I know many Dallas Stars fans are unhappy with Glen Gulutzan returning as the head coach of the Dallas Stars. I know that most people wanted Neil Graham to get his opportunity as a head coach. I was one of those people who thought it would be best to hire from within the organization instead of bringing in a coach who would be a retread. However, based on the comments that I've heard from Gully yesterday, it's time for Stars fans to give him a second chance as the Dallas Stars coach.
It was one of the worst times to become a head coach when the Stars gave him his first gig behind the bench at the NHL level. It was during bankruptcy, and there wasn't much money to spend on improving the team. If you took a look at the Stars' roster he had back then, I don't think any coach would have been able to achieve success in making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was just a bad hand that any coach wouldn't want to be dealt in their NHL head coaching debut.
He has another head coaching job in Calgary and performed a little better at that stop; however, he still had a lot to learn as a head coach. That's when he became an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers, where he turned their bottom-of-the-barrel power play into a force to be reckoned with. You all saw it over the last two Western Conference Finals, where if the Stars committed a penalty, it was like a death sentence for the Stars.
All I'm trying to say is maybe Stars fans should give a second chance behind the Stars' bench. I was given a second chance to return to ACU and get my journalism degree by my dad and the university. Sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way and apply them a second time around. Gulutzan has learned a great deal from his time coaching up in Canada since leaving the Stars' organization the first time. Maybe that's what he needed to become a successful head coach.
The Stars' roster is loaded with talent, which means Gully can be a competitive head coach with this roster compared to his first one a decade ago. He has players like Wyatt Johnston, Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, and others who can help the Stars win the Stanley Cup. Fans deserve to give him a second chance without looking at what he did the first time around. Gully could light a fire underneath this team and send them to the Stanley Cup Finals. I'm giving him a second chance to redeem himself, will you?