CALGARY – Early in the second period of the Calgary Flames' comeback win on Thursday, Ryan Huska knew his sagging team needed a shot in the arm.
Empowering fourth-line energizer Jakob Pelletier by promoting him to the first line, it helped spark a four-goal flourish that had the team’s Kissing Bandit feeling on top of the world.
It was the latest in a season full of successful coaching tactics that have helped keep the Flames in an unlikely playoff race, drawing comparisons to two of this era’s top coaches.
“A big, big thing for me is Ryan Huska,” said GM Craig Conroy when asked how his club has managed to hold on to the West’s final wild-card berth.
“I think I've seen a huge improvement. I could tell he feels so much more comfortable this year than last year, which is normal.
“I remember when I had Joel Quenneville his very first year, he was very quiet and didn't talk a lot on the bench. Then he was coach of the year three years later, and we just watched him take off.
“I do see a lot of similarities with Ryan and his staff. The players are the ones that are going to win on the ice, and they have to be the ones willing to go through the wall for the coach.”
They do that nightly in Calgary, employing a work ethic that has become the team’s identity.
Conroy’s gamble on the longtime assistant has paid off.
Elevating Huska to bench boss two summers ago, Conroy did for the 49-year-old Cranbrook, B.C., native what he’s done for a handful of top prospects, by providing the type of opportunity the organization is rebuilding around.
Huska’s success has come from building trust with the half-dozen leaders of the team who’ve bought in and set the standard for the influx of youngsters.
His player-friendly approach has provided an environment that has allowed the likes of Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, Justin Kirkland, Matt Coronato, Dustin Wolf and Pelletier to succeed.
How he’s apportioned goaltenders’ starts has helped thrust Wolf into the Calder conversation, and the defence-first style of play gives his team its best chance to win.
“The players feel they have a say,” said Conroy.
“In the end, Ryan's gonna make the final decision. That's his job. But they know they can go in and talk to him, and while he may not always agree, he's going to listen.
“Players talk around the league, and we try to treat them well, and we want them to say, ‘hey, if you get an opportunity to play in Calgary, it's a great city, they have a new building coming. They're building something to win here,’ and that's what we're trying to do.”
For Conroy, that means putting a stop to the organization’s revolving door of coaches.
“To me, it's about having consistency with the staff, because when you're changing coaches all the time it just gets the players wondering if maybe they're going to get rid of the coach,” he said.
“It’s also hard because they have different systems, different philosophies, different ways they want to handle things.
“You have to make sure they know, ‘this is the boss, he's in charge, this is what we need to do,’ and you're not outwaiting the coach.”
Talk of giving Huska Jack Adams consideration as coach of the year is a tad premature, given the job Spencer Carbury has done in Washington, Scott Arniel has done in Winnipeg and Dean Evason has done so far in Columbus.
However, what Huska has put himself in line for is an extension to the three-year contract he signed with the Flames a year-and-a-half ago.
Conroy smiled when asked if they’d started talks.
“No, I haven't, but in my mind, it’s definitely pretty obvious,” said Conroy, well-aware NHL coaches generally don’t enter the final year of a contract without an extension in place.
“I think he's done a good job. Whether it's his interviews, or on the bench, I like how he is.
“He does have an edge. I don't want him yelling and screaming at a guy because he's always on camera. For some coaches, that's their thing, but I want Ryan to do what Ryan does, and if he does snap, then I know it's for a good reason.
“I like the way he's hard in the room on the players. Yeah, he's demanding, and he expects a lot, and he's intense after games. After a loss, I feel it’s better to talk to him the next day. He's passionate and he's hungry, and he's always trying to improve, and he wants his staff to improve.”
Ditto for his team, which he’s guided through a hybrid rebuild admirably.
He’s worked well with Conroy to empower youngsters and put them in positions to succeed. He’s emboldened veterans and has given the organization structure, direction and an identity.
He works with the players to try to ensure they get the time off and rest they need amidst a rigorous NHL schedule.
He has earned the players’ respect and that of those around him to create a healthy culture that makes Calgary an increasingly attractive destination.
“You want to win for the guy because he treats you fairly,” said Blake Coleman, who compared Huska’s open-door approach to that of two-time Stanley Cup winner Jon Cooper.
“The teams that I’ve been on that are successful, it’s always come from within the players. Letting players be involved in the process goes a long way.
“He’s got high expectations for you but he doesn’t beat it into you. He lets you do your job.
“He’s got us where we are right now.”
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