Flames Fire Coach, GM

Archived from 1999-2000 season.

The Calgary Flames fired general manager Al Coates and coach Brian Sutter after missing the playoffs for the fourth time in a row.

"It is clear that we need more supporters and better results if we are going to go to the next level," team president Ron Bremner said.

The Flames were hampered by injuries all season, losing 479 man-games with 45 different players playing for Calgary.

Calgary lost defensemen Steve Smith, Tommy Albelin and Denis Gauthier and were without 20-goal scorer Cory Stillman for most of the season.

"I was proud of our hockey club," Sutter said before he was fired. "We could have hung it up and quit a lot of times. But instead we stayed together.

Sutter was the 10th head coach in Flames franchise history and eighth in the 20 years the team has been in Calgary.