The trials and tribulations of Glen Gulutzan

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

I hear a ton of complaining about personnel decisions, but what other right handed centermen do we have who can take draws? I don't see anyone complaining about Treliving's decision to sign Brouwer for $4.5m or spending a 2nd rounder on an equally bad faceoff centerman in Curtis Lazar. That pick and those dollars could've easily been allocated to a better player who can actually win draws or play with some pace or just be good. This is a flawed roster and we need to add some better forwards if we want to contend. We've been very fortunate with Gaudreau and Smith's incredible play up to date, but night after night, we're not getting enough from too many guys.

Monahan, Bennett, Stajan, Jankowski - they all have better face-off winning % than Brouwer. I don't care about handedness, Brouwer had lost two straight face-offs and Gully used him AGAIN - despite the fact he'd been on the ice for a minute and a half straight.

Even if Brouwer wins that face-off - what's the plan? Brouwer straight to the bench? Or was he planning to keep using him in the 4v4? So you're choosing to play the worst player on the team in 4v4 hockey while he's north of 90 seconds into a shift?

There's no defending leaving Brouwer on the ice. It was a coaching decision that directly led to the team losing the game.

The problem with this team continues to be generating offense. Lines 2-4 settle for low quality shots that generate nothing, which puts all the burden on Gaudreau's line to generate scoring chances. I'll agree that the roster is flawed, but only as flawed as the system that preaches "50/50" hockey during 5v5 play. The team doesn't generate offense 5v5 at an acceptable rate...they also don't generate offense on the PP at an acceptable rate.

[mikeecho]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

I don't see anyone complaining about Treliving's decision to sign Brouwer for $4.5m

I'm pretty confident everyone was complaining about this the minute it was signed.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by mikeecho

I'm pretty confident everyone was complaining about this the minute it was signed.

Having been against this signing since day one, I can definitely say there were more people on board with it and/or optimistic than there were against it initially.

[Stay Golden]

1 Leaves all his Centers on the bench.
2 Has five clear cut times to line change his PK to keep fresh legs out there but strangely chooses not to.
3 Ignores what is obvious fatigue of the PK unit that has been out for the entire 1:55. What coach does that "Gully" thats who.
4 On the final face off leaves a non face off player Brouwer to face off against the NUMBER ONE ranked face off CENTER in the NHL O'Reilly result lose immediately.
5 Basically after the game throws the PK under the bus commenting they said they were still fine. Understand this you creep all athletes will say they are fine in any team sport. It is the your job Gully to change up the personal.
6 Gully is Not a smart coach not a good coach not even a honorable coach by not even manning up by facing responsibility for the loss but would rather lay blame on the PK who did their damn job and this turd doesnt reward them by taking their tired legs off and at minimum puting a damn Center out there.

[Shazam]

Dude got fat and sassy after the win streak. He was trying to be edgy by having Brouwer out there in the final minutes. If he succeeded that would've shown all the hipsters on Twitter who's boss!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

1 Leaves all his Centers on the bench.
2 Has five clear cut times to line change his PK to keep fresh legs out there but strangely chooses not to.
3 Ignores what is obvious fatigue of the PK unit that has been out for the entire 1:55. What coach does that "Gully" thats who.
4 On the final face off leaves a non face off player Brouwer to face off against the NUMBER ONE ranked face off CENTER in the NHL O'Reilly result lose immediately.
5 Basically after the game throws the PK under the bus commenting they said they were still fine. Understand this you creep all athletes will say they are fine in any team sport. It is the your job Gully to change up the personal.
6 Gully is Not a smart coach not a good coach not even a honorable coach by not even manning up by facing responsibility for the loss but would rather lay blame on the PK who did their damn job and this turd doesnt reward them by taking their tired legs off and at minimum puting a damn Center out there.

Just sheer amateur hour.

This is the thing: I want to like Gulutzan. I really do. I want to be 100% behind my team's coach.

But its impossible when he does things like this.

It makes you wonder if it really was it a mistake? Does he really know better but for some reason didnt do it?

My major concern is that the NHL isnt a League with Training Wheels. These decisions have consequences so you have to wonder if its naivete or inexperience and trust in his players or what the deal was.

[Erick Estrada]

He's a bright guy but his bench management is arguably the worst I've ever seen. He's such a polarizing coach. Super nice guy that you want to see succeed and he's up to date on the X & O's, players seem to like him, but some of the other stuff is amateur hour. I wish he could just get it all together.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

1 Leaves all his Centers on the bench.

2 Has five clear cut times to line change his PK to keep fresh legs out there but strangely chooses not to.

3 Ignores what is obvious fatigue of the PK unit that has been out for the entire 1:55. What coach does that "Gully" thats who.

4 On the final face off leaves a non face off player Brouwer to face off against the NUMBER ONE ranked face off CENTER in the NHL O'Reilly result lose immediately.

5 Basically after the game throws the PK under the bus commenting they said they were still fine. Understand this you creep all athletes will say they are fine in any team sport. It is the your job Gully to change up the personal.

6 Gully is Not a smart coach not a good coach not even a honorable coach by not even manning up by facing responsibility for the loss but would rather lay blame on the PK who did their damn job and this turd doesnt reward them by taking their tired legs off and at minimum puting a damn Center out there.

I have no idea what you’re talking about with your 5th point. I didn’t hear him throw anybody under the bus.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by bax

I have no idea what you’re talking about with your 5th point. I didn’t hear him throw anybody under the bus.

By saying: "I asked the guys and they said they were fine" he abdicates responsibility for sending out a tired group when he had every opportunity to switch his penalty killers to a fresh group.

