List of Calgary Flames head coaches

Mike Keenan was the head coach of the Calgary Flames from 2007 to 2009.

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The team is a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flames arrived in Calgary in 1980 after transferring from the city of Atlanta, Georgia, where they were known as the Atlanta Flames from their founding in 1972 until relocation.[1]

Al MacNeil remained the Flames' coach when the franchise transferred to Calgary, serving as the team's first coach in Calgary. "Badger Bob" Johnson, who succeeded MacNeil in 1982, is the Flames' all-time leader in games coached and wins.[2] He was behind the bench when the franchise made its first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1986. Johnson was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992, a year after his death from cancer.[3] Johnson's successor, Terry Crisp, led the Flames to their only Stanley Cup championship in 1989.[4]

The Flames went through several coaches between 1990 and 2003 as the team struggled to find playoff success. Doug Risebrough, Dave King, Pierre Page, Brian Sutter, Don Hay and Greg Gilbert all failed to lead the team past the first round as the Flames endured a 15-year period of playoff futility.[5] Darryl Sutter ended that streak in 2003–04 when he coached the Flames to a marked improvement over their previous season, ending with a trip to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. Though he did not win, Sutter earned a nomination for the Jack Adams Award as the league's top coach as a result of the team's performance.[6] Bob Hartley became the head coach in 2012 and won the 2015 Jack Adams Award. He was fired after the 2015-16 season.[7] The current head coach of the Flames is Ryan Huska.[8]

  1. ^ Hanlon, Peter; Kelso, Sean (eds.). 2006–07 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. p. 4.
  2. ^ 2007–08 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club.
  3. ^ "The Legends – Bob Johnson". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  4. ^ "Players – Terry Crisp". Hockey Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  5. ^ "Recap: Calgary 3, Vancouver 2, OT". Yahoo! Sports. 2004-04-20. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  6. ^ Roarke, Shawn P. (2004-04-21). "NHL announces awards finalists". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2006-04-09. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  7. ^ "Flames relieve Bob Hartley of coaching duties". flames.nhl.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  8. ^ "Flames Name Ryan Huska Head Coach". NHL.com. June 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.