The Calgary Flames hired Bob Hartley as their new head coach on Thursday, bringing the former Stanley Cup winner back to the NHL after a five-year absence.
It's a great move for Hartley, who also met with the Montreal Canadiens before entering serious negotiations with the Flames, and it's a great move for Calgary, as the Flames get a coach who has won championships in junior hockey, the minor leagues, Europe and the NHL.
Hartley picked up the European portion of that résumé in April, when he coached ZSC Lions to the championship of Switzerland's National League A. It was his first year in the league after providing commentary on the French-language RDS network in Canada. Adding the Swiss championship to his 1992-93 QMJHL title with the Laval Titan, his 1997 Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears and his 2001 Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, Hartley was sure to be a very desirable target for a team hiring a new coach, and picking the Flames was a no-brainer.
Hartley comes along at a key moment for the Flames. Jarome Iginla is heading into the last year of his contract, and only three players on this season's roster are under contract past 2014 (Alex Tanguay, Curtis Glencross and Mark Giordano). Flames management is going to have major decisions to make as to the club's identity going forward, and having a veteran coach with a championship pedigree is sure to be a major factor in what shape that identity takes.
Some coaches are known as great teachers, while others are best suited to chasing championships and don't handle rebuilding teams well. Hartley, however, can do both. He's won at developmental levels, both in junior and the minor leagues, and he's won in the NHL, with one Stanley Cup and four trips to the conference finals on his résumé. Whatever future awaits the Calgary Flames, they now have a coach who knows how to handle it.
