New Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said a lot of good and interesting things while doing his media rounds this week. But one thing that stood out to me specifically was his mantra of “be where your boots are.”
Gulutzan has talked about how this helps him stay present on a personal level. Put your focus and attention on what’s in front of you at the time. Don’t worry about what happens if this or what we are going to do about that.
Be present in the moment, which I love. It can be a lot easier said than done, especially in the NHL world where there is always another report, another issue, or another game just down the road.
I believe this not only helps Gulutzan as a coach, but it can really aid his transition to a team that has been so close to the ultimate goal three years running.
Gulutzan is coming off a long stint as assistant coach in Edmonton. The Oilers lost in Game 7 and then Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons. Both losses came at the hands of the Florida Panthers. Why is this important? It means he has the same fire, the same disappointment, and many of the same lessons learned as the team he is now in charge of.
Imagine if Dallas hired a coach fresh off a couple of seasons with the Anaheim Ducks or Chicago Blackhawks. Do you think that coach could come into this environment and immediately muster up that desperation and hunger to get over the hump? Sure, it would be instilled in him and would grow as he got to know the team and the season went on. But it would take time.
With Gulutzan, it’s already there. And now, the Stars have him on their side.
Where his mantra really comes into play is something similar to Pete DeBoer’s messaging last fall. The Stars, as much as they may want to, can’t start the season in the Western Conference Final. They don’t just need two or three more wins to reach the Final and have a chance at the Cup. It doesn’t work that way.
That can be a challenging concept, and is a big part of why teams have so much trouble repeating a championship. Going from Game 7 of a Final to the first preseason game or day of training camp is quite the 180. Gulutzan has gone through it.
“We lived the exact same thing in Edmonton,” Gulutzan said on DLLS. “We lost in Game 7, 2-1, a year ago. And when the season started, it was even in the coaches, we were walking out there and we go, ‘can you imagine we went from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to our first exhibition game, it’s like you didn’t want to be there’…
“That has to get out because you can get stale, you don’t want to lose that edge. So, we’ve got to kind of change the focus a little bit. Obviously, a coaching change changes the focus a little bit of the players. But we can’t just go back there, we’ve got to build to get back there… It’s a real thing.”
Gulutzan’s focus on being present and the “one degree” should rub off on the team. He will preach patience while building trust and confidence. It will take some time, sure. It will be a day-by-day challenge as the team goes through ups and downs and figures out who they are and what identity they play to.
But as long as his group buys in, it should also pay off and put this Stars team in a position to have success and not run out of gas or motivation along the journey.
Watch the full DLLS Stars interview with Glen Gulutzan below:
