Bob Hartley's 'knee-to-the-groin' coaching met its 'expiry date,' says former Flames centre

Bob Hartley has done an "admirable job" with the Calgary Flames over the past four seasons, but in the end, his style of "below-the-belt" coaching could only do so much, says former Flames player Perry Berezan.

​The Calgary Flames fired head coach Bob Hartley on Tuesday, less than one year after he received the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year.

"Whether people know it or not, Bob is a hard, hard coach on players," said Berezan.

"You ask anyone who's played for him previously — they don't have a lot of good things to say about him," Berezan said.

"He did whip that group to a second round [of the playoffs], but last year, they just showed that no matter how hard he tried, and whipped, and screamed, and yelled, and did whatever else he did in the locker room, this group wasn't going to respond anymore," said Berezan.

'It's time to move on'

Berezan said Hartley was able to elevate some players' performances in the short-term, but that his coaching style wasn't sustainable. 

"If you go out of your boundaries and do it, knee to the groin, too many times to a player, they finally stop doing it," he said.

Berezan added that players are more likely to bear with a tough coach when the team is winning.

"But if it's not working and it's not a great environment to be in, it's just human nature to go, 'Pfft. Next!' "

Berezan said he sees the change as a positive one. 

"I'm not saying Bob's a bad coach. I'm saying because Bob's so hard on people, after a while those players just don't respond. It's like the expiry date was met, and it's time to move on."

Berezan said he's confident Flames general manager Brad Treliving will make a smart choice in their next hire. 

"They're experienced and weathered people. They'll make the right choice," he said.

With files from The Homestretch