Chatting with Gully: Digging into new head coach’s offseason process

Glen Gulutzan was born in Manitoba, grew up in Saskatchewan and is very much a product of the love of hockey in Canada. He played in Major Junior for Moose Jaw, Brandon and Saskatoon and then played two years at the University of Saskatchewan. Following that, he spent eight years in minor hockey as a high-scoring center, running up some big numbers in Fresno and eventually becoming an assistant coach while playing for the team.

His head coaching career began with the Las Vegas Wranglers in the ECHL. He coached the Wranglers for six seasons before moving up and coaching the Texas Stars for two years in the AHL. He was promoted to head coach of the Dallas Stars for two seasons (2011-2013), but was fired shortly after Jim Nill was named GM in April 2013. He then went on to become an assistant coach in Vancouver, a head coach in Calgary, and an assistant coach in Edmonton. In his seven seasons with the Oilers, he helped the team make the playoffs six times and advance to the Stanley Cup Final twice, losing both times to Florida.

He was named head coach of the Stars on July 1, replacing Pete DeBoer, and is currently in the process of getting ready for training camp with his new staff.

We had a chance to chat with Gulutzan about that process, and this is what the new head coach had to say.

Q: What is on your to-do list this summer?

Gulutzan: One of the first things I’m doing is getting with my assistant coaches and discussing all of their roles and responsibilities. Because I’ve been an assistant for so long, I understand the nuances of game day and non-game day. I definitely think that one of the things I did best was just help things flow smoothly on a day-to-day basis. In my last few years in Edmonton, I was actually the elder statesman and I was a good facilitator. Even things like when are the goalies going to work, who are they going to work with, what drills will we run, what order, so when we went on the ice, everyone knew what to expect and you would have a well-run practice. You need someone to take that lead, so that’s one of my primary functions right now is sorting that out and making sure everyone knows their responsibilities. Combine that with getting everything ready for training camp, and my days are pretty busy.

Q: You said you were talking with Jason Rademan, the director of team services. Do you have some ideas on how you want to travel?

Gulutzan: We have talked a lot. The travel here is difficult, so I do think we’re leaning toward staying over more. Now, it is a case-by-case basis. We’re going to communicate with the players and see what they want, because I do think they usually don’t go to sleep too quickly after a game, so if we’re just going to be on the plane and land before 2 [a.m.], then maybe flying is the best answer. If we’re landing and the players are starting to fall asleep, we’ll probably stay. If we’re playing the next day, we’ll probably stay.

Q: How much have you interacted with the sports performance department, and how do you see their role in the “new” NHL?

Gulutzan: I’m a huge fan. We’ve done that for the last seven years in Edmonton and it really helps. [New assistant coach] Dave Pelletier is going to come in and be the liaison in that department when it comes to return to play, where players are at, where we’re at practice-wise, energy-wise, how many contacts a player has had in the last few days, all of that. There is a difference between skating and actually being hit and banged around, so we put a lot of emphasis on analytics and sports performance. All of that information needs to be in the coaches office, so you need someone like Dave who can help us understand all of that and be aware of all of that.

Q: Do you think the younger players really like having that information?

Gulutzan: Absolutely. I know a few years back, a lot of players wanted nothing to do with it, but now you see the younger players are very enthusiastic. There is a balance to it. I have a son that’s 20, and he will tell me, “I’m wearing this watch and I know if I get this much sleep, I will be at the maximum level for me to produce.” I will tell him, “Hold on, hold on,” and I know this is old school, but I tell him, “If you’re going to look at your watch and that’s going to tell you if you’re ready to play or you can sit and say I didn’t get enough sleep, so I might not play good, then you’re missing out on some important mental aspects of the game.” I do think the old school guys understood that there were nights when they didn’t get enough sleep or they maybe were battling through some physical things, and it was never an excuse for them. There was never a “reason” that you weren’t good that night, and I do worry that there are times we might be giving players “reasons.” I do tell my son: “When you’re hungry, you’ll eat; when you’re tired, you’ll sleep. You don’t need a watch to tell you that.”

Q: You were here for two years and were fired at the time. You said in your press conference that you have had 12 years of experience and that’s made you a different coach. What is it like returning to this organization?

Gulutzan: I’m really excited about this, to tell you the truth. I walk into the room and there’s Jordie Benn, who I had in Texas, and then Max Fortunus is texting me and Travis Morin is texting me, and we hired Toby Petersen. It really does feel like a bit of a homecoming. There’s a common denominator for me. I’ve known [new assistant coach] Neil Graham for years, and I’m getting to know [Alain Nasreddine] and [Jeff Reese] and I just know they are all quality humans. That’s a great feeling where you really want to come to work every day and be around these people.

Q: You and Jim Nill seemed very similar in your opinions and approach to the game. How has it been getting to know Jim?

Gulutzan: A man I have a lot of respect for is [former Oilers GM] Ken Holland, and when I met Jim and talked to Jim, you can see so many similarities in their perspective. Those guys were together for like 20 years [in Detroit], so you understand where they are coming from and how they are thinking, and I do think that gives me a bit of a head start here. I think I’m cut out of the same cloth, so I really do think it will be a good fit.

Q: It seems in Edmonton when Kris Knoblauch was hired, that’s when you became a better defensive team. Did you learn anything from being a part of that process?

Gulutzan: The drum that was beat like crazy when we were in Edmonton was we have to get better on defense, and Kris was great at making changes. But I can tell you that a lot of the biggest changes came when the players decided this is what we have to do. The players accept it and drive it, and I think that’s when you see the biggest changes.

Q: So what is the need here? In coaching against the Stars, did you see something that needs to change for Dallas?

Gulutzan: What we did in Edmonton was we limited their rush and then we were on our details all of the time - don’t let them tip, limit their chances around the net - so we’ll look at doing those things better here, finding ways to get around what other teams are doing. But really what I would like to do, and what we did in Edmonton, was we were able to adapt and create offense against different defenses. How do we create offense against Edmonton? How do we create offense against Vegas? I think you have to be able to adapt and you can work on that in the regular season. I wouldn’t say we completely changed, but if we had a road trip and we were going into LA and then going into Vegas, we knew we wanted to do things differently in the O-zone. Hopefully, that could give us more ways to score. And then the other part is you have to be relentless on the details. I really do believe that was our biggest reason for success against Dallas.

Q: Under Pete DeBoer, the Stars had the best regular-season record in the NHL for three years and went to three conference finals. How much of what they were doing do you want to keep and how much do you want to change?

Gulutzan: I don’t think we’re going to design a system that is going to be head and shoulders over what Pete did. All you have to do is look at Pete’s record to know how good he is. We’ll do some things differently, but we’ll do a lot of things in a similar fashion, because they have worked here. My focus is: Can I get a little more from Mavrik Bourque? Can I get a little more from Nils Lundkvist? Can I help Lian Bichsel or Wyatt Johnston? I think our growth is going to come from the young guys getting better, from the internal growth of players. The other thing in that regard is young guys, they bring juice, they bring energy. They’re young, they’re hungry, and they can help give us fuel. You look at the schedule this year and we’re going to need that.

Q: Positionally, you have some challenges with wing/center complements. Do you agree it doesn’t seem like a perfect lineup?

Gulutzan: There’s really none in the league, so you have to find a way. I love the centers. I love how it’s built up the middle. I love when you have extra centers, because centers can play wing. Left side, right side, doesn’t matter to me. I like guys who want to play on their off wing, because there is the ability to possess pucks a little more. I really like the lineup. I like the D. I think there is the potential for some good pairings there.

Q: You have a few months to ponder all sorts of ways you want to shuffle the lineup, is that fun for a hockey coach?

Gulutzan: You go back to doing your job and helping the coaching staff as a whole. When I was an assistant coach, I really didn’t do much of this. You give your opinion when you’re asked, but you’re not living on it. Now, I’m home and I have papers everywhere. It’s funny, because from the time I was in the [ECHL], through the AHL and the NHL, this is what I did all of the time, so it’s good to have that back.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.