Few times in NHL history has a head coach signed an extension less than 24 hours after his team was shellacked 8-1, but Ryan Huska successfully pulled off the feat on Thursday, inking a pact that will keep him in Calgary through the 2027-28 campaign – the first in the team’s new arena.

“We were joking a little bit this morning that hopefully it got done before the game last night,” veteran Rasmus Andersson said.

The two have known each other since 2015 when both were starting their journeys with the organization – Huska the minor league coach and Andersson the second-round pick.

“He’s always been a hard worker and great communicator…he’s probably one of the better-prepared coaches in the league,” said Andersson.

It’s clear that players were happy that Huska will see the next phase of the Flames’ plan through. Should he coach the duration of his contract, he will surpass Darryl Sutter to be the franchise’s all-time leader in games coached.

“We tried to get him in the middle [at practice], told him to go for a stretch there, but he didn’t like it,” Andersson said.

Both Andersson and veteran Blake Coleman pointed out Huska’s communication style. He’s open, honest, and teaches.

“He’s a guy that someone that guys want to play for,” Coleman said. “Play for a guy out of love…he cares about his players and goes to bat for you. The communication’s really good and open.”

The Flames in recent decades have oscillated between taskmasters and players’ coaches.

Bob Hartley, Bill Peters, and Sutter were the former, while Glen Gulutzan, Geoff Ward, and Huska are the latter. What makes Huska unique to have stopped that coaching carousel is the current coaching climate where teaching and communication are prized over decibel levels and garbage can tosses.

Huska said that his skillset dates back to being a young head coach with the Kelowna Rockets, where one of his players was now-captain Mikael Backlund.

“I always felt if you were honest and up-front with them, even if the message may not have been what they wanted to hear at times, they will respect it,” Huska said.

“The older I’ve gotten, I think you realize that it’s much more of a partnership with coach-player than it probably used to be. I think it’s a necessary thing. If you want people to go a certain direction, they have to be part of that plan.”

Huska has produced tangible results on the ice as well since general manager Craig Conroy made him his first coaching hire back in 2023.

Despite having the fourth-worst offence in the league, Calgary nearly made the playoffs last season. Huska instilled a defence-first, selfless identity and helped develop Dustin Wolf into a bona fide No. 1 goalie, forward Matt Coronato into a two-way threat, and Kevin Bahl into a cornerstone defenceman.

Sometimes, the coach who starts the rebuild isn’t the same coach who sees it through. Conroy sees a perfect fit between coach and roster – both now and heading into the future.

“He’s a teacher,” Conroy said.

“When he works with them, whether it’s video, on the ice, how he explains what he wants from them, it’s simple. ‘This is how you need to play if you want to play in the NHL.’”

Conroy also praised Huska’s willingness to change and move on from preconceived opinions about players.

The coach visited Jonathan Huberdeau in Quebec last summer. The following season, Huberdeau had his best season as a Flame and was used on both the penalty kill and in key defensive situations.

“He works with the players and tries to put them in positions to succeed,” Conroy said, mentioning Huska’s willingness to tolerate mistakes from younger players.

“The first year, there was a hard line where if you made a mistake that wasn’t received well, you might not play. Now, ‘Okay. You made a mistake. Here, I’m going to give you another opportunity. We’re going to do it again and this is what I need from you.’ That means a lot to the young guys, to know they’re going to get a chance.”

Huska has constantly mentioned that work remains to get the Flames to their intended destination of playoff hockey at the Saddledome. He said there are changes to the penalty kill and five-on-five tweaks.

Thursday’s announcement, however, further cements the team’s evolved identity under him and Conroy.

“I think if you stand still in any walk of life, then you’re going to be passed by someone,” Huska said.

“That’s not what we want for our team or this organization, so we have to make sure that we’re adjusting and changing with the times.”