Stars give Gulutzan first chance at NHL

DALLAS -- As a new general manager, Joe Nieuwendyk tried putting his stamp on the Dallas Stars by making his first coaching hire a well-traveled veteran who'd won a Stanley Cup. That didn't work too well, so Nieuwendyk took the opposite approach this time.

The Stars announced Glen Gulutzan -- former coach of the ECHL's Las Vegas Wranglers -- as their head coach on Friday, tapping a 39-year-old who has never played or coached in the NHL to revive a team stuck in its worst rut since moving to Dallas in 1993.

Nieuwendyk called the difference more coincidence than design, insisting, "He's just the right guy for the job."

The front office knows Gulutzan well because he spent the last two years coaching Dallas' top affiliate, the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League, taking them to the finals as an expansion team in 2010 and back to the playoffs this year.

"Even though he's young and hasn't coached a game in the NHL, his strengths are exactly what we need," Nieuwendyk said. "He just gets it. He understands players. He understands how to mesh players and how to get the most from their ability. We've seen that from talking to players who played for him.

"We were highly impressed with the structure and the style of play, just the bench demeanor of Glen. I think that's going to translate well with our players."

Nieuwendyk said it would be a "misconception that we hired a young coach to go with our young players."

"He's going to be our leader," Nieuwendyk said. "Even though he's young, has a relationship with some of our guys, they're certainly going to know who is in charge, and they will play hard for him."

Two years ago, Nieuwendyk hired Marc Crawford, and the Stars missed the postseason twice, failing to make it this season by blowing a lead in the final period of the final game.

The Stars had 95 points, matching the most ever by a team that missed the playoffs. That shows there's a good nucleus. And Gulutzan is familiar with many of the up-and-coming players, having helped groom Jamie Benn, Aaron Gagnon and Tomas Vincour.

It's getting the older guys to believe in him that could be Gulutzan's biggest challenge, and he knows it.

"First and foremost, if you can show the veteran players that what you're trying to do will benefit them and the team as a whole, if they can truly believe you're trying to help them, then everyone can grow from those relationships," Gulutzan said. "The easiest selling point is to have success. That's what makes everyone buy in."

Nieuwendyk also interviewed Ken Hitchcock, coach of Dallas' 1999 Stanley Cup champion club; Montreal assistant Kirk Muller, who was on the 2000 Dallas team that went to the Cup Finals; and Nashville assistant coach Peter Horachek.

Gulutzan received a two-year contract, with a club option for a third.

A Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, native, and the son of a longtime hockey coach, Gulutzan played professionally in Europe for two seasons, then played in the West Coast Hockey League and the International Hockey League. He also had stints in Finland and Sweden before his first head coaching job, running the expansion Wranglers of the ECHL for six seasons.

Gulutzan compiled a 254-124-55 record overall (.650) and guided the Wranglers to an unprecedented three straight 100-point seasons (2005 to 2008).

They made the playoffs in five of six seasons and reached the Kelly Cup Finals once and the conference finals another time. Gulutzan was named ECHL Coach of the Year in 2006.

Under his guidance, the Texas Stars went 87-56-17 during the regular season and 16-14 during the playoffs. He's also 5-0 in Game 7s.

"I think the best way to describe my philosophy is a hard two-way game that has today's tempo," Gulutzan said.

The Stars have missed the playoffs three straight years after failing to qualify only twice in their first 14 season in Dallas. There were some glorious seasons mixed in, with Nieuwendyk starring on the club that won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and returning to the finals in 2000.