There has been no shortage of criticism directed at the Edmonton Oilers from Calgary since the Oilers were eliminated from the playoffs. It seems that Calgary sports commentators and former Flames players cannot say enough negative things about a team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals in both 2024 and 2025.
The latest attack comes from former Flames Stanley Cup winner Tim Hunter, who appeared on the Rod Pedersen Show and took a swipe at the Oilers organization.
“I’m not a fan of the way they do business, to be honest with you,” Hunter said. “It’s lots of coaches in the last few years for the same players. That to me is a red flag.”
Hunter expressed that he has no issue with coaches finding new jobs after being fired, noting that experienced coaches like Bruce Cassidy learn from their mistakes. “Just take Cassidy, for instance. He apparently gets fired because he’s too hard on the players. He’s sarcastic and he rubs in the wrong way. And they got tired of it. So they wanted a new coach. So they bring in Tortorella, a kinder, a gentler friendly guy, much more compassionate and much more of a players’ coach. And he’s successful. So now Cassidy is looking for another job. He’s going to have to change. And everyone makes mistakes and everyone can change… We can all change, we can all improve from those mistakes. And that’s how you get better, is learning from your mistakes.”
Pederson, an NHL insider, predicted a month ago that Vegas would allow the Oilers to negotiate with Bruce Cassidy, and he stands by that prediction. “I don’t think Babcock coaches a game at Edmonton. I think it’s going to be blocked. And, in the end, I think they’re going to get permission to talk to Bruce Cassidy. I think he’s going to be coaching there. But who knows how this is going to all turn out?”
My Take
1. Calgary’s Bitterness
Most of the criticism from Calgary stems from the fact that there is little positive to say about the Flames, a team that once seemed on the rise but completely imploded after the Oilers defeated them in the 2022 playoffs.
That Flames team lost all its key players, including Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Rasmus Andersson, Noah Hanifin, Andrew Mangiapane, Chris Tanev, Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Nikita Zadorov, and Jacob Markstrom.
There is a great deal of pain in Calgary regarding hockey, though the team is finally acknowledging the need for a rebuild.
2. Hunter’s Criticism
It is not entirely clear what specifically Hunter dislikes about how the Oilers conduct business, but it seems he objects to coaches being blamed and fired when they cannot extract more performance from the same players.
3. Oilers’ Coaching Changes
It is evident that the Oilers have moved quickly to replace coaches during the McDavid/Draisaitl era, going from Todd McLellan to Ken Hitchcock, then Dave Tippett, Jay Woodcroft, Kris Knoblauch, and now, most likely, Mike Babcock. However, Hunter is mistaken in suggesting that the Oilers keep the same players. This team has undergone aggressive and rapid turnover, even in recent years when they twice reached the Finals.
