Former Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan admitted to being surprised by his firing from the club, but he’s taking the high road and already looking to get back behind the bench somewhere.
“I was, I was,” Gulutzan said when asked if he was surprised during an interview on On Point on Sportsnet 650 radio in Vancouver. “We didn’t have the year we thought we could last year, obviously, down the stretch with some injuries, we certainly could have done some things better. But yeah it was a little surprising to me at the end for sure.”
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Gulutzan was fired by the Flames on April 17 after two years behind the bench with the club. He posted a 45-33-4 record in his first season as the Flames secured a wild-card spot. But last season, the Flames missed the playoffs with a 37-35-10 record that included winning only two of their final 11 games.
Gulutzan said he’s disappointed he won’t get another year with the Flames and that he believes they’re a team that could make noise in the playoffs soon.
“They’re just a fantastic group. The thing I’ll miss the most is that that team is certainly on the rise,” Gulutzan said. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done there. Your sorry that you can’t keep going through because it is a great locker room and it’s a great bunch of young players.”
When asked if he’s looking to jump right back into another job, Gulutzan didn’t hesitate to say yes. He added that he’s already spoken to some teams about potential jobs and that he would be open to both head coach and assistant coaching opportunities.
“I’m just not one of those guys who can really sit still,” Gulutzan said. “Whether it’s a head coach or an assistant coach, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both.
“I’ve talked to a few teams here in the last couple weeks,” he added. “I’ve had some great discussions with some really good people. It’s disheartening but interesting moving forward. It’s just another chapter in this life.”
You can listen to the full interview with Gulutzan below.
