things in May when a meaningful game is 4 months away. Hopefully I will remember that when free agency hits in July.

While not fact yet there are a couple of fictional things that maybe coming true in the days ahead down at the saddledome.

It is sure sounding more and more like Darryl Sutter will be back behind the Flames bench for next season; a move that I am not sure he is overly fond of but likely isn’t his decision. From the department of you built now you fix it!

While some good hockey people remain in limbo it is rather doubtful that any of the Flames assistant coaches will be back and that could be made public as early as tomorrow.

I completely expect that Mike Keenan’s next job will be a desk job at the studios of TSN as an analyst.

I think that Dave Lowry is destined to be an NHL coach one day just not this year, I would be surprised if he didn’t come back to coach the Hitmen next season. By the way belated congratulations to Dave for his selection to coach Team Canada at the Ivan Hilinka memorial tournament in August.

Sober second thought and a little clearer head leads me to believe that it is entirely possible the Flames could rid themselves of a long term big money contract this summer. Some of the reported scenarios for the Salary Cap in the years to come really hit home the fact that Calgary could lose flexibility if they stay status quo.

All of this is after all speculation and speculation that very well could change tomorrow when the GM finally talks to the media.

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I was relaxing in my holiday condominium thoroughly enjoying ESPN in depth coverage of Orlando Cleveland game number 2, thinking about what may happen in the off season for the Calgary Flames.

Then about 40 minutes ago the first phone call came in; it was Kelly Kirch our program director asking me about a report that TSN had that the Flames had just fired Mike Keenan. I admit I was a lot of things, but surprised wasn’t one of them.

I spent the next 15 minutes franticly making phone calls to try and confirm the reports, it was a Friday afternoon and I admit I didn’t talk to a live person for a long time. The confirmation actually came from the Calgary Flames as they sent out a press release just before 4pm stating that Keenan was indeed an ex coach and that there wouldn’t be any comment form the team or Darryl Sutter until a press conference on Tuesday.

The release also stated that Flames associate and assistant coaches are still under evaluation and that a decision would be made on their tenures in the near future.

My previous phone calls were starting to be returned and again no real shock from anybody, but more a relief that what had been rumored and speculated for sometime had finally come to fruition and we wouldn’t be on constant look out for a shoe to drop..

There are some who are angry at the Flames feeling that they waited until late on Friday to make a major announcement and then didn’t make anyone available to talk about it until Tuesday.

What do we know for sure?

Keenan has been fired with one year left on his contract.

A press conference, or if you like an availability, with Darryl Sutter will be held on Tuesday and we will carry it live on the FAN960 at 1pm.

The assistants are still being evaluated and their future will be determined in the near future.

Let’s deal with the last point first, I don’t believe that any of the assistants will be back and I suppose if you are going to wipe the slate clean they can’t.

On to whether or not Keenan should be fired, in the end I think he had to be! I have yet to cover the coach or gm who was universally embraced by the players, media, and or fans, but at the end of the season it was apparent that you couldn’t have Mike come back with out their being issues imagined or real swirling around this team constantly.

There was no doubt that coaching was one aspect of the team’s troubles down the stretch, but by no means all of it and I think that is important moving forward.
Probably no issue more so then the power play exemplified the down fall of Iron Mike more. The fact that no real effort during practice was ever regularly dedicated to fixing the problem didn’t help.

Who ever will take over for this upcoming season will be Calgary’s 4th coach in the past 6 seasons, remember the lock out was in there. The team has had continuity at the top with the President and GM consistent through out that time, and the core of this team has been present too.

At the risk of once again stating the bleeding obvious this is Darryl Sutter’s biggest hire, I don’t think that he was going to take it lightly to begin with, but he likely needs to get this team over the hump with the next coach or it very well could be come another guys problem.

This weekend there will be a lot of speculation about whom maybe taking over as the next head coach, I don’t have a feeling one way or another, but I am curious to see if Darryl does come behind the bench again. I don’t think he wants to and I am not sure he is the answer but there will be no shortage of calls for him to carry out both rolls for next year.

Once again the Flames owners have stepped up to the plate, not a lot is talked about this group of owners and every once and a while I hear someone say something stupid about whether they care or not. I have had very few conversations with any owner of this team and outside of interviewing Harley Hotchkiss when he went into the hall of fame I have never talked to one on the air, why? They want it that way, they have no delusions of grandeur or any desire to have a public profile, but have stepped up over and over to give this team the resources it needs. They have consistently given the GM money to spend to the cap, have given him resources to pay players not to play for the team, and not the buy out route either the more expensive route as they did with Eriksson, Nilson, and Warrener this year. Now they are going to pay a coach over a million dollars a year to not coach, at the end of the day they like you deserve a better result.

For what it is worth the next head coach in my humble opinion should be Jim Playfair, he won’t be and I am probably not using my head. I can’t help but wonder if the Flames aren’t in a Western Final right now in year three of his tenure.

Well back to wall to wall coverage of the Lakers and Nuggets game 3 tomorrow, yeah!

This maybe the last blog for a while, or probably 10 days anyway, I finally get to take some time off and intend to be away from the old computer for a similar amount of time. I have found that this past Flames season was a little more draining then the years past, more specifically the final 8 weeks of this season was more draining then any I have been through in the past.

Unfortunately 2 plus weeks of separation still hasn’t installed any further clarity for me on what I was a front row witness too. I know this, what ever it turns out to be needs to be isolated and removed entirely from the organization.

All eyes in the Flames universe seem to be firmly affixed on the General Manager Darryl Sutter and what he does next. Common opinion in media and fan circles alike is that this will be the summer in which the entire coaching staff will under go a major facelift, but if that indeed does happen it may take a while. History has shown us that Sutter tends to take his time at the end of the season to make up his mind and weigh his options.

For the record I really do feel for those caught in the cross hairs at this moment, through our association with the Flames I have gotten to know the assistant coaches pretty well in the past number of years and don’t have a bad thing to say about any of them as people or as professionals. I know that these are tough times for them and their families as they read and listen to constant speculation on their futures and are likely just as interested in seeing a resolution or decision. At the end of the day it goes with the territory and all of them know that and accept that, but it can’t be easy.

Calgary has held its coaches meetings, as the staff poured over the performances of all of the players, and now the scouts are in town for their draft meetings. The next couple of days will go a long way in determining the Flames final rankings for draft eligible players, and a decision will have to be made on whether or not the team will use its first round pick this year or next. As part of the Ollie Jokinen deal the flames have the option to surrender either this years or next years first round pick. It should be noted that at this time Calgary has no second round pick this year that could impact the decision.

Some other random notes from around the hockey world:

Mark Messier was an interested observer a the World Hockey Championships the past couple of weeks, speculation is that he is trying to get back into the hockey business as a coach or manager.

The Monster, as he was called at the recent World Championships, 6 foot 3 goaltender Jonas Gustafsson from Sweden has a ton of GM’s salivating as I am sure you heard. Most were impressed by the big mans mobility and feel that he could step right into the NHL, not necessarily as a number 1 put as a very capable back-up. I give Pat Steinberg credit as yesterday he suggested that there could be a bidding war ala Fabian Brunnstrom in the coming days, I agree.

There is a danger that next years World Hockey Championships in Germany could be somewhat anti climatic considering they will take place less then 3 months after the Olympics, well maybe not. Word out of Germany is that the hosts and the Americans will play the first game in a brand new football stadium with a retractable roof in the hopes of attracting over 76,000 people and set a new ice hockey attendance record.

Quietly former Flame Josh Green has made it back to the NHL playing 4 games in the play offs for the Anaheim Ducks. Green played a partial season for the Flames in 03/04 before being traded at the deadline. Nice guy who was/is a big body with soft hands but has never found his game in the NHL, but he’s playing now.

Speaking of former Flames Capitals Captain Chris Clark came back to play in the post season but was no where near 100%. Clark played in 8 games but averaged just over 6mins per game, a far cry from what he would have brought them if he was at his peak.

Just a thought on Dave Lowry and his future, I am a big fan of Dave’s and I think he is destined to be a NHL head coach sooner rather then later, but it maybe be a good idea for him to stick around for one more season with the Hitmen. The top league is littered with players and coaches who have been rushed into positions that they weren’t quite ready for, I am not saying he isn’t ready maybe he is, but one more season wouldn’t hurt. Besides I think he is a guy Hockey Canada should be looking at for the under 18 team.

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Rumors continue to swirl around the local hockey heroes again today, last week it was suppose to be a late week press conference to announce a coaching change. Today some are saying that ol’ Iron Mike will stay and the assistant coaches will all take the fall. Some where in the middle lies the truth, as I sit here and blog I still believe the Flames hierarchy is still deliberating on the future direction of the team and I don’t anticipate any news any time soon. (Having just written that last line you watch there will be a press conference in the next 48 days!)

Tough to watch the Calgary Hitmen’s season come to an end over the weekend, Dave Lowry and his staff deserve a lot of credit for a fantastic season, but this one will likely haunt them for a while. Take nothing away from the Kelowna Rockets, they were great and deserve to move on, and I think are going to be a tough test at the Memorial Cup at the end of the week. All of the time the Hitmen had off between rounds probably came back to haunt them, it was obvious that the Rockets had momentum coming into this series and Calgary had trouble producing it.

The Atlanta moving to Hamilton story over the weekend was intriguing and I anticipate that we ware going to hear more and more of these types of rumors in the coming weeks. Funny that the original story was leaked because of the Mayor Hamilton speaking to the media, and then he backtracks the next day, kind of makes you wonder doesn’t it? I am telling you watch the New York Islanders that is the next big fire in the league.

I maybe looking for trouble here but has anybody else noticed how screwed up the discipline in the NHL this post season has been. Scott Walker doesn’t get a suspension for starting a fight in the final couple of minutes of last night game, don’t like that rule anyway, but surly to god that is what the league was thinking of when they invented that rule 5 years ago.

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Not much of an update today but a couple of things:

Flames coaches were/are to meet with Darryl Sutter today, I have been asked a bunch of times today if I expect news today, I don’t. My guess is that Darryl is going to take his time to make the decision that everyone has already made when it comes to his coaches.

I find it hard to believe that the head coach and his staff are going to back together, just based on the lack of any type of endorsement from Sutter earlier in the week. When I went back and listened to the interview with Darryl I was struck by the number of times he pressed the point that it was concerns that he had with the staff as a whole.

With all of that said I can’t see the same head coach next year just based on the outcry from fans and media a like, if you bring Mike back for what ever reasons next season how can he help but be a lame duck coach? Last year of a contract and the lighting rod of controversy at the end of this season, every time the team lost fingers would quickly be pointed at him and it would be a distraction.

Well all eyes are firmly affixed to a bankruptcy court in Phoenix to see what the future of the Coyotes will be the bigger story is the number of teams that are either in the same financial situation as the Yotes or soon will be. I have been told over and over that the Islanders are the biggest problem in the NHL today not the team from Arizona.

Sorry about the lack of updates I remain in somewhat of a fog at the end of another season, but I will soon snap out of it.

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