The comments made by Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter during his post-game media availability following Jakob Pelletier‘s NHL debut were harsh and undeserving. However, behind closed doors, Sutter was complimentary of Pelletier’s first game in the NHL, and admitted to giving Pelletier fewer shifts than he wanted to due to the high number of penalties taken by the Flames in the game.
Sutter’s comments to Pelletier
In an interview with the Quebec Journal on Sunday afternoon the day after the Flames knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning at home, Pelletier responded to questions about Sutter’s comments the night before. Directly from an article on TVA Sports and translated from French to English using Google Translate, this is what Pelletier had to say:
Reached by the Journal late Sunday afternoon, the Quebec winger politely refused to expand on the words of the Flames head coach, simply mentioning that it had made him “neither hot nor cold” and that he had been surprised by the proportion it had taken on social media.
“I saw him this morning [Sutter] and he told me that I had played a good game and that it was that we were so often shorthanded because it cost me time. of ice. He told me he liked what I brought despite my playing time.”
Kevin Dubé, TVA Sports
Sutter’s approach to press conferences
Sutter has always been an entertaining character at media availabilities and press conferences. His wit, bluntness, and hilarious references were beloved by Flames fans last season when the team was winning, but his tough love routine has worn thin with the media and fans this season.
Sportsnet’s Eric Francis wrote a critical article on how Sutter responded to questions about Pelletier’s debut, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman talked about Sutter being too hard on his players in the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, and the same fans who were bowing down to Sutter just one year ago are calling for his head on social media.
What we see and hear as general members of the public is very different than what goes on inside the walls of the dressing room. For us, it might seem like he’s losing the room, but it’s important to remember that we don’t have all the information. If Jakob Pelletier is feeling good after his first NHL game and isn’t affected by Sutter’s harsh comments to the media, then we need to take those comments with a grain of salt.
Thank you to @mlb94538661 on Twitter for sharing the TVA article.
