Reaction: Mike Keenan Hired as Calgary Flames Head Coach

Five Hole Fanatics

In the end, I am cautiously optimistic about the change. I didn't like Playfair as a coach and was dreading another season wasted under his guidance. With Keenan, there are a lot of question marks, but I think there's a greater probability of success. Playfair had clearly lost the dressing room by the end of the year and I'm not sure my fanship could have survived another season of Canaryshirt's chin-twiddling and lip chewing. In fact, part of me is looking forward to Keenan erupting in anger the first time the team plays like hung-over Frat boys on the road. It'll be a welcome change for me and, I think, a needed change for the players...(continue reading)

flames blog

Keenan is a name, and one of the most decorated coaches in NHL history, to be sure. But his glory days are long past. Old dogs can be taught new tricks — see Bryan Murray’s success in Ottawa, for instance — but Mike Keenan has a big mountain to climb before he proves anything to knowledgable hockey fans. And I imagine the mountain he’s going to have to climb to earn his players’ trust is a little more like Everest than Nose Hill...(continue reading)

hit the post

well, i'm not convinced it's the answer. but i really can't imagine it being worse...(continue reading)

Open Ice Hits

"Iron Mike" will be named head coach of the Calgary Flames at a 3:30pm ET news conference...(continue reading)

Battle of Alberta

Grabia: ...and it's Mike Keenan. Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan and Peter Zezel signings to follow.

Matt: Put another way, Keenan was hired to coach this team and succeed, now. Will he? Recent history says no, but my opinion at first blush is that bringing him in is definitely a less worse option than sticking with Playfair. And, a lot of the options available to him in previous jobs that he is known to screw up (mainly poor and/or expensive player personnel decisions) are simply not available to him here; the job is to coach the team, and surely this is all crystal clear to him as he accepts it...(continue reading)

Double D(ion)

I am out of the loop completely at home in BC and I think I like it better. I'm going back to crawl under my rock. This can't be good. Or can it? (continue reading)

Lowetide

People are going to get yelled at, belittled, ripped and run out of town. It's a tremendous short term move, and providing they don't let him trade the kids fans in Calgary are going to love 07-08...(continue reading)

I think the consensus is: Keenan may be good, Keenan may be terrible, but thank god Jim Playfair is gone (at least from the head coach position).

Amen.