Gulutzan Rehired by the Dallas Stars
- Ivan Dawkins
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Apparently he still has the keycard...
July 1, 2025 - Ivan Dawkins, BS3 Network COO/Staff Writer
Big news in hockey land: Glen Gulutzan is back in Dallas! That’s right...the man, the myth, the moderately above .500 coach has been re-hired by the Dallas Stars. The Stars have reached back into the hockey hot tub time machine and pulled out their old coach like a vintage jersey that kinda still fits. It's been over a decade since he was last seen behind their bench. I suppose that's just enough time for everyone to forget why he was fired in the first place. Circle of life, baby. Gulutzan, a youthful 53 (in hockey coach years, that’s like 38 with back & knee problems), replaces Pete DeBoer, who was fired on June 6 after another deep but ultimately disappointing playoff run..
And listen, I called this. Literally. Not the Gulutzan hiring, but the DeBoer firing. Right there in the press box after that Game 5 Western Conference Final loss to Edmonton. I said it. “That might be it for DeBoer.” Didn’t mean I wanted to be right, just one of those things you say with a mix of fear, hockey intuition and playoff fatigue-induced prophecy. No shade to Coach Gulutzan. Seriously. The guy’s been grinding. He's paid his dues and is clearly respected in hockey circles, even if “winning in the playoffs” has remained slightly elusive.
Glen Gulutzan - Photo Credit: Jeff Vinnick ©ABG-SI LLC - Sports Illustrated is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC.
Résumé
Let’s talk résumé. Gulutzan originally coached the Stars to a pretty average 64-57-9 record before being booted in 2013. Since then, he’s done a tour of Western Canada like a rock band that can’t quite book Madison Square Garden. Assistant with the Canucks, then the Flames, and most recently the Oilers, where, to his credit, he helped get them to two straight Stanley Cup Finals. That’s no small feat. Unfortunately, those Finals were like a movie with a great trailer and a disappointing ending. Still, effort points apply.
“Excited to be back in Texas,” Gulutzan said, probably while Googling “What’s the current temp in Dallas?!” I wonder if he remembers how to spell ‘Mesquite’ and where the closest Whataburgers are. He also added, “The roster is one of the most talented and deepest in the League,” which is hockey speak for “Please don’t trade anyone until I figure out who they are.” But let’s be honest: is this hire the big shake-up that moves the proverbial needle? Does it inspire an “Oh snap, the Stars are going all the way!” reaction? Or is it more of a “Well, I guess we’ll see” kind of feels? Time will tell. And let me be clear. I genuinely hope to build a great, fun, personal-professional relationship with Coach Gulutzan, just like I had with DeBoer. Pete was so kind, thoughtful, smart, and always candid. If Gulutzan brings even half that vibe and a deeper playoff run, Dallas might just be cooking.
Jim Nill
Stars GM Jim Nill, fresh off winning the 2024-25 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, his third in a row and a record-setting haul (Nill has now captured the award more than any other general manager in NHL history.), addressed the media with confidence. “We are thrilled to name Glen as the head coach,” Nill said, likely with fingers crossed behind the podium and praying no one brought up the postseason stat line: 0-4. Still, perfection is overrated, and everyone deserves a second chance… or in Glen Gulutzan’s case, maybe a third or fourth, depending on how you count his ECHL stops.
The Stars, who made it to the Western Conference Final for the third year in a row (and then got handed their lunch by Edmonton), are clearly banking on Gulutzan to push them over the hump. Or at least to keep the team from falling asleep during video review. For now, the Stars continue to sit in that tricky spot: not broken, but not quite complete. Here’s to hoping Glen 2.0 is the guy to finally finish the puzzle, or at least stop it from getting swept off the table by the Oilers again.
In summary: Glen’s back, Pete’s gone, Dallas is hot (literally and figuratively), and everyone’s pretending this isn’t just hockey’s version of “Let’s give it another shot.”
Ivan Dawkins is a journalist for bs3network.com - because someone has to make sense of this madness. Follow him on X at @ikingdawk before he tweets something he can't take back.
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