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Heika: Dallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan has improved a great deal this season





How does a coach improve his coaching skills? The players practice and train, but do coaches have resources to stay on too of their game too?

I think Glen Gulutzan has improved a great deal this year. Good coaches assess, they look at moves they made and are critical of those moves, they become tougher in some areas and softer in others. It's not unlike how anyone does their job. You live it every day and you study the needs of the job every day, and you try different ways to be effective. I was slow to pick up technology with cel phones and Twitter, and I had to adapt. I still have holes in how I do my job. It's a never-ending battle, and I will tell you that the coaches put in an immense amount of time and an immense amount of emotion. The old saying that ``nobody is more critical of myself than me,'' applies to all of them. That said, it is a results-driven industry, and they have to find a way to produce results. That's just how it goes in pro sports.


Does coaching and/or fitness levels factor into the bad record in the second of back-to-back games? This team has an excellent record in all other games...except those!

I don't think it's fitness level, because the Stars are actually pretty solid