The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Kybb79

Some of those coaches you mentioned had bad teams actually most of them. This team in underachieving and that sir is on the coach. This team is stacked on D but can't seem to play like it. This is the best Flames team since 2004 but are lacking a good coach.

In a playoff spot and 4 points out of first is underachieving? In what universe?

Maybe, just maybe, winning a league where everyone has at least $55M worth of NHL players is just really hard to do.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

In a playoff spot and 4 points out of first is underachieving? In what universe?

Maybe, just maybe, winning a league where everyone has at least $55M worth of NHL players is just really hard to do.

If you've been a Flames fan for any decent amount of time you'll know that winning in the NHL is easy and that playoff calibre teams in Calgary are the expectation.

Sorry, I just arrived from 1990, what year is it?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by JerryUnderscore

a whole bunch of stuff.

So everything where coaching has the greatest influence Gulutzan gets a pass, but everything where the coach has limited impact, Gulutzan gets credit? I see how this game is going to be played. I just don't have the energy for this right now. I'll just say my piece with, there are teams for certain coaches, and coaches for certain teams, but Glen Gulutzan is not the coach for this Calgary Flames hockey team.

[Kybb79]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

You make it sound as though Smith is turning in an historic performance. Yes, he has been very good, as good goalies playing for good teams tend to be. However, it bears pointing out that he currently barely cracks the top-ten of save-percentage leaders among goalies who have started more than 10 games, and he ranks sixth in wins in this group.

Moreover, some added context: In the first month of the season Smith recorded a 0.927 SP, and a 5-5 record to go with it. In the last month his SP dropped to 0.916, but maintained a pretty stellar 6-3-1 record in November.

That does not look like a goalie stealing games hand-over-fist to keep his team above water. Those numbers suggest much more obviously a goalie who turned in a series of excellent performances while his team adjusted to the new season, but who has settled back as the rest of the group has improved.

Lets just wait for tomorrow see what happens.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Hilarious. I am dying to know which of the seven coaches I mentioned you have ranked ahead of Gulutzan.

Hilarious. I'm dying to see which of the teams for those other coaches you would rank ahead of this particular edition of the Flames? /smarm

Talent in the lineup matters. This is a very talented lineup. I would rank it up there as one of the most talented lineups in the club's history. That makes a big difference wouldn't you say? I would also say this team is under-performing. Wouldn't you agree? The question to ask is, what is the reason for the under-performance?

[belsarius]

Originally Posted by ClubFlames

Fixed.

Yeah I don't know what I did there. But thanks for the catch. Still impressive imo.

[TheIronMaiden]

Since this is such a polarizing topic. Can we have a poll, so that we know where people stand? A simple yes or no would work.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

If Darryl Sutter was coach the flames would've already won the cup.

and if he was the GM?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by New Era

Hilarious. I'm dying to see which of the teams for those other coaches you would rank ahead of this particular edition of the Flames? /smarm



Talent in the lineup matters. This is a very talented lineup. I would rank it up there as one of the most talented lineups in the club's history. That makes a big difference wouldn't you say?

Well, I would say that this remains to be seen. Yes, I agree this is a talented lineup, but it is still a very young group, so I tend to think they have a few years to demonstrate where they might rank among the all-time Flames.

But more to the point, I was responding to the laughable, bald assertion that Gulutzan is one of THE WORST coaches in Flames history. To make such an hyperbolic claim requires that we make our preference known for at least a few of these truly bad former coaches. That is ridiculous.

I would also say this team is under-performing. Wouldn't you agree? The question to ask is, what is the reason for the under-performance?

I don’t know. I would say the Flames are not yet playing to their full potential, and there are several reasons for this—not least among these is a re-jigged defense corps and a new goalie that is requiring adjustments by everyone.


But it is a long season, and all teams—the best teams included will suffer through periods in which they “underachieve.” I stand by what I posted earlier: the team is where it should be after 25 games—in a playoff spot and in a Dead-heat for the Division. I have seen enough to think they are getting better as the season progresses, and will much more closely approximate the realization of their potential by the time the playoffs are upon us.

But all that is also to say that Coach Gulutzan is not bad, certainly not terrible, and unequivocally not among the worst in Flames history.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Kybb79

Lets just wait for tomorrow see what happens.

