Calgary Flames: The Four Stages Of Glen Gulutzan

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Oct 14, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan on his bench against Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Edmonton Oilers won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

First Stage: Can Gulutzan! Can Cameron! Can everyone!

The Calgary Flames lost their first three games and went 5-10-1 in their first sixteen games. Even after the second game, many people were calling for the head of Gulutzan. He was starting players who Flames fans couldn’t figure out for the life of them why they even got signed in the first place (cough cough Nicklas Grossmann cough cough). He also kept making different lineup changes, like separating TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano.

Sometimes Flames fans were being completely fair to Gulutzan. Because then he finally paired up Gio and Brodie for a few games and it didn’t work. It may have worked two seasons ago and it may have semi worked last season, but it definitely hasn’t helped this season.

So then he split them up again. And Flames fans, again, were not happy. I’ll admit, I was definitely part of that bunch. We weren’t being completely fair to him. But he stuck with a system and it wasn’t working. He put gio with Dougie Hamilton on that first defensive pairing and it didn’t really do much.

Something else that made everyone scratch their heads was why he was hired in the first place. President of Flames hockey operations, Brian Burke, likes a hard-hitting style of play. Similar to that of former head coach, Bob Hartley. However, Gulutzan’s style is a more fast-pace style.

Like I mentioned, the Flames had a horrible start to their season. And when they became the first team in the league to reach ten losses in regulation, something needed to change. And fans wanted it to be the coach.

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