WINNIPEG -- If you ever needed proof Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter is all in for every single game, look no further than Game No. 82 Friday night.
Wrapping up the Flames’ regular season with a contest completely inconsequential as far as the standings were concerned, Sutter chose to zig while the rest of the league zagged by starting every one of his stars.
As he vowed weeks ago, “if you’re not injured, you play.”
It’s that sort of mentality that gets a guy to 700 wins.
Well, eventually it will.
A 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets left Sutter at 699 regular-season wins, one short of joining Mike Babcock at No. 10 on the NHL’s all-time list.
He’s won that many with a demanding approach that turned the Flames around this season. His structure and accountability turned the club into the Pacific Division champs.
Spurring more than half his roster on to having career seasons, Sutter is the biggest reason why the Flames will return to the Stanley Cup playoffs Tuesday for Game 1 against the Dallas Stars, just one year after missing the spring tourney.
Even after wrapping up the division Saturday, he convinced the team to push hard through the final three road games so they could enter the playoffs with momentum.
Although they finished .500 on the trip, the Flames played well, entering the playoffs on a 10-2-2 tear that has also seen Calgary compile the league’s best record since the all-star break.
Still, he pushes.
“He’s the ultimate competitor,” said Blake Coleman, who chose Calgary as a free agent, believing Sutter could take this club to a new level, as he did in 2004.
“He lights up when he talks about winning Cups and just winning games.
“He wants to win 82 games a year and when you have a guy like that motivating you and driving the bus, it’s not a surprise he’s had so much success in this league. He’s tough but he’s fair and he does his homework and finds ways to give his team a leg up.
“Ultimately this game is on the players, but he puts the ship in the right direction.”
Sutter’s preparation involves crunching endless numbers, analyzing trends and then lighting fires under players by challenging them on a daily basis.
The team responded this year by scoring the first goal in 54 games -- more than any other club.
Unlike past years, the players have been ready.
No excuses.
“Winning is really hard and that’s something we learned this year,” said Noah Hanifin, who added he felt empowered by the belief and opportunity Sutter gave him this season on the top pairing.
“His style is never letting us get complacent. We’re always trying to get better and improve on certain areas, preparing us for the chaos of what the playoffs are all about. As a team, we feel prepared right now and I’m excited to get going.”
Only two teams allowed more goals than the Flames this season, which is a dramatic turnaround from a year earlier when the lads figured they could simply outscore the opposition.
The relentless forecheck he insists on from his group led to a massive uptick in offence and possession numbers, no more so than on the top line, which accumulated 301 points after he pieced them together.
Although he believes strongly in rolling four lines, his bench management skills also allow him to play hunches nightly.
Few do it better.
“One of the things I’ve really noticed is as a player you recognize when you’re feeling good and think you should be out there more,” said Coleman.
“I would say Darryl has a really good finger on the pulse for that kind of thing. That’s what you want as a player, a coach that recognizes when you can really contribute to a game and to a team and understands how to use you like that.”
Of the top 10 winningest coaches, only three have more Stanley Cups than the pair Sutter won in Los Angeles, giving him even more credibility with the players.
“It’s pretty incredible, he’s been around a long time,” said Coleman of the obvious Jack Adams winner.
“He really helped our team a lot this year and obviously changed the culture. He can be demanding and hard, but he’s fair and honest and that’s something every player asks for.”
The players have responded by buying into his insistence they continue playing with high intensity, which wouldn't have been possible in past years, like 2018-19 when the Flames cruised after clinching the Western Conference.
Their fight-filled comeback in Nashville Tuesday was as invested as the team has been all year.
Indeed, they feel ready to build off of their mojo.
“The last number of games we’ve pushed hard and worked hard and competed every night to get to where we are in the standings,” said Chris Tanev when asked about his team taking on the identity of its coach.
“Every day is a workday and a hockey day and a day to get better and learn. We’ve got to take that into the next few days and get ready.”
While others think rest is best, Flames’ Sutter keeps pushing for more - Sportsnet.ca
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