Coach takes team to old stomping grounds

Nick Christensen

Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 10:28 a.m.

It isn't home, but Las Vegas Wranglers coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan will get quite a homecoming Sunday when the Wranglers take on the Fresno Falcons.

Gulutzan will have his uniform retired Sunday by the Fresno Falcons, and the Glen Gulutzan Bobblehead Doll given to the fans that get to the brand new SaveMart Center early.

"I didn't know I was that popular," Gulutzan said after the Wranglers' Thursday practice in the frigid Santa Fe Ice Arena. "I was there for six years, that's a long time in one spot, I think ... with the new rink, it may not seem so homey."

In those six years, Gulutzan racked up 315 points and became the Falcons' all-time leading scorer. He spent last season as an assistant coach with the team.

"For Gully, he spent a lot of time in Fresno, and made a lot of friends," said Wranglers defenseman Jason McBain, who played for Fresno for two seasons. "He made a good impression with a lot of people."

Part of that good impression that comes from ties with the community that he keeps to this day. Even after being named the Wranglers' coach and general manager, he went back to Fresno last summer to help with a hockey school.

Gulutzan came to Fresno because he was tired of the cold. After years in Canada and Scandinavia, he wanted something warmer.

"Coming out of Hamilton (Ontario), I wanted to go some place nice, with good weather," Gulutzan said. "I basically called (then-coach Guy Gadowski) every day for four and a half months, and it paid off."

But six years is a long time to stay with one team, especially in the minors. Gulutzan set up roots in Fresno, and fell in love with the fans and the city.

"If I could describe myself, I'm a 'ham and egger.' It's a blue-collar town with great down-home, honest people," he said. "Home is where your friends are, and I wanted to stay there."

And maybe some of those friends and fans will want him back. Fresno is now struggling, with a 7-14-2 record. Gulutzan said the team's inexperience is a factor, and he's not surprised to see them struggling.

"They've got a lot of young players, and they always have struggled in November and December," he said. "There's a big learning curve to get things on the right track."

But despite having studied under Fresno coach Blaine Moore, Gulutzan said he doesn't have any advantage over his old coach and team.

"I know what he's working with, but hockey's not that tactical," he said. "It's less X's and O's, and more heart and determination."

Two things that Fresno fans will always be reminded of with his name in the rafters in their new arena.