"I'm a huge Darryl Sutter fan": Lucic gives high praise to Flames' former coach

While it has been heavily reported that several Calgary Flames players disliked Darryl Sutter, it doesn’t sound like Milan Lucic was one of them.

Speaking on The Eric Francis Show on Tuesday morning, Lucic admitted that he wished communication with Sutter had been better at times. However, he gave the 64-year-old some major praise immediately after.

“At the end of the day, I’m a huge Darryl Sutter fan,” Lucic said. “Honestly out of all the coaches I’ve played for, I think he’s the best and smartest. The way he breaks the game down, and the game plan that he puts forward, I’ve never seen anyone do it the way that he does. I think that’s why he has the wins that he has and he has the Stanley Cups that he has.”

Lucic admitted that Sutter brings a very old-school approach to the game, but said he has had nothing but great experiences with him behind the bench.

These comments echo what Tyler Toffoli had to say about Sutter when speaking about him on the Empty Netters podcast this past March.

“Darryl’s my favorite coach I’ve had throughout my career,” Toffoli said. “That’s not against anybody who’s coached me, but just his mentality, he’s the most intelligent coach. Everything he does is for a reason, and you have to earn your ice time. I feel that’s what’s helped me be successful in the NHL is learning under him and on how to be a pro basically.

At the time, some believed that the reason Toffoli vouched for his head coach was due to the fact he was having a career season. Lucic, however, was nowhere near the 62-point player he was way back in 2010-11, yet still appears to be a big fan. This goes to show that, despite how many players reportedly soured on Sutter, some within the Flames locker room still supported him.

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