Wrangling a reunion at home in Victoria

Thursday, March 9, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

This is the week Wranglers left wing Sean O'Connor has been looking forward to reuniting with family and friends in Victoria, British Columbia.

It's also the first time that O'Connor, as a Wrangler, will play against old youth teammates and current Victoria Salmon Kings Ryan Wade, K.C. Timmons and Nathan Forster in Canada.

Last season, when the Salmon Kings made their ECHL debut at the 2,500-capacity Bear Mountain Arena, O'Connor's sister, Laura, bought 60 tickets behind one of the nets to accommodate his family and friends.

That was where O'Connor, then with the San Diego Gulls, scored on a breakaway.

"Basically the whole rink went dead silent, except for that one section with all my friends and my parents," he said. "Some of my buddies wore body paint and spelled out 'O'CONNOR.' It was a big party, hilarious."

Karen O'Connor, his mother, said the new 7,000-seat Save-On-Foods Center isn't nearly as intimate as Bear Mountain. The Wranglers and Salmon Kings played there Wednesday night, and they meet again Friday and Saturday.

"It's half full, so it's not anywhere near as exciting as a full 2,500-seat building," Karen said Wednesday from Victoria. "But we'll still be wild and loud. Now that he's on the other team, they love to hate him."

The two-year contract extension that coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan signed this week reflected as much about what he thinks of the franchise, the city and its fans, as it did his wife, Nicole, and three children.

"I told my wife that I won't sacrifice life for a career," he said. "I'll work as hard as I can, but my family is still first. If I wanted to spend 100 hours a week (working), I'd have gone into banking."

Gulutzan has a degree in math and has plenty of friends who are making $500,000 salaries in the world of high finance. But he and his family are comfortable in Las Vegas.

The Wranglers have clinched their second playoff berth in three seasons under Gulutzan.

Unlike many in the coaching profession, Gulutzan has no timetable about his coaching future. Having no NHL or American Hockey League playing experience, he said, will close a lot of doors.

"(So) maybe I don't have the 'something' it takes to be an NHL coach, or maybe I do. I'll see," he said.

Left wing Marco Peluso learned plenty about the game, and about being a champion, from uncle Mike, who spent 10 seasons in the NHL.

Mike Peluso was weaned in the Chicago Blackhawks' system before the defenseman helped New Jersey win a Stanley Cup championship in 1994-95. He participated in 37 playoff games in '93-94 and '94-95.

"It's a dream come true, playing professional hockey, and I owe a lot to him," Marco said.

Slap shots

"Having him back gives me a rest, mentally, for sure," Magliarditi said.