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The skating stars might want to grab a java en route to the Saddledome.

Because Bill Peters, expected to be announced as soon as Monday as the new head coach of the Calgary Flames, apparently seems to wake up fired up.

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“He’s intense. All the time, he’s intense,” said former NHL defenceman John-Michael Liles, who called Peters his boss for two campaigns with the Carolina Hurricanes. “I mean, it’s 7 a.m. and you’re walking into the rink and you haven’t had any coffee yet, and he’s intense. That was one of the things you really learn early on.

“But he’s honest and he’s forthright. He will tell you right to your face — if you played well or if you didn’t, he’s going to let you know.”

The entire hockey world is now waiting for the Flames to officially let us know that Peters will be behind the bench at the Saddledome next season.

The 51-year-old from Three Hills, Alta., was immediately considered the front-running candidate after Calgary’s former skipper, Glen Gulutzan, and two of his assistants were fired last Tuesday.