Quotes from Coach Gulutzan Conference Call

I had a chance to participate in the conference call today with Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk and new head coach Glen Gulutzan. Here are a few quotes that apply heavily to the Texas Stars. Coach spoke very highly in general of his time with the Texas Stars and in Austin.

Coach Gulutzan on his first game in the AHL:
"Being behind that first bench, I can remember coming home and talking to my wife, my comment to her was that the game is a lot faster and crisper out there. At the end of the day though, it's the same game, just at a higher level with bigger faster players. I can remember that distinctly as my first impression of the American Hockey League."
Coach Gulutzan on the importance of the Calder Cup Final run:
"It was almost like a second season rolled into one. I thought I grew more in the playoffs than I did during the regular season, and I thought the regular season was a good growth. As I approached the next season, I felt a lot more confident as a coach and started to try to get out of my comfort zone coaching with some new ideas. It was one of my greatest learning experiences."
Coach Gulutzan on already knowing some of the younger players:
"Having coached those guys at the AHL level, having watched some of their transformation and now getting them up here, if you're there with them at the grassroots, you know them as a player. It's almost like raising a child. Now you see them coming up and maturing and becoming effective players. If you know their path, if you can relate with them and you understand their strengths and weaknesses I think that experience will be valuable going forward with Tomas [Vincour], [Jamie] Benn, Larsen and those types of players."
GM Joe Nieuwendyk on hiring a coach without NHL experience:
"His strengths are exactly what I feel this team needs: the structure and the style of play. The bottom line is that he gets it. He understands players; he understands how to mesh players and get the most out of their abilities. We've seen that talking to the players, like Jamie Benn, who went down to play for him. [Benn was] highly impressed with the structure, style of play, and the bench demeanor of Glen."
The Stars will have a full press conference on Monday to formally introduce Coach Gulutzan to the Dallas media.

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