National Post (National Edition)
Farewell Walter, hello Darryl ... it's the circle of hockey life
Gretzky elder dies, Sutter returns to Calgary bench
Life goes on. It's something people that have lost somebody dear say that couldn't be more true yet sometimes seems so unwelcomed when expressed. But when you wake up to the news of the death of Walter Gretzky and the return behind the Calgary Flames bench of Darryl Sutter at the same time, it's what you deal with.
To people of Wayne Gretzky's generation, Walter Gretzky was everybody's hockey dad. To those of us who had the privilege of enjoying a special relationship with No. 99 over the years, Walter almost felt like our dad, too.
That, I believe, was especially felt by almost the entire population of Edmonton who lived through the Gretzky era. There are hundreds of people in this city that had the opportunity to meet Walter. There wasn't a guy in the hockey world as easy to meet as he was.
Walter gave so many of his traits to his superstar son and without attempting to, became a celebrity himself by just being himself. He also gave so much of himself to the game and causes associated with the game.
Today should be a day to stop the world of sport and celebrate that. But life goes on. And hockey goes on. And to today's generation of fan, the Edmonton Oilers just lost three straight games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who turned around and lost to the Vancouver Canucks. And prior to playing the Oilers here Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada, the Flames announced Sutter's return behind the bench.
To lose three to Toronto by the combined count of 13-1, watch the Canucks beat the Leafs 3-1, see Winnipeg win in Montreal with the Canadiens getting a loser point and Calgary replace Geoff Ward with Sutter is a whole lot of wake-up call for the Oilers.
The Calgary coaching change definitely should have an effect on Edmonton.
“You're going to get a Calgary team that's playing with lots of energy, lots of jump and lots of intensity,” said Connor McDavid.
“Sutter is a coach that has coached for a long time and had lots of success and I'm sure he's going to want to make his mark right away on a very good Calgary team.”
Edmonton went into the series against the Leafs with an opportunity to pull even for first place. Now they're 10 points back of Toronto, three back of Winnipeg and only two ahead of Montreal, four points ahead of Calgary and only six in front of Vancouver.
A few days back, I wrote of the year Sutter convinced the Flames that if they won their games against Edmonton, they'd make the playoffs. The Flames responded and owned the Oilers all season. Calgary made the playoffs. Edmonton didn't. And that was basically the difference.
Well, the situation going into Saturday's fourth meeting of 10 this season isn't that much different.
Sutter, who returns behind the bench with 634 wins in 18 seasons as an NHL head coach, has been spending the season working as a consultant with the Anaheim Ducks. He has been doing it from his Viking-area ranch so there is no quarantine or travel time involved. He was in position to light a fire under the Flames immediately, but chose to delay his arrival to Monday because of things he had to do involving the NHL's COVID-19 protocol and things he had to “clear up at the farm.” Assistant coach Ryan Huska will run things from the bench Saturday, but everybody on the ice knows that their new head coach will be sitting 137 kilometres to the east watching and evaluating.
If it'll take 66 points to make the playoffs in the Canadian division, he'll need to go 21-11 the rest of the way. If 60 will do it, make that 18-14. Calgary is home for 12 of the next 18, including two in mid-March against the Oilers after returning from this one.
Sutter, who coached the Los Angeles Kings from 2011-17 and won Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, was previously coach of the Flames with a 107-73-15-15 record before moving into Calgary's general manager role for seven seasons from 2003-10.
Sutter is taking over an 11-11-2 team that has been up and down like a toilet seat for Ward, especially of late. In the past four games, all against Ottawa, Calgary lost 6-1, won 6-3, lost 5-1 and won 7-3.
Sutter's history is definitely old school. There's no fuzzy-wuzzy involved player's pal involved here. What you see with the Edmonton area rancher is what you get. He still shovels manure in his barn and he still believes in accountability and hard work from everybody in the lineup. Everybody knows exactly where he sits every day of the season when Darryl Sutter is coach.
“This change was required,” said Flames GM Brad Treliving. “This team needs Darryl and what he can bring.”
On a Zoom media conference call, he spoke of the close relationship he had with late owners Doc Seaman and Harley Hotchkiss and said he has “unfinished business. It's like I have a debt to pay to those guys. We're going to win a Stanley Cup for them.”
This already compelling coronavirus pandemic-inspired Canadian division season just got more compelling.
IT'S LIKE I HAVE A DEBT TO PAY TO THOSE GUYS.