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Sutter Took Control Of The Flames In '03,
Guided Them To '04 Cup Final As GM & Coach |
The Flames yesterday announced that Darryl Sutter is stepping down as Exec VP & GM. Flames Assistant GM Jay Feaster has been appointed acting GM and will assume full responsibilities for day-to-day hockey operations, effective immediately (Flames). The GLOBE & MAIL's Eric Duhatschek reports Sutter officially stepped down yesterday, "a day after" Flames President & CEO Ken King "asked him to do so." The two met Dec. 26 "to plot the long-term future of the organization." King "asked Sutter to stay on in an advisory role, but acknowledged that Feaster now has full control of the hockey operations side." Feaster's appointment is "on an interim basis," and "if Feaster's vision for the future coincides with King's and the rest of the organization's, then the job will go to him on a permanent basis" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/29). In Calgary, Randy Sportak notes Sutter "had an incredible start to his tenure, taking the reins in the summer of 2003 and guiding the team as both GM and head coach to the Stanley Cup final in 2004." But it has been a "tumultuous past year, with the team failing to make the 2010 playoffs and currently sitting 14th in the Western Conference" (CALGARY SUN, 12/29).
LOTS OF WORK AHEAD: The GLOBE & MAIL's Duhatschek notes Feaster "inherits an organization that is old, slow, overpaid and encumbered by nearly a dozen players on no-trade or no-movement contracts." Duhatschek: "The Flames are a disaster. ... Sutter clearly had to go and probably the smartest thing the Flames did last summer was put Feaster in place" (GLOBE & MAIL, 12/29). The CALGARY SUN's Sportak writes, "Enjoyment hasn't been a big part of life around the Saddledome over the past few years. ... Sutter has long been considered the biggest cause for that lack of enjoyment, especially since moving solely to the GM job. For all his ability to be charming with that down-home hospitality and family values, he can be harsh with criticism. Fewer and fewer people in today's NHL can live with that form of leadership, even with the million-dollar salaries" (CALGARY SUN, 12/29). Also in Calgary, Wes Gilbertson writes while Sutter "will shoulder a lot of blame -- and rightfully so -- if the Flames miss the post-season again this campaign," he also "deserves credit for making them a contender for a few years" (CALGARY SUN, 12/29).
