The Hardline - Stars head coach Glenn Gulutzan

When you really need care, you need 24-7 access to a care team, not a maze of paperwork from a third party.

Every day, America's hospitals and health systems show up for you.

Navigating healthcare can fuel overwhelming.

But you can count on real doctors, real nurses, real people, providing quality around the clock care when you need it most.

They're in your corner.

In communities across America, your neighbors, your lifelines, right beside you holding your hand and helping find answers.

That's what putting patients first actually means.

When you really need care, you need 24-7 access to a care team, not a maze of paperwork from a third party.

Every day, America's hospitals and health systems show up for you.

Navigating healthcare can fuel overwhelming.

But you can count on real doctors, real nurses, real people, providing quality around the clock care when you need it most.

They're in your corner.

In communities across America, your neighbors, your lifelines, right beside you holding your hand and helping find answers.

That's what putting patients first to actually need.

Learn more at strengthinhealthcare.org.

Brought to you by the Coalition to Strength in America's Healthcare.

The NFL Draft, presented by Bud Light, is coming to Pittsburgh.

And it's your chance to witness the future of the game for free.

From April 23 to April 25, feel the energy of the NFL Draft.

See the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl rings.

Meet NFL players and legends.

Enjoy interactive games and live music performances.

And be there as the future of the NFL takes center stage.

The NFL Draft starts April 23.

Register for free entry at NFL.com slash Draft Access today.

His name is Coach Glenn Gulletson.

Hi, Coach. How are you?

I'm not doing too bad. How are you guys today?

Good. Good. Are we in Pittsburgh today?

We're in Pennsylvania. Yes, we are.

Very good.

All right. Well, I hear it's beautiful this time of year.

So let's get down to business.

I haven't talked to you in a little while.

I was gone last week, but very, very curious.

The your take on the state of things as the, I guess the line from winning to losing is shown to be thin from time to time in this league.

And you guys were around the right side and now you're on the wrong side for the better part of a week.

How do we feel about things overall?

You know, obviously no one's ever happy with with with with the losing and.

But sometimes you got to catch your breath and take a collective look at what we've been over the last 20 games without, you know, 15 without me go and since the break and.

You know, just look at the energy and the effort the guys put in to, you know, get us into the playoffs and and.

Obviously there's going to be a little bit of a law and.

And we hit it and the only way out of it is the same way when we hit that law after Christmas as we got to grow somehow, some way to.

To push our way out now getting rants backs going to help tremendously.

But you know, it's still another opportunity for us to get a little bit better.

Yeah, like I think everybody knew when you're on that that heater and you know, set in club records and in all of that that.

It's not sustainable on on on that end.

And I know that you the seasons that you go through year after year after year, the ups and the downs that you have.

And you got to try to remain steady and you know, things were going your way for so long.

The other shoe was going to drop at some point.

I'm sure the guys all realize that too.

You can't you can't be on top and do what you guys were doing forever.

Just doesn't work that way in any sport.

Yeah, no, it doesn't even in blackjack, right?

You're not going to run the table the whole the whole time, right?

So, you know, we we were running the table and we wrote it and it bucked us.

And now we're back, you know, fighting to get above water.

And you know, the best part is if you look at it from the other side of it is we're playing all teams that are scratching and crying to get into the playoffs.

We're playing all stingy playoff teams coming up here.

I looked at it as, you know, the way we get out of this is we really got a buckle down defensively, which really that's what's changed.

We've allowed a lot more up defensively than we had in our run.

So now it gives us a chance to tighten up the screws, which is going to become even more important in the playoffs.

So, you know, that's our chance to grow.

So to get out of this, we've got to tighten up defensively and see where that takes us.

Yeah, when we were talking to you last week when Bob wasn't here and we were trying to come up with hockey questions without Bob.

We were talking about how the difference in Colorado was the play of Jake Ottinger.

And then after that, he has the the stumble in New Jersey where he has to, you know, sit after the first and you just needed to kind of have a shot in the arm energy wise.

You mentioned the defensive play.

So how much of this past week is the play in front of your goal tending and how much of it is your goal tending?

I tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, it's 100% collective. It's on everybody.

You know, that game that I had to take Jake out, it just gave me an opportunity to put the pin it on some of my players begin to put the, you know, the onus on the players because, you know, we gave up for break with start the game and that's just unheard of.

I can count on one hand for sure how many times I've seen four break ways.

So, you know, we had to tighten up defensively and it's all of us.

It's every guy. It's our defense. It's our top defenseman. It's our top forwards. It's it's our ball forwards. It's the whole crew.

We all take responsibility. It's our staff. We've got to keep pushing this thing and and find the growth in this in this dip.

It's a stars coach Glenn Gaultson here on the ticket. The the interesting thing. Of course, from all that is, you know, we we are seen like last night on the island.

We are seeing some good things and and that's that's that's the crazy thing about this sport where sometimes you win and you don't feel great about the underlying numbers and some of the things you saw in the game.

You know, we got away with it. And and then sometimes that that flips on you and and you just need something to go in off escape and and that's that's the difference.

And of course, that gets expressed even more come playoff time. But I wonder how you.