He chose not to. But he said its because 'they said they were fine.'

So he shifts the blame for his bad decision to the players.

You're the coach. Not them.

[Jiri Hrdina]

The Brouwer deployment is really puzzling to be sure. But in terms of the team's overall play how much has changed? They were winning a lot of 1 goal games during the streak and now they've lost 1 in a shootout and another in overtime.
I don't view that things have dramatically changed.

[Stay Golden]

Originally Posted by Locke

Just sheer amateur hour.

This is the thing: I want to like Gulutzan. I really do. I want to be 100% behind my team's coach.

But its impossible when he does things like this.

It makes you wonder if it really was it a mistake? Does he really know better but for some reason didnt do it?

My major concern is that the NHL isnt a League with Training Wheels. These decisions have consequences so you have to wonder if its naivete or inexperience and trust in his players or what the deal was.

Good post Locke. I think with Gulutzan it is 3 variables 1 Inexperience 2 Arrogance 3 unfortunately bad reoccurring coaching habits.
As frequent over the past 2 seasons as a head coach that he points out the teams inconsistant bad habits he has his own and the two most notable ones I notice are that he frequently goes against the norm of what are tried and true methods of hockey gameplans and that often he gets caught up watching the game instead of maintaining his role as a friggin coach.
When the Flames were on the recent streak Gulutzan looked like he was finally turning a page and leaving his above bad habits behind but I guess he didn't.

[Flamenspiel]

Of course it was a mistake, and he is a young coach. The issue is that with the Flames players approaching their primes, can the team afford to wait? I think the team has to wait till the end of the season to be able to hire the best candidates, I am not even sure that Sutter is available.

I'd rather have someone like JQ though, its possible that he may become available.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Flamenspiel

Of course it was a mistake, and he is a young coach. The issue is that with the Flames players approaching their primes, can the team afford to wait? I think the team has to wait till the end of the season to be able to hire the best candidates, I am not even sure that Sutter is available.

I'd rather have someone like JQ though, its possible that he may become available.

Was it though? Thats my point. Was it a mistake? Or did he do it on purpose?

I have 0 NHL experience, playing or coaching or otherwise, but from watching lots and lots of hockey in my life I could tell you that you take every opportunity to change out tired penalty killers and you always try and put someone out there to take the draw that has some sort of chance of winning it. Preferably a centre.

This isnt the nuance and minutiae of the 'Left-Wing Lock' or other complex coaching strategies, this is elementary stuff.

Because if it was a mistake then he is screwing up the most basic, garden-variety coaching that anything else seems like it would be beyond his abilities.

If it was a mistake then we need another coach. Because this is not a squad that should be led by someone learning on the job.

[burn_baby_burn]

If we get rid of Gully then what? Hire another retread that can’t get a job anywhere else? Or some fresh guy looking for his first coaching gig? Experienced coaches who are in demand are not coming to Calgary. The weather sucks and their wifes want nothing to do with the place. When is the last time a big name coach was hired by the Flames? The Sutters only coached here because it was the closest NHL job to their farms.

I’m not saying Gully doesn’t deserve criticism, but if we get rid of him, do we find an upgrade? Or just more of the same? Or worse? I think as fans we need to show some patience. Gully has shown glimpses of being able to turn these guys around. I think we need to give him some benefit of the doubt because there is no magic fix around the corner.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Locke

Just sheer amateur hour.

This is the thing: I want to like Gulutzan. I really do. I want to be 100% behind my team's coach.

But its impossible when he does things like this.

It makes you wonder if it really was it a mistake? Does he really know better but for some reason didnt do it?

My major concern is that the NHL isnt a League with Training Wheels. These decisions have consequences so you have to wonder if its naivete or inexperience and trust in his players or what the deal was.

Darren Haynes and I had an exchange about this fwiw.

https://twitter.com/DarrenWHaynes/st...00637546659841

Apparently it did come up and coach said he looked to his players and they indicated they were good to go from fatigue perspective, perhaps due to the multiple stoppages. But even though Brouwer is generally OK on draws on the right side, you still try someone new at that point.

[hah]

I don't post that often any more, so I'm late to the party on his one.

Is the discussion as to why the Flames did not make a change in the over time? Has anyone from the team addressed this?

I was at the game and wondered why the Flames where not changing lines after at least two stoppages in the over time prior to allowing the game winning goal. This was bizarre to me.

Thanks in advance

[Northendzone]

sometimes I think coaches outthink themselves - sort of like how Jacksonville and Atlanta have lost to the pats.

[Looch City]

Originally Posted by hah

I don't post that often any more, so I'm late to the party on his one.

Is the discussion as to why the Flames did not make a change in the over time? Has anyone from the team addressed this?

I was at the game and wondered why the Flames where not changing lines after at least two stoppages in the over time prior to allowing the game winning goal. This was bizarre to me.

Thanks in advance

The players said they were fine.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

He's a bright guy but his bench management is arguably the worst I've ever seen. He's such a polarizing coach. Super nice guy that you want to see succeed and he's up to date on the X & O's, players seem to like him, but some of the other stuff is amateur hour. I wish he could just get it all together.

I seriously doubt his hockey acumen when he pulls stunts like last night.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by hah

I don't post that often any more, so I'm late to the party on his one.

Is the discussion as to why the Flames did not make a change in the over time? Has anyone from the team addressed this?

I was at the game and wondered why the Flames where not changing lines after at least two stoppages in the over time prior to allowing the game winning goal. This was bizarre to me.

Thanks in advance

See my post above.