Bob Hartley is the only head coach Sean Monahan has known in professional hockey, so you can imagine how he felt when he heard the news Hartley was fired by the Calgary Flames Tuesday.
“It caught me off guard,” Monahan told Sportsnet 960 The Fan. “I got in my car this morning and (the news) popped up on my phone.”
The 21-year-old said he realizes it’s a business decision and at the end of the day job security, especially for coaches, is determined by wins.
Following a 2014-15 campaign that saw Calgary make an improbable run to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team fell back down to earth this season, finishing 35-40-7 and missed the post-season by 10 points.
“You can’t put the blame on Bob for how our season went,” Monahan said. “It’s tough to see him go. I mean, I came into the league as an 18-year-old and he’s been my coach all three years. I give him a lot of credit. He’s helped me a lot. It’s tough to see him go.
“The last couple years we’ve seen a lot of players be traded or not come back and stuff like that so that’s what happens when you don’t get results…At the end of the day I guess it’s time for a change. We’re looking for a fresh start come September.”
Hartley at times was criticized for being too harsh and there were rumblings it rubbed certain players the wrong way.
“Bob’s a passionate guy. He wants the best out of everybody. If he’s hard on you it’s for a good reason,” Monahan said. “Different people can take things like that different ways.”
Hartley famously benched Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Lance Bouma for a game in February after the three arrived late to a team practice.
Monahan and Gaudreau are restricted free agents and need new contracts prior to next season. There was a theory floating that neither Monahan nor Gaudreau felt like Hartley was the best fit for them going forward and it could have potentially impacted their contract negotiations. Monahan quickly put the kibosh on that type of conjecture.
“It’s definitely unfair (for anyone to say that). I don’t think that’s true,” Monahan said. “When you come to the rink every day and if you’re playing a lot of minutes there’s honestly not much to complain about. You’re in the NHL. It’s an honour to play in the NHL.
“This has nothing to do with anything with our contracts.”
Monahan added that he expects “maybe something sooner than later might get done” in regards to his contract. Flames general manager Brad Treliving is about to head over to the world championship to fulfill his duties as Canada’s co-GM.