And and I'm sure authenticity is the best way to handle it. Just be who you are. But but I also wonder if you ever try to be that positive voice in the negative noise or the negative voice in the positive noise.

Just the the whole tone setter as a head coach to make sure we don't get too high or too low during the course of a season.

Yeah, especially now with this generation of players is to be basically a steady voice.

If you're if you're going on the rhythms of wins and losses.

You know, it can sort of you off the road if you if you're going up and down like our side to side. So trying to stay steady.

Certainly today, you know, we we barked a little bit at our group that in practice, we we wanted a little bit more intensity and we got it. I mean, they respond. This is a high, high character team. I'm not just saying that this is a very high character group of young men and they care a lot.

And you know, there's only one way out is just to defend and to work your way out of it. And if we have to do that again over these next 10 games, then that's going to help get even better.

I wonder if I can stay on that topic for just a brief moment longer because you're your three stops since your last time in Dallas, Edmonton Vancouver Calgary.

These are Canadian markets. NHL, you know, is is the biggest show in town. And sometimes.

Well, one of your predecessors told me that sometimes in the southern markets, you have to be a little more of the bad cop because the media doesn't always hold feet to the fire quite like they might have Edmonton or Vancouver.

And I'm curious if you have any thoughts on that matter. Is that a true statement in your opinion?

Well, what I've noticed is, and I'll look at the big picture. I agree. Like, you know, maybe if I was in one of those Canadian markets and we're losing these games, I'd be I'd be checking my house for.

At the end of the day, I think there's a reason why, you know, a team come up there hasn't won in so long and that's because there's constant pressure. There's constant pressure and there's constant criticism and there's constant.

And I think that, you know, teams that have won, you know, you look at Florida, you look at Vegas, you know, the in the last few years, you look at Tampa.

Not that there's no pressure, but I mean, you can escape it. And I think for us, I don't think I have to manufacture anything with this group. And it's this group in particular because I've said it from the start of the year that they're a very hungry group.

And so I don't have to manufacture any, hey, we got to be better. They internally want to be better to a man.

At the outside pressure, I think is a good thing down here because when guys want it, you don't need everybody piling on when things aren't good, right? So, you need kind of a reprieve and especially when your your intentions are good, you're going to play through it anyway.

So that's why I like I think down here, it's better. I don't have to manufacture anything. I think our motions are pretty true. We don't have this outlying. Hey, we can't go for dinner anywhere and enjoy ourselves.

So it allows you to play better quicker makes you wonder how the cowboys would be if they played in Calgary. Maybe maybe maybe that maybe that's the trick for them.

They might want to play a couple of games up there. See how it goes. So you mentioned Miko coming back and I mean, are we still on the same timeline that sometime in the next three games?

Yeah, I think more so guys than anything. We'll probably see him tomorrow. I'm just waiting for the final word.

You know, he's chomping at the bet. He would have played last week if we let him out of the car. But, you know, he we got to make sure he's good. I think he's going to be good and then we'll certainly see him one of these two days.

Okay, rope and boxer a little further behind.

Yeah, there'd be further behind and we got some bad news. We're going to have Sam Steele is going to be out here for at least a week.

So those guys are at least a week, the two weeks away. Those other those other guys.

It's such a war of attrition at this time of the year and you know, sometimes luck falls your way and sometimes it doesn't. It's just the nature of the beast in the sport. It's crazy.

This isn't this in football, both. Yeah, 100%. You know, I'm just looking at it like I'm just hoping the timing works out, right?

Because you guys know how important timing is in sports and anything you do and it looks like we should have a full roster before we play our first playoff game.

So I'm just hoping the timing's right, but certainly it's a war of attrition right now.

Well, it's yeah, it's one that has, you know, everybody on edge, but that's that's life in the big leagues and we're right there with you.

And pins and needles last night, hoping you could get that tied up, but if you don't mind in our in our remaining moment together, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that play Thomas Harley made to lead to the the lone goal last night.

But I think I'm trying to remember what other home game it was recently maybe the Vegas game where you guys pulled the goalie and you made a number of plays with guys knocking the puck out of mid air.

I think Miro did one time to save it in empty net or to keep your hopes alive. And that play last night was extraordinary. I thought.

Yeah, it was, it was, it was nice right desperation, right? And you know, that's what, you know, I was speaking to the group. They, they want to win. There was no fold in the deck chairs. They, you know, he slide the cross.

He takes away what we're going to be an empty netter. And he kind of surprised them, you know, with it, with the way he did it pops up and sets up a goal. So, you know, it's just speaks to, you know, what guys are willing to do to try to win and get us back in there.

And we're down to when he's doing that, right? So that's what I like about the group. No quit, no quit at all. Never want to be out of a game. Always come prepared. But I thought it was a great play by her.

And we almost had another, you know, we almost had another. Yes, and I feel like Harley's been great since the Olympics. I feel like this has been his best hockey.

No, he's played in, you can see the passion in his game. And boy, he's good when he's moving and he plays a little bit of fire.

All right, coach, we appreciate it. Get back on the horse. Let's get a win. And we'll talk to you again next week.

Thanks, guys. Thank you. Go to him. There he goes. Glengol. It's your Dallas stars head coach.