In the end, he wasn't their guy.
Both Brian Burke and GM Brad Treliving inherited Bob Hartley from Jay Feaster's regime and the 55-year-old essentially had to work a small miracle to stave off the inevitable.
That miracle came in the form of a playoff berth two years ago that was one of the most shocking in recent NHL lore. It was followed by a first-round upset over Vancouver.
It earned Hartley a Jack Adams Trophy and elevated expectations his team couldn't live up to, prompting Tuesday's firing.
It ran much deeper than that, as Treliving outlined hours after informing Hartley in an "emotional" meeting he wouldn't be fulfilling the last year of his contract.
"Bob has taken this team as far as I feel he can take it," said Treliving, clearly shaken while delivering news of a decision he admitted was the toughest of his tenure in Calgary.
"Bob is able to get a lot out of players. But as I sit back and review I felt for us to move forward as an organization it was critical we made this decision. This decision is not based solely on this season."
In terms of this season, there were troubling signs befitting a 26th-place team:
"Our special teams for a good portion of the year were 30th," he said.
"Our goaltending was not good this year – that falls on the GM. I need to fix that. The way we played in front of the goaltender needs to be fixed as well. That leads to a certain style of play.
"I don't want to characterize it as one of us was talking chess at one end of the room and the other was talking checkers. There's some style of play issues."
That was apparent at their respective season-ending press conferences.
"In today's game you need to have the puck," said Treliving, eliciting a huge roar of approval from the analytics crowd who predicted Calgary's demise last year.
"You have to work like hell to get it and when you do you have to play with it and keep it. (Also,) you break down the type of chances we give up and you've got to be able to defend in this league."
So, off to Ottawa Hartley goes (you can bet the farm on it).
And in comes Bruce Boudreau. (Admittedly, a bet that comes with slightly longer odds.)
Contacted via text just before he got on a plane to Florida Hartley said he simply wanted to thank the fans.
He'll undoubtedly respond more in depth to the news as early as Wednesday as the colourful and widely quotable coach is always keen to have his say. As he should.
Treliving insisted the availability of Boudreau as of Friday is a coincidence and that he not only doesn't know Boudreau but hadn't spoken to a soul about the search for the next search.
"This isn't about whether there is a prettier girl at the dance," said Treliving.
The beauty contest will no doubt include the bulk of Marc Crawford, Randy Carlyle, Travis Green, Dallas Eakins, Guy Boucher, Sheldon Keefe, Mike Yeo, Ryan Huska and Boudreau, among others.
Certainly a big part of Hartley's undoing revolved around the horrific start the Flames got off to this year. Goaltending didn't help, nor did the three-headed monster in the crease he had to deal with.
As Treliving pointed out, Hartley helped build a tremendous foundation for an organization that is now one of the most attractive destinations in the NHL given the core the team is building around, the city itself and an ownership group committed to building and funding a winner.
In four years he instilled a work ethic that made the team's improbable playoff run possible. It gave the team an identity and a base on which to build.
He helped develop youngsters like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Sam Bennett and T.J. Brodie extremely well.
He may not have been universally loved in the room due to his relentless demand for top effort and fitness levels, as well as a dedication to defence that included relentless shot-blocking.
But the former Stanley Cup-winning coach had to be respected.
It's not a popularity contest anyway – it's pro sports.
Treliving, who immediately jumped on a plane for the world championships in Russia where he is co-GM of Team Canada, gave no timeline on the coaching hire. He said he has an idea of what type of coach he's looking for but said he'll be open-minded as he meets new people and listens to their philosophies.
It's the most important hire for any GM and he will take his time – just as he took his time making the decision to fire Hartley.
He said he didn't believe in the approach that had many bringing Hartley back next year but with a short leash if things started poorly.
After all, this is the best time of the year to be looking for a coach as he'll have plenty of options.
As if Treliving wasn't going to busy enough finding a starting goalie, signing his two biggest stars and preparing for a crucial draft, he now needs someone to corral the entire bunch as coach.
"I want to make sure it's very clear this is my decision," said Treliving, who has Burke at his side for advice. "I debated this for a while. In the last couple days we've come to the decision. We had an owners meeting and I made the recommendation and it was supported and we moved forward.
Opening to door for him to put the most important stamp on his team to date.
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