 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
Flames may look to Sutter Posted: Saturday December 28, 2002 2:48 AMCALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) -- The Calgary Flames reportedly are set to hire Darryl Sutter, ending a controversial search for a new coach that has lasted three weeks. The hiring could come as early as Saturday, according to Sportsnet of Canada. General manager Craig Button did not attend Friday's 4-3 loss to Toronto and team president Ken King was tight-lipped, saying only that fans "will be delighted at the outcome." He refused to divulge a time frame, but said, "We're real close. It won't happen tonight, but it is very close." Asked about media speculation swirling around Sutter, King said, "All I can tell you is Darryl Sutter's a great coach. I think it's obvious he's one of our candidates." Sutter has been out of a job since Dec. 1, when he was fired by the San Jose Sharks. Just two days later, Calgary axed Greg Gilbert and replaced him on an interim basis with 67-year-old Al MacNeil, a special assistant to the general manager. Friday's loss dropped the Flames to 4-5-2-0 under MacNeil. They are tied for last in the Western Conference with 28 points and have not reached the playoffs since the 1995 season. Sutter would become the second member of his famed family to coach the Flames. Older brother Brian compiled an 87-117-37-5 record in three seasons with Calgary, which fired him following the 1999-2000 season. A native of Viking, Alberta, Darryl Sutter is one of just two coaches in NHL history whose team showed improvement in five consecutive seasons. He was the winningest coach in Sharks' history with a 192-182-60 record, guiding them to five straight playoff appearances. Darryl Sutter also coached the Chicago Blackhawks to three straight playoff berths and a 110-80-26 record from 1992-95. The lengthy selection process led some to speculate that Button was on shaky ground. Last week, King blasted media reports that suggested there was disagreement within the organization. On Friday, King voiced support for his general manager. "He's anything but a lame duck and I think that will be amply demonstrated very quickly," King said.
© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
