NHL Coach Uses ChatGPT For Strategy On Losing Team

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images

A Season on Thin Ice

The Calgary Flames, a professional Canadian hockey team established in 1972, are facing a difficult season. Despite a strong push for a playoff spot last year, their current record stands at just three wins in fourteen games. This performance has unfortunately positioned them as the worst team in the National Hockey League so far.

While some fans speculate this could be a strategic move known as tanking—losing intentionally to secure a better draft pick—the real reason might be even more surprising: the team's head coach has been seeking advice from ChatGPT.

The ChatGPT Coaching Experiment

In a candid behind-the-scenes show called “The Chase,” Flames head coach Ryan Huska was shown admitting to his players that he had consulted the AI chatbot to understand their performance issues. During a team meeting in the dressing room, a time usually reserved for reviewing game tape and discussing tactical analysis, Huska introduced a different kind of insight.

“So I went down a rabbit hole last night after watching this game here, and I put in — do you guys use ChatGPT?” Huska asked his players. He then explained that he had shared the AI's findings instead of his own analysis.

An AI-Powered Pep Talk

Huska detailed his process to the team. “I put in five games,” he explained. “I gave it a bunch of different things to go in there. People’s career shooting percentage, the amount of shots people have taken over five games, projected over the course of a year.”

The result of his AI study session was a stark number on the board. “That’s where we end up,” Huska said, pointing to the data. “Which leads to that on the year, 2.36 goals for during the year.” The stat refers to the average number of goals the team scores per game.

The team lacks a roster of high-goal scorers, making it a challenge to maintain a high average. In such situations, coaches often need to think creatively to find a path to victory, though turning to ChatGPT is certainly a novel approach. Huska used the AI's analysis to deliver a fiery challenge to his team.

“For our team in here — love you all, genuinely hope you know that — but we don’t have a 60 fing goal guy in here. So we have to be good with fing getting things to the net. Don’t accept it, I guess is my message to you. People say the Calgary Flames can’t score. F*** that. You can’t score because you’re f***ing okay with it!”

Is ChatGPT the Right Tool for the Job?

While the motivational tactic is clear, the choice of tool is questionable. When it comes to building predictions from data or performing simple algebra, ChatGPT is notoriously unreliable. It is a large language model, not a calculator, and it frequently struggles with extremely simple equations. Furthermore, it is known for producing reality-bending hallucinations and engaging in sycophantic brown-nosing. These limitations make its use in analyzing the performance of a $1.6 billion professional hockey team a very difficult strategy to justify.

More on AI: NBA Coach JJ Redick Says He Spends Hours Talking to His “Friend” ChatGPT