Wait for what? Win or lose tomorrow, it won’t do much to change the outlook for the Flames this season.

[zamler]

Won't do much to change the outlook Calgary's season? Bull####. Win and it puts another nail in the Oilers coffin, 4 point swing. Beats a team we have trouble with lately.

Need I go on?

[Kybb79]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Wait for what? Win or lose tomorrow, it won’t do much to change the outlook for the Flames this season.

To see if GG is a good enough coach to shut down Mcdavid and the 29th place Oilers.I mean he has had 5 tries now with no success. I think 99.9 % here at CP want to see a win by the Flames.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

You make it sound as though Smith is turning in an historic performance. Yes, he has been very good, as good goalies playing for good teams tend to be. However, it bears pointing out that he currently barely cracks the top-ten of save-percentage leaders among goalies who have started more than 10 games, and he ranks sixth in wins in this group.

Moreover, some added context: In the first month of the season Smith recorded a 0.927 SP, and a 5-5 record to go with it. In the last month his SP dropped to 0.916, but maintained a pretty stellar 6-3-1 record in November.

That does not look like a goalie stealing games hand-over-fist to keep his team above water. Those numbers suggest much more obviously a goalie who turned in a series of excellent performances while his team adjusted to the new season, but who has settled back as the rest of the group has improved.

I agree with the general position you expressed earlier in this post, but i do think you are underplaying Smith's exceptional play early on. He was routinely shelled with over shots a game and that 5-5 and record could easily have been much worse.

[PepsiFree]

Sure, the Flames have beat some of the 28 higher ranked teams (including shutting down Crosby) but the ultimate judgement rests on GG ability to beat McDavid and the 29th place Oilers.

Sounds logical.

[thymebalm]

Something I'd like to throw into the mix here as we discuss the value of GG as the head coach is his record in regulation time.

I personally feel that GG's stats have been inflated by the new 'mini-game' overtime format that has been introduced with 3-on-3 overtime.

Why is this a problem? Because playoff format doesn't include 3-on-3 play, where the Flames have used their high-skill players to dominate.

Since GG has taken over as head coach, these are the stats:

Overtime : 12-3
Shootout : 6-2
Regulation: 41-43

13 games over .500 in extra time. Trouble is, this format is totally irrelevant in the playoffs.

While having such stellar record beyond regulation has its merits and helps the team make the final dance, it doesn't do any good after game 82. Last year the Flames were the only team with a sub .500 Win record in regulation to make the playoffs. Next lowest was 6 wins above .500 in regulation.

It showed in the sweep at the hands of Anaheim. Anaheim finished 17 games above .500 and absolutely dominated the Flames in the playoff format of hockey.

So here's the question: If the team relies upon a format that doesn't exist in the playoffs to make the playoffs, how good are they going to be when they can't use the shootout or 3-on-3 to win games after the regular season ends? The record of 0-4 so far says 'not good'.

This I think demonstrates the flaw of GG's system the most clearly. He relies on his top players far too much game over game to produce results. And he relies far too much on a format where his skilled players have the advantage over his opponents, despite that not translating to playoff success.

So, though it was nice to see a regulation win against one of the worst assembled teams in hockey, it doesn't give me any confidence that those wins will come against teams the Flames are competing with for playoff spots and Stanley Cups.

Is there a defence of coaching a team to sub-.500 results in the only format that counts in this league come May and June?

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Something I'd like to throw into the mix here as we discuss the value of GG as the head coach is his record in regulation time.

I personally feel that GG's stats have been inflated by the new 'mini-game' overtime format that has been introduced with 3-on-3 overtime.

Why is this a problem? Because playoff format doesn't include 3-on-3 play, where the Flames have used their high-skill players to dominate.

Since GG has taken over as head coach, these are the stats:

Overtime : 12-3
Shootout : 6-2
Regulation: 41-43

13 games over .500 in extra time. Trouble is, this format is totally irrelevant in the playoffs.

While having such stellar record beyond regulation has its merits and helps the team make the final dance, it doesn't do any good after game 82. Last year the Flames were the only team with a sub .500 Win record in regulation to make the playoffs. Next lowest was 6 wins above .500 in regulation.

It showed in the sweep at the hands of Anaheim. Anaheim finished 17 games above .500 and absolutely dominated the Flames in the playoff format of hockey.

So here's the question: If the team relies upon a format that doesn't exist in the playoffs to make the playoffs, how good are they going to be when they can't use the shootout or 3-on-3 to win games after the regular season ends? The record of 0-4 so far says 'not good'.

This I think demonstrates the flaw of GG's system the most clearly. He relies on his top players far too much game over game to produce results. And he relies far too much on a format where his skilled players have the advantage over his opponents, despite that not translating to playoff success.

So, though it was nice to see a regulation win against one of the worst assembled teams in hockey, it doesn't give me any confidence that those wins will come against teams the Flames are competing with for playoff spots and Stanley Cups.

Is there a defence of coaching a team to sub-.500 results in the only format that counts in this league come May and June?

Anaheim absolutely did NOT dominate the Flames in the playoffs last year.

They got by so easily for one reason only, and that was Brian Elliott stinking up the joint.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

[/I]
I don’t know. I would say the Flames are not yet playing to their full potential, and there are several reasons for this—not least among these is a re-jigged defense corps and a new goalie that is requiring adjustments by everyone.

As excuses go, those are pretty awful though. Every NHL team adjusts its roster in the offseason and once again Flames have been remarkably healthy with their lineup.

Flames are right on the playoff bubble which is a mild disappointment but with so much season to go, lots of time to see things change.

I just don’t like excuses. As a team Flames performance has been very average. I’d put the responsibility for that from the GM to the coaches to the players. If this is where one expected them to be at this point in the season then OK. Hopefully that crystal ball sees them improving ROY.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Sure, the Flames have beat some of the 28 higher ranked teams (including shutting down Crosby) but the ultimate judgement rests on GG ability to beat McDavid and the 29th place Oilers.

Sounds logical.

It's definitely more impressive straight up to defeat a top tier team like the Penguins but as far as importance in the regular season goes, games within the division and conference are the most important as they represent 4 point swings. The Oilers sweeping the Flames was the difference between them having home ice advantage in the first round and the Flames starting on the road. The provincial rivalry makes the stakes that much higher.

Gulutzan does need to prepare the team better when facing the Oilers as McDavid has kind beat up the Flames (10 points in 5 games) under his watch. Plenty of teams can keep him in check but the Flames have had issues doing that and if you reduce his effectiveness you win more than not against that team.

[Loyal and True]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Something I'd like to throw into the mix here as we discuss the value of GG as the head coach is his record in regulation time.

I personally feel that GG's stats have been inflated by the new 'mini-game' overtime format that has been introduced with 3-on-3 overtime.

Why is this a problem? Because playoff format doesn't include 3-on-3 play, where the Flames have used their high-skill players to dominate.

Since GG has taken over as head coach, these are the stats:

Overtime : 12-3
Shootout : 6-2
Regulation: 41-43

13 games over .500 in extra time. Trouble is, this format is totally irrelevant in the playoffs.

While having such stellar record beyond regulation has its merits and helps the team make the final dance, it doesn't do any good after game 82. Last year the Flames were the only team with a sub .500 Win record in regulation to make the playoffs. Next lowest was 6 wins above .500 in regulation.

It showed in the sweep at the hands of Anaheim. Anaheim finished 17 games above .500 and absolutely dominated the Flames in the playoff format of hockey.

So here's the question: If the team relies upon a format that doesn't exist in the playoffs to make the playoffs, how good are they going to be when they can't use the shootout or 3-on-3 to win games after the regular season ends? The record of 0-4 so far says 'not good'.

This I think demonstrates the flaw of GG's system the most clearly. He relies on his top players far too much game over game to produce results. And he relies far too much on a format where his skilled players have the advantage over his opponents, despite that not translating to playoff success.

So, though it was nice to see a regulation win against one of the worst assembled teams in hockey, it doesn't give me any confidence that those wins will come against teams the Flames are competing with for playoff spots and Stanley Cups.

Is there a defence of coaching a team to sub-.500 results in the only format that counts in this league come May and June?

I wouldn't go that far, but I agree that regulation wins are huge, and the Flames need way more of them before anyone can say this team truly measures up to the legit contenders

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Anaheim absolutely did NOT dominate the Flames in the playoffs last year.

They got by so easily for one reason only, and that was Brian Elliott stinking up the joint.

Flames scored 2 even strength goals in that series?