Former Player Rips Darryl Sutter after Disrespecting Flames' Rookie
Darryl Sutter is about as old school as they come these days.
The old guard of NHL coaches has dwindled down to just Sutter and John Tortorella, although you could make a case for one or two others. These coaches tend to butt heads with modernity in general (see: Tortorella & the iPads), and it can cause discomfort behind the scenes.
The other day, Flames' rookie Jakob Pelletier made his NHL debut, and Sutter was asked how he felt the rookie played. His answer was both funny and disrespectful:
Call me crazy, feels like that's something the head coach ought to know but what do I know.
On the lunchtime show, On Jase on RDS, former NHLer Denis Gauthier - who played under Sutter for parts of two seasons ('03-04, '04-05) - had a less than stellar review of his time under the Flames' head coach.
The outspoken Gauthier recalled that Sutter blew him off during their short tenure together, calling him a 'bully.'
Gauthier openly lamented the way his fellow Quebecois has been treated under Sutter, suggesting that Sutter is stuck with Pelletier at the whims of GM Brad Treliving.
This isn't anything new with Sutter. The elder bench boss has always had an affinity for veteran players, opting to dress forwards Milan Lucic and Trevor Lewis - who are both well on the back-nine - over rookies or call-ups.
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well, with Sutter it appears as though there is no convincing him that young players' development hinges on fair opportunities. Neglecting to put players in a position to succeed is a relic of the past, and I'm not so sure his stern practices are long for the game.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 23 | 257 ANSWERS Former Player Rips Darryl Sutter after Disrespecting Flames' Rookie Has the modern-day NHL evolved too much for coaches like Darryl Sutter, John Tortorella, and the like? | ||
| Yes | 142 | 55.3 % |
| No | 76 | 29.6 % |
| See results | 39 | 15.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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APRIL 25, 2026
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| Sebastian Aho | 2 | - | 2 | |
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| Taylor Hall | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mikko Rantanen | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Carter Yakemchuk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | - | 1 | |
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| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Jankowski | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||