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Calgary Flames: The Four Stages Of Glen Gulutzan

By Ramina Shlah

Dec 10, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan reacts from his bench against the Winnipeg Jets during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan reacts from his bench against the Winnipeg Jets during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 15, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan looks on during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Flames defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 15, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan looks on during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Flames defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Stage: Alright he can stay for now…

Something Calgary Flames fans weren’t good at was having patience. Don’t worry, I’m included in this too. If we’re doing down, we’re all going down together. But at the same time, can you really blame the fans? In a competitive league that gets more rigorous every year, you don’t have the time for patience. If you start your season off poorly, it’s hard to get back up. Especially when you’re a fifth into the season and you’re one of the last teams in the league.

However, November wasn’t horrible for the Flames. Especially the second half. They went 4-3-1 in their second half of their games that month and were tied for sixth in the league for points during that time frame. And his system that he decided to stick with started to actually work. He credited it a lot to the players too, saying how they were patient with him in his system and it turned out for the better.

And suddenly, Dougie Hamilton was being Dougie Hamilton again after being paired with Giordano and things were working. And as a Flames fan, I wasn’t totally suffering every game.

By the end of November, the Flames were just one point back from a playoff position. Given that they had played more games than other teams. But by the way they had been playing the last few weeks, there was potential for a playoff spot. They ended November on a high note, winning 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chad Johnson getting his third shutout in eight games.

And then December rolled around and suddenly I was happy again.

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