Flames add Lambert, Savard to coaching staff
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The Calgary Flames have filled out their coaching staff under head coach Ryan Huska, announcing the hiring of assistants Dan Lambert and Marc Savard on Friday.
Lambert, 53, began his coaching career in 2009 as an assistant with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets under Huska. Three years later, Lambert was promoted to the head coaching position where he eventually led the Rockets to the 2015 WHL Championship before losing to the Oshawa Generals in the final of the Memorial Cup.
The native of Saint Boniface, Man., became an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres in 2015 and would later be named head coach of the AHL's Rochester Americans before being fired in 2017. From there, Lambert joined the WHL's Spokane Chiefs before moving back to the NHL as an assistant with the Nashville Predators in 2019.
Lambert played 29 games in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques in the early 1990s, scoring six goals and nine assists.
“Dan served as Ryan Huska’s assistant in Kelowna from 2009-2014. We feel those past relationships will allow us to get up to speed quicker and hit the ground running,” said Flames general manager Craig Conroy in a release. “While Dan will be running our defense, he also provides well balanced experience having run the powerplay in Nashville the past four years. The focus is keeping the puck out of the net, but Dan’s approach generates an offensive flair from the backend.”
Savard, a veteran of 807 career NHL games, just completed his second season as head coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires . The 45-year-old, who last played with the Boston Bruins during the 2010-11 season, spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues.
Savard led Windsor to the OHL Finals in 2022.
The Ottawa native also played 221 games with the Flames, scoring 60 goals and 94 assists.
“I know how competitive Marc is from when we played together over three seasons here in Calgary,” stated Conroy. “Savy has a great offensive mind which will help boost our power-play and help drive our offensive game. He’s style was very well known as a player, and he sees the game the same way as a coach.”
Cail MacLean will return to the Flames as an assistant coach while goalie coach Jason LaBarbera and video coach Jamie Pringle are also back.