Darryl Sutter Wasn't the Issue & Connor Zary's NHL Success
Welcome to the THW Calgary Flames Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Flames writers.
In today’s edition, we look at Connor Zary’s early NHL success, question whether Darryl Sutter was in fact the problem, and remember the team’s previous experiences in the Heritage Classic.
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Flames’ Zary Continues Success At NHL Level
November 4, 2023 by Derek Olsen
After beginning the 2023-24 season with a win against the Winnipeg Jets, the Calgary Flames have gone a dismal 1-7-1 since. Regardless, new general manager Craig Conroy and new head coach Ryan Huska’s preseason visions are clearly not coming to fruition, and should the team lose a few more games in regulation any hope of playoffs will become quite slim. Before getting hasty with a big trade, sometimes if the older veterans can’t get it done and injection of youth can make a difference.
That’s exactly what the organization did by calling up American Hockey League standout Connor Zary on Halloween. He would make his NHL debut the next night, a 4-3 loss at the Scotiabank Saddledome courtesy of the Dallas Stars. Let’s analyze the body of work that earned him this spot, as well as his debut performance and future outlook on the team.
Flames Players Quickly Proving Sutter Wasn’t the Problem
November 2, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
As it turns out, the 2021-22 Jack Adams Award winner may not have been the biggest issue as to why the Calgary Flames missed the playoffs last season. After being looked at as a hero around the city of Calgary after the Flames’ fantastic 2021-22 campaign, Darryl Sutter quickly became public enemy number one last season.
Sutter didn’t do himself any favours to help fix the changing narrative on him, as he had several blunders when speaking to the media, most notably instances involving Jonathan Huberdeau and Jakob Pelletier. With several reports suggesting he had lost the room, it made him the easy scapegoat as to why a team with such a good roster wasn’t able to string together wins.
The belief was that once Sutter was out of the picture, this group would turn things around instantly. However, they now sit at 2-7-1 through 10 games, proving that their issues run far deeper than Sutter. If anything based on their play this season, he may have been the reason they fell just two points shy of the playoffs rather than end up a lottery team.
Calgary Flames History at the Heritage Classic
October 29, 2023 by Ryan Gagne
As many hockey fans remember, on a blistering cold late November day in 2003, the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens took part in the first-ever Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Although the NHL would go on to create the Winter Classic for American franchises, it returned to Canada in 2011 to bring back the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
Historically, the Oilers and Flames are 1-1 in their respective outdoor games on Canadian soil. As everyone prepares for the 2023 Heritage Classic, it is an excellent time to revisit the Flames’ previous contests in the cold.