Flames head coach Hartley: 'We can shock the NHL'

Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley has high expectations for his team this season.

Hartley's club finished with the fourth-worst record by point total (77) last season, but the coach thinks the rest of the league is in for a surprise this time around.

"I think that we can shock the NHL," Hartley told TSN. "Our motivation will have to come from the inside, because if we look on the outside, we're dead-set to finish last."

Outside expectations for the Flames this season are once again low as the team looks to build around youth, including this past summer's fourth-overall pick, Sam Bennett, and 21-year-old phenom Johnny Gaudreau. 

"If we listen to all the experts, we're dreaming (about a playoff berth), but at the same time, the day (I'm) in the NHL and I don't expect my team to win a Stanley Cup, I will retire," Hartley said.

The head coach says he won't tolerate anything less than a positive attitude from his players.

"If there's a player in our organization who doesn't want to win a Stanley Cup, I'll make sure that we get rid of this guy," he said. "This is the best hockey league in the world. When you don't demand excellence, you have to put up with mediocrity, and that will not fly here in Calgary."