The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[Firebot]

Calgary's bottom 6 is not the reason why the Flames are out of a playoff spot.

Forcing Brodie on the wrong side for a full 2 years
Playing Brouwer on the Power Play
Sticking with the same Power Play strategy the whole year
Prioritizing shots on goals and puck control over quality scoring changes and transition
Having Brouwer take 3(!) faceoffs and leaving all 3 PKers in OT a full 2 minutes despite 2 stoppages of play (this one should have gotten GG fired immediately)
Not talking to players after the game, every, single, one
Playing Bartkowsky
Playing Tanner Glass
Playing Stajan well beyond his abilities
Giving the same even strength ice time to the bottom 6 as the top 6.
Sticking to the exact same system from the puck drop to the end of the season, no matter
Not taking a timeout, ever, when things need to be calmed down
Not making goalie changes, until 6 goals have been scored on
Not line matching, even with home ice advantage (Wille Desjardins specialty)
Putting the 4th line on every time a goal against is scored


Those all point to where the problem really lies. Until that is changed, we cannot evaluate this team properly.

[Stanley]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

It's a fair question. I would counter and say how many close games did this team lose in December and January where in the post game we commented "the powerplay was the difference"? I think it was a lot and while players deserve blame for missing nets and overpassing there's not much dispute that the powerplay has not been well run whether it be the scheme or personnel. It's pretty clear this roster has holes but there are few if any perfect rosters in this league.

I like Glen Gulutzan the person so I've been trying hard not to demonize the guy for doing what he thought was best for this team but his vision of how things should be done simply hasn't translated on the ice. While I've never been a fan of the hire I've always tried to remain open minded as my post following last season indicates;



Unfortunately he didn't really seem to learn a lot from his first season with this team as he was steadfast in his square peg in round hole approach and with the bar raised the team actually regressed so there's no doubt in my mind he and his staff has to go regardless of how good you think this roster is.

Yea I've tried to stay neutral and level-headed about it myself, the square peg in round hole approach is really what ultimately grinds my gears...

[Stanley]

Originally Posted by Firebot

Calgary's bottom 6 is not the reason why the Flames are out of a playoff spot.

Forcing Brodie on the wrong side for a full 2 years
Playing Brouwer on the Power Play
Sticking with the same Power Play strategy the whole year
Prioritizing shots on goals and puck control over quality scoring changes and transition
Having Brouwer take 3(!) faceoffs and leaving all 3 PKers in OT a full 2 minutes despite 2 stoppages of play (this one should have gotten GG fired immediately)
Not talking to players after the game, every, single, one
Playing Bartkowsky
Playing Tanner Glass
Playing Stajan well beyond his abilities
Giving the same even strength ice time to the bottom 6 as the top 6.
Sticking to the exact same system from the puck drop to the end of the season, no matter
Not taking a timeout, ever, when things need to be calmed down
Not making goalie changes, until 6 goals have been scored on
Not line matching, even with home ice advantage (Wille Desjardins specialty)
Putting the 4th line on every time a goal against is scored


Those all point to where the problem really lies. Until that is changed, we cannot evaluate this team properly.

All valid points but I still think our 3rd/4th line wingers need drastic improvements. Hopefully that can come from within.

[GioforPM]

Criticism is fine, but this post is so factually challenged.

Originally Posted by Firebot

Calgary's bottom 6 is not the reason why the Flames are out of a playoff spot.

Forcing Brodie on the wrong side for a full 2 years Brodie's mistakes are not from being on the left, plus who do you want to play out of position in response?
Playing Brouwer on the Power Play He didn't for the majority of PPs, and only brought him back when other players went down
Sticking with the same Power Play strategy the whole year untrue
Prioritizing shots on goals and puck control over quality scoring changes and transition also untrue - his system is mainly based on transition. the execution was poor
Having Brouwer take 3(!) faceoffs and leaving all 3 PKers in OT a full 2 minutes despite 2 stoppages of play (this one should have gotten GG fired immediately) Brouwer is better at RH faceoffs than Backlund - look it up.
Anyway, the idea was to use the best PKers and then throw out the scorers
Not talking to players after the game, every, single, one again, untrue
Playing Bartkowsky 14 games, plus you have to play sitters once in a while just to make sure they are ready if an injury to a regular happens
Playing Tanner Glass 12 games
Playing Stajan well beyond his abilities Got off to a very slow start but was fine as a 4C by the second half
Giving the same even strength ice time to the bottom 6 as the top 6. nope
Sticking to the exact same system from the puck drop to the end of the season, no matter I willing to bet you couldn't tell me what his system is
Not taking a timeout, ever, when things need to be calmed down like pretty much every coach, since timeouts to "change momentum" are overrated. You get more time during a commercial break or an icing.
Not making goalie changes, until 6 goals have been scored on a. - untrue and b. there's some thought that goalies can work back into a game, some of which happened this season (Gillies especially)
Not line matching, even with home ice advantage (Wille Desjardins specialty) nope
Putting the 4th line on every time a goal against is scored nope


Those all point to where the problem really lies. Until that is changed, we cannot evaluate this team properly.

