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"Our team did not meet expectations. Following detailed evaluation over the past three weeks, and taking into consideration all factors affecting our season ending result, we believe this is a necessary change required to allow our team to continue toward our objective of winning the Stanley Cup. The Calgary Flames organization appreciates and respects Mike for accepting the opportunity to come to Calgary and are thankful for his efforts over the past two years."

— Flames GM Darryl Sutter

Thus ends the eighth coaching gig of Keenan's lengthy, crazy career as an NHL bench boss. Given he's only 59 and has already coached 27 per cent of the franchises in the league, who knows where he ends up next?

Kent Wilson over at M&G isn't exactly killing himself over this one:

The good news for me in the wake of the firing is there's a better chance the goaltending will handled properly next year and  Bertuzzi will probably not be re-signed now that his #1 fan is no longer the bench boss. Heck, maybe the PP will improve as well.

Looks like it's going to be wholesale changes for the Flames coaching staff this summer. The question now is ... who's the replacement?

I'm all but certain that Brent Sutter's going to step in here, if only because his being so far away from Red Deer for this length of time clearly isn't agreeing with him. The only factor that could keep him away from the Flames is the fact that he'll also have his pick of the Alberta teams given the Oilers are still searching for Craig MacTavish's replacement, which is fortuitous given Sutter's adopted hometown is right in the middle of the two.

As for Keenan, well, because this has happened so many times before, you can't really be surprised when it happens again. My favourite stat in all this?

Prior to his being hired in Calgary, Keenan's average length of stay with an NHL team (as a coach) was 174 regular season games.

He lasted 164 with the Flames.