Hartley tough on rookies with Avalanche

Bob Hartley wasn’t always the most popular coach with the Colorado Avalanche.

According to Adrian Dater, who covers the Avalanche for the Denver Post, Hartley was he was known by a lot of Colorado players as “Bobby Heartless.”

The new Calgary Flames head coach reportedly had a tendency to be tough on rookies. “I smell chocolate fumes,” Hartley would say to underachievers, referring that they might be sent down to Colorado’s minor-league affiliate in Hershey.

Dater believes Hartley is an ideal fit for the Flames due to his tight relationship with general manager Jay Feaster.

With the Flames, Hartley will now go up against the Avalanche in the Northeast Division.

Hartley coached four years in Colorado, where he reached the conference finals four times and won a Stanley Cup in 2001.

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