[curves2000]

The way I look at this particular situation with Gully is an amount of arrogance on his part, an inability to adapt in a lot of ways, being too conservative and being a poor tactical manager of the game as a Head Coach.

I watch or listen almost all the Flames press conferences and media interviews either online, radio or tv. I recall a few instances where this guy's ego was talking more than his skillset can deliver.

Last year when Calgary was playing Florida and Jagr was with the Panthers he said and I quote "When I coached Jags in Dallas" and he went on and on. Some of it was talking about Jagr the player and some of it was almost like HE taught Jagr something. This guy held the bench door open for Jagr, end of story.

A few times when the media literally just asked questions about some potential changes personnel or strategy, he questioned why anybody would be questioning him.

One of the most damming situations with him is how the narrative has switched from fans and the press in Calgary alike. For a LONG time he had a lot of people from both sides in his corner defending a lot of his coaching tactics but as season # 2 wore on, it changed. There was a LOT of fans questioning him and a lot of media members were also perplexed. Why aren't you putting Brodie with Gio, why aren't you putting Stone on the PP, why haven't you done whatever. We would know his answers to these but it wasn't like his results showed it was working.

In any event I don't see him coming back personally but I am also not naive enough to think that this roster doesn't need some work from Burke and Tre. I actually don't think we are a coaching change away from a cup.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by curves2000

In any event I don't see him coming back personally but I am also not naive enough to think that this roster doesn't need some work from Burke and Tre. I actually don't think we are a coaching change away from a cup.

I agree we might not be a coaching change away from a cup, but I'd like to see them make the coaching change first to see what "actually" needs to be done about the roster. I hate to see they try to make changes to the roster, get fleece and then make coaching change. That'll set the franchise back for years.

[monkeyman]

Playing Brodie on his wrong side is only half the problem, the other half is GG's system. remember the Frolik pass that went back the other way during the Vegas game? I've seen several players make that pass on the flames leading me to believe, that is a set play. That's only one example of how a bad system can make the players look like they're making the mistake. it's the system.
GG is a bad coach. He can't read the game, he doesn't know how to push his players, his practices are slow, he doesn't hold all players responsible, he's slow to adapt, and his game plan is obviously flawed, leading to huge break-downs and lot's of turnovers.
There are just too many flaws with him, regardless of how long he had lunch with management.

[Textcritic]

Oh, come on...

Originally Posted by curves2000

...I watch or listen almost all the Flames press conferences and media interviews either online, radio or tv. I recall a few instances where this guy's ego was talking more than his skillset can deliver.

Last year when Calgary was playing Florida and Jagr was with the Panthers he said and I quote "When I coached Jags in Dallas" and he went on and on. Some of it was talking about Jagr the player and some of it was almost like HE taught Jagr something. This guy held the bench door open for Jagr, end of story...

Gulutzan talked a tonne about Jagr because he knows him pretty well, and because Jagr's short time in Calgary was a really interesting story. This DOES NOT sound like someone so pretentious as to insinuate that he had anything to do with Jagr's success as a hockey player:

Originally Posted by Glen Gulutzan

"You look at his age and what he can do. And, yes, he’s physically a specimen, but his hockey I.Q. is just off the charts, and that’s what allows him to be behind Wayne Gretzky in scoring. It’s hard to explain the things he does. There were certainly some ‘wow’ moments in watching him play in Dallas."

Nor does this:

"You learn every time you chat with [Jagr]. When you have a guy that’s played that long and that many games, he knows where he’s at."

It is abundantly fair to criticize the coach for actual coaching mis-steps and flaws, but these anecdotal sorts of speculative denouncements are nonsense.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Firebot

Calgary's bottom 6 is not the reason why the Flames are out of a playoff spot.

