Chris Tanev Throws Former Coach Under The Bus

Darryl Sutter is back in town after serving as Head Coach and General Manager of the Calgary Flames. He stepped down as head coach in 2006, two years after taking the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final. After winning two Cups in Los Angeles, Sutter is looking to revitalize the Flames. Chris Tanev has made some back handed comments about his former coach while recognizing Sutter's abilities.

After being bag skated by Sutter, the players met with the media and fielded questions about their new coach. Tanev, wittingly or not, threw former coach Geoff Ward under the bus in his response.

Definitely the best practice we've had in a while.

It's hard to imagine Tanev wasn't completely aware of the message he was sending. He is a new member of the team who spent little time under Ward. Further, he just made a positive compliment about the team's practice after being bag skated. If you ask some of the older guys, they may have appreciate the pace but would not have enjoyed their line-to-line drills.

"Practice was good - it was fast, it was up-tempo, guys were moving. It was definitely the best practice we've had in awhile."

Chris Tanev and Matthew Tkachuk talk about their first skate with Darryl Sutter. pic.twitter.com/mHNQl7h1Ac
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 9, 2021