CEDAR PARK, Texas – The keys to success in any business are the attitudes and approach of management at all levels. This is true in sports as well. It’s possible for a team to succeed on its own merits when the players are so good, management doesn’t matter. But that is the exception and not the rule.
The Texas Stars are a prime example of how an organization can be successful without having the greatest players in the world and with a General Manager and coaching staff with limited experience at the AHL level. The team and management staff was developed from the bottom up and the result was a trip to the Calder Cup finals in their first year of existence.
Some of the credit has to go to the Dallas Stars who are responsible for helping to stock the team with players they think have the potential to play in the NHL at some point. The communications and coordination between the Dallas Stars, the Texas Stars, The Idaho Steelheads and the Allen Americans all tend to build the necessary culture needed to build a winning organization. All three affiliates went to their respective league finals last year.
“The culture of our group here (in Cedar Park) will help the overall organization,” Texas Stars’ General manager Scott White said. “The Dallas Stars make references to our Stars being such a positive group, culture-wise and together-wise. It shows what you can do with a little lesser talent, but a strong group.”
Putting a strong group together pertains to both players and management. The success is evident up and down the entire organization.
At the minor league level, especially in the AHL, winning isn’t the first goal (except for the fans).
“Our goal is to develop Dallas Stars,” White said. “We’d like to do it in a positive, winning style, but …”
Everyone wants to win, but in order to build a good organization and a winning organization, everyone has to be on the same page, including the players.
“The head coach and general manager have to have a good relationship,” White said. “They have to be able to talk about everything and disagree on everything. I have that here. (Head Coach Glen Gulutzan) Gully and I are not only good friends, we are professionals. We handle things.”
Gulutzan knows what is expected of him in the organization.
“His job is to develop players,” White said. “I know he wants to win. He knows he has a good group and he needs to cultivate their development and a winning attitude. He understands how I like to play and how the Dallas Stars like to play. Bottom line is I trust him.”
Of course, Gulutzan is no stranger to professional hockey. In 288 games as a forward with the Fresno Falcons of the WCHL (now part of the ECHL), Gulutzan scored 109 goals and had 205 assists. He was a player/assistant coach in his last two years at Fresno before spending six years as the head coach of the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers. His teams went to the playoffs five out of the six years.
His goal when he took the Texas Stars’ job last year was to do exactly what the Dallas Stars organization wanted him to do. Develop players and win.
“We had a good run last year, but I learned how hard it is and how good all the other teams in the AHL are,” Gulutzan said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that every game is crucial and every point is crucial. You have to be prepared.”
And prepared they were, marching through the tough AHL playoffs and looking for all the world like they would win the Calder Cup in their inaugural year.
“There was a little bit of an element of surprise, being a first year team,” Gulutzan said. “No one knew what to expect. Now every guy in the league knows this team went to the finals and I think we’re going to have to amp it up a bit. We’re going to have to elevate our game.”
It’s hard to fathom they could elevate their game any higher than they did last year, but a year’s experience makes a big difference in everyone’s learning curve. One of advantages the team has this year is the experience of the players who are returning from the Calder Cup run.
“Last year there were two coaches and we tried to instill what we knew down here with the two of us,” Gulutzan said. “Now we have twelve coaches (including ten guys returning from last year). We’re not answering as many questions. The experienced guys are answering the questions from the new guys. That’s a big help when you have that many guys who know how you want to play.”
Of course all the managing and coaching in the world is useless if you don’t have a talented and together group of players. The personality of the team is crucial to the success of the team.
“One of the biggest things I learned last year was the importance of having a group that is together,” Assistant/Defensive Coach Paul Jerrard said. “They really care a lot for each other and have that inner trust that is so important. That helped lead to their relative success. We hope to build around that this year and we know it’s going to be tough because we’re not going to surprise anybody.”
Like Gulutzan, Jerrard has a lot of experience as both a player and coach. He skated for 11 years in the IHL, three in the AHL and played five games with the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL. He’s been an assistant coach at both the AHL and NHL level with teams that know how to win.
That attitude and professionalism of this soft-spoken gentleman permeates throughout the organization.
“The overall organization does a really good job of not only getting good quality players, but also good character players that want to move forward,” Jerrard said. “If you don’t have chemistry and trust, you have nothing.”
Gulutzan agreed.
“I think you can get away with a weak locker room if you have more talent than everyone else. If you don’t, you need a strong locker room and we have that here. That’s always a focal point for any team I’ve had. We want to be a tight knit group.”
And tight knit they are. After a short summer, numerous different training camps and turning over nearly half the team, the Texas Stars opened the season in San Antonio and picked up right where they left off. The Stars and goaltender Brent Krahn shut out the Rampage 3-0.
The Stars open their home season against the Rampage this weekend and will raise the Western Conference Championship Banner at the Cedar Park Center. It represents a testimony to their courage, their determination, their management style and of course, their players and fans.
Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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