Forcing Brodie on the wrong side for a full 2 years
Playing Brouwer on the Power Play
Sticking with the same Power Play strategy the whole year
Prioritizing shots on goals and puck control over quality scoring changes and transition
Having Brouwer take 3(!) faceoffs and leaving all 3 PKers in OT a full 2 minutes despite 2 stoppages of play (this one should have gotten GG fired immediately)
Not talking to players after the game, every, single, one
Playing Bartkowsky
Playing Tanner Glass
Playing Stajan well beyond his abilities
Giving the same even strength ice time to the bottom 6 as the top 6.
Sticking to the exact same system from the puck drop to the end of the season, no matter
Not taking a timeout, ever, when things need to be calmed down
Not making goalie changes, until 6 goals have been scored on
Not line matching, even with home ice advantage (Wille Desjardins specialty)
Putting the 4th line on every time a goal against is scored


Those all point to where the problem really lies. Until that is changed, we cannot evaluate this team properly.

I get people not liking GG, but half your arguments are not valid.

Tanner glass? Bart? Lol they barely played this year.

While I would want Brodie on right side , he was on the left side when they made the playoffs last year

Do posters realize that they had the same pp last year and it was effictive.

I get line changes and in game adjustments as problems .

And yes bottom 6 , especially 3rd line was crap. Would also add Backlund was crap for 2nd half of season

[CF84]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

It's a decent (but not top end) machine. So why is he using that gawdawful patch for the anthem?

I would guess that the chosen patch is a result of some poor personal taste...I'm not even certain if Willy has a choice in the matter.

Maybe they're just hanging onto the 1980's "Red Hot" era and can't let go?

There are better patches available, but the coaching staff probably want's to use that particular patch because "eventually it will work with the anthem."

[Locke]

The Oilers are going to beat this team like a rented mule.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Locke

The Oilers are going to beat this team like a rented mule.

It's gonna be pretty bad. If they put up a banner for each goal scored against us, their arena roof might cave in.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by nik-

It's gonna be pretty bad. If they put up a banner for each goal scored against us, their arena roof might cave in.

And that arena roof was designed for banners!!!

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by Locke

The Oilers are going to beat this team like a rented mule.

The Oilers haven't exactly been awesome lately either, and at least Gaudreau should be back to make it a bit more even. This game is gonna be the ultimate "Toilet Bowl" with two terrible teams duking it out.

But yea, McLotteryball will probably score at least 2 or 3 on us for sure, which means they'll likely win, as we can barely score even 1 on our best days.

[nik-]

I'm predicting we're the biggest turd in that toilet bowl. Two flusher most likely.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by nik-

I'm predicting we're the biggest turd in that toilet bowl. Two flusher most likely.

Definitely an Upper Decker.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by nik-

I'm predicting we're the biggest turd in that toilet bowl. Two flusher most likely.

Your forcing me to block any mental images of that game!

[4X4]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I find it interesting whenever the Flames string some wins together this thread disappears but as soon as they lose one game it is at the top of the page.

Oh hey, since it's important for you to know whether the sentiment remains, GG sucks. His garbage system of backward passing and 300 crappy shots per game has lulled me into not even bothering to tune in for last night's game, and now I missed a win over the Oilers. I don't think I've missed watching a win over the Oilers in almost 30 years, but thanks to GG, I just don't even want to risk wasting my time. You're welcome, dissen.

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by Firebot

Calgary's bottom 6 is not the reason why the Flames are out of a playoff spot.

Forcing Brodie on the wrong side for a full 2 years
Playing Brouwer on the Power Play
Sticking with the same Power Play strategy the whole year
Prioritizing shots on goals and puck control over quality scoring changes and transition
Having Brouwer take 3(!) faceoffs and leaving all 3 PKers in OT a full 2 minutes despite 2 stoppages of play (this one should have gotten GG fired immediately)
Not talking to players after the game, every, single, one
Playing Bartkowsky
Playing Tanner Glass
Playing Stajan well beyond his abilities
Giving the same even strength ice time to the bottom 6 as the top 6.
Sticking to the exact same system from the puck drop to the end of the season, no matter
Not taking a timeout, ever, when things need to be calmed down
Not making goalie changes, until 6 goals have been scored on
Not line matching, even with home ice advantage (Wille Desjardins specialty)
Putting the 4th line on every time a goal against is scored


Those all point to where the problem really lies. Until that is changed, we cannot evaluate this team properly.

Never forget when he played grossman, that s**t was disgusting

[Calgary4LIfe]

It isn't like the Flames are JUST shooting from a distance. It is that a lot of the shots come from situations in which the goalie is already set in position. That is the biggest problem for the Flames. The top line is not showing any 'issues' scoring with career years - they are probably getting more shots off than they have in recent years, so the system must be ok, right?

Well, I would say that Gaudreau, Monahan and Ferland have some of the best offensive skill on the team (Ferland continues to have an incredibly underrated shot on these boards, for instance). They can pick corners. Add Tkachuk to that list maybe.

Backlund, Frolik, Bennett (yet), Jankowski, Lazar, Brouwer, Stajan, Hathaway, Shore, Stewart, Glass, Mangiapane, etc.,, etc., etc., are either at a lower skill level, or haven't developed enough in the NHL to have the necessary quick release and/or accuracy to finish in those situations. They require more of a mix of cross-ice one timers/snapshots, shots through better screens, or just plain ol' jam the net.

Flames don't attack the net enough, and they don't do nearly enough quick cross-ice passes. I think it is a huge reason why the PP sucks too. It doesn't help matters that the system relies on a 5 man zone entry, which corresponds to an opposing 5 man set defensive zone presence.

Yes, there are probably more shots than average coming from distance, but the issue here is that the Flames don't generate enough QUALITY scoring chances by my eyes. There is no advanced metric that measures quality - they measure quantity from certain areas of the ice, not quality.

Hartley's transition system was based on quick transitions both ways - offence and defence. It was trying to create odd-man rushes one way, while trying to limit them the other way. I find it perplexing that the 5 man zone entries is causing so many odd-man rushes against. Why use a system that appears to be harder to score with if it isn't really limiting the chances against?

There are three things teams are in the NHL:

1) Strong offensively
2) Strong defensively
3) Strong 2-way (this is what an elite team is)

Which bracket do the Flames fall into? The only 'elite' thing I can say they do is get shots on net. They rank high in shots on goal. They rank low in actual goals scored. They rank poorly in goals against and shots against too.

How people can say that Hartley employed a 'river hockey' system is astounding to me, when I think a strong case can be made that Gulutzan's system is worse in all facets - except getting shots on net.

I used to really believe in the advanced metrics until I started noticing how consistently Hartley's system was 'beating the odds', and diving into some reasoning, I get it. I now see why Gulutzan's "advanced metrics darling" system is also consistently beating the odds the other way - I really get it.

The one rationale I come up with as to why the confidence intervals from all the data over the last however many seasons' worth is so low is because quality matters. There is only a loose correlation that people take as some kind of law when it comes to shots on goal and win percentage, and I argue it is becoming increasingly more skewed as teams are 'playing for CORSI' (as the Dallas Eakins' led Edmonton Oilers confessed to!).

It is the amount of QUALITY chances. Sure, I would bet that there is a higher correlation with high danger chances for and against as a means of a predictive stat, but even then it is faulty as it in no way measures how 'good' those high danger chances are on most nights, and what kind of players are doing the majority of the shooting.

The metrics were pointing to the Flames 'about to break out', but the eye test did little to support it. The quality didn't go up, the Flames did a better job (IIRC) of limiting high danger shots against, but continued to allow a few too many 'high quality danger chances' against (like breakaways, easy cross-crease tap-ins where a defender was nowhere to be seen, etc).

It seems like I am attacking advanced metrics. This is not the case really. I just think that the Flames are being coached FOR CORSI, rather than come up with a system that works and allow CORSI to line up with the results.

Is it bad luck when you are always missing corners and five-holes on point blank shots? Or is the system faulty for only allowing you to HAVE to shoot for the corners and five holes?

Just something to think about. I think the wide acceptance of advanced metrics has been accepted too soon and the data is not yet at a mature enough time to be anything more than what it should be used as - additional information. Additional metrics that finds a way to OBJECTIVELY measure quality has to be developed. Until then, the 'predictive' element of CORSI and most of the other advanced stats (some of which are pure garbage, TBQH - like team PDO) are going to have very low confidence intervals. There is simply too many exceptions that point to CORSI being a poor predictor. Heck, when you see one single team being a consistent exception over the course of 82 (and more) games, and being that both ways, I think you can disregard any predictions based on CORSI. When teams make big changes - coaches, systems and players - it makes the predictive nature of CORSI beyond a season even less predictive.

So why then, do I see a coach that at least SEEMS to be trying to coach FOR CORSI? I hope this is the last I see of a coach doing something like this for the Flames.