I have to admit I didn't see this coming. My ambivalence towards Keenan notwithstanding, there's some strong arguments to me be made that many of the Flames failings this season weren't of his doing.
"Our team did not meet expectations,” Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter said in a statement. ''Following detailed evaluation over the past three weeks, and taking into consideration all factors affecting our season ending result, we believe this is a necessary change required to allow our team to continue toward our objective of winning the Stanley Cup."
Said Sutter during the announcement today. The good news for me in the wake of the firing is there's a better chance the goaltending will handled properly next year and Bertuzzi will probably not be re-signed now that his #1 fan is no longer the bench boss. Heck, maybe the PP will improve as well.
Looks like it's going to be wholesale changes for the Flames coaching staff this summer. The question now is...who's the replacement?
First names that spring to mind are Brent Sutter or Ryan McGill. Any other possibilities?