Quote:
Originally Posted by jayswin
As a pretty vocal critic of Glen Gulutzen and someone who still has to see this level of play sustained for awhile to be convinced I don't know why anyone would say anything other than the coaching staff had the boys ready to play last night and deserve huge credit for that win.
Why strain beyond stating that? It was great to see and the signs are there that this could work. My opinion may still be that we'd be better off with a different coach but I'd MUCH rather be proven wrong and get to watch this group and staff win a cup than see them have to restart under a new coach.
I'll state my opinion every time a coach discussion arises on here, but I'm cheering for my opinion to be wrong every time the game starts, lol.
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Came to say pretty much exactly this. I too am not yet convinced long-term, but the simple fact of the matter is that things have been better lately. Many of the criticisms have been improved upon.
As Tinordi said, he has listened to the criticism of his lack of emotion, and he has adjusted. There is no question that he has been far more passionate on the bench. And that's not all.
He has made many adjustments with the player usage. Hathaway is on the third line, Mangiapane is playing, Brouwer has been (mostly) taken off the PP, Giordano has replaced Brodie on the top PP.
The team has played better of late. And if you criticize him when they are playing bad, then you also have to acknowledge the reverse. I would argue that the LA and Anaheim games (especially the Ducks) were as big as any games this year, and the Flames played well. And they played with emotion.
We have seen in-game adjustments as well. As Cameron mentioned last night, they adjusted the way they set up in the neutral zone against the Ducks, and it worked both offensively and defensively.
I could go on, but the point is made. The Flames are playing better, and Gulutzan is doing a better job.
And he is doing many of the exact things we fans have been demanding. To not recognize those things is just being stubborn.
Personally, I need to see a lot more before I am convinced that he is the right coach for this team. But I absolutely acknowledge that there has been drastic improvement lately, I tip my hat to him for the way they have played these last 3 games, and I am becoming a little more optimistic about the season.
We shall see of course, but for now anyway: good job everyone!