“I’m not into that stuff”: Flames’ Sutter has predictable reaction to Jack Adams buzz
Darryl Sutter doesn’t seem interested in any of his Jack Adams buzz.
Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter is the odds-on favourite to bring home the Jack Adams.
But don’t tell him that.
Because he isn’t overly interested in a “regular season award.”
“The only regular season award I’d be really interested in is the Jennings (for fewest goals scored against),” Sutter told media Tuesday. “That’s a good one. That’s a team award.
“It shouldn’t be a popular vote. In the end coaches are judged on games coached, wins, losses, playoff games, playoff wins, Stanley Cups. Always at the end. That’s how they’re judged in a career. That’s how they should be judged by the season too.”
"In this business you can't be satisfied. If you aren't trying to get better somebody else is. That's meaning as an individual and as a team."#Flames head coach Darryl Sutter speaks with the media following today's practice. pic.twitter.com/124cYpYbrb
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 15, 2022
Still, Sutter is the betting favourite to bring home the Jack Adams, awarded annually to the coach who is “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.”
His team tops the Pacific Division thanks in large part to a 36-16-7 record the NHL’s third-best goals for/against differential at a +61 mark.
Sutter’s got his group humming to a 110-point projection, which would be second-best all-time for the Flames franchise. The only one better came in a 117-point outburst in 1988-89. Something else happened that year, too.
Those betting odds have only swung further in Sutter’s favour of late, too.
Not that he cares about any sort of individual buzz.
Flattered or not, Sutter won’t tell.
“I’m not into that stuff,” Sutter said. “You know me better than that.”
Darryl Sutter of the @NHLFlames, Gerard Gallant of the @NYRangers and Andrew Brunette of the @FlaPanthers are the front-runners for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year at the three-quarter point of the season, according to an @NHLdotcom panel.https://t.co/gsd8QogeA9
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) March 15, 2022
Still, the results show the skipper is worthy of the chatter.
His group has a .669 winning percentage this season, and 79 points already banked as they quickly close in on a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
By contrast, the Flames had 55 points in 56 games, finishing just two wins back of the Montreal Canadiens for entry into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the makeshift North Division.
“In this business you can’t be satisfied,” Sutter said. “That’s the bottom line. If you’re not trying to get better somebody else is, and that means as an individual and as a team.
“You start the year and there’s 164 points. So then you’ve got to work back off that. Plus Edmonton and Las Vegas are still the best teams. You guys said it. I said it. So you have to stay ahead of those teams to make the playoffs.
“That just tells you what you have to do every day. Anybody who is comfortable or cozy right now, you won’t last long.”
The Edmonton Oilers are third in the Pacific with 70 points in 60 games. The Vegas Golden Knights fourth with 68 points in 62 games.
Both hold down a playoff spot. Neither is a lock.
“The only reason that we get talked about is because we’re not supposed to be as good as where we are at,” Sutter said. “The teams that get talked are the teams that they should’ve been higher up or should’ve been there anyways.
“That’s the only reason why there’s any conversation about us or them.
“That’s at the end of the day.”
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