Calgary’s Bob Hartley silences naysayers
CALGARY — Two days before playoffs are scheduled to open and the desk in Bob Hartley’s office is a mess, cluttered with charts and graphs, memos and scouting reports. As he begins to tidy up, stack and sort, media relations man Sean Kelso pops his head in the door, toting a miniature replica Stanley Cup, maybe six inches high.
“Thanks Kels,’’ Hartley says, placing the tiny silver chalice beside his laptop.
Then, with a conspiratorial wink: “For motivation, eh?”
When this season began, saddled with an expiring contract, a lengthy playoff absence and an impossibly young team (rarely a happy mix), Bob Hartley was considered among the front-runners for first coach fired.
Now he’s a being touted as a favourite for the Jack Adams Trophy.
“I don’t,’’ he protests with a dismissive wave of a hand, “care about this. No. No. It’s not about one guy. It’s not about me. I don’t live my life thinking ‘What’s in this for me?’ I wasn’t raised that way.
“Hey, when I was working in a windshield plant, I went three days without scratching one. Nobody applauded. I was just doing my job.
“Here, same thing. I’m just doing my job.’’ Maybe, but what a job. The Calgary Flames’ first playoff appearance in six years. A 20-point improvement in the standings, to 97, the third-highest points total in 20 seasons. Tied a franchise best for most wins on the road.
As wondrous as Johnny Gaudreau has been, as decisive as Sean Monahan, as influential as Jonas Hiller and as commanding as Mark Giordano, there’s a compelling argument to be made for Bob Hartley as Calgary’s MVP of 2014-15.
As a worthy Jack Adams recipient, as well.
“Hockey,’’ he says, “has given me everything. A Jack Adams Trophy? I don’t think about this. You wanna know the best reward I ever got from hockey? When I was playing midget back home in Hawkesbury (Ontario) one day in March, our coach, Richard Morris, comes in and tells us, ‘I have four tickets to see the Montreal Jr. Canadiens play at the Forum.’ Those were the days of Gilbert Perreault, all those guys.
“The Forum was packed for those games in those days. They were drawing as well as the Canadiens. And he said, ‘I’m going with my wife and my sister, and the best player tonight can have the last ticket.’ The sister was two years older than us. Everyone played hard that game, let me tell you that.
“Well, I got the player of the game. And you know what? Today he’s my brother-in-law and his sister’s my wife.
“What can top that?’’ Calgary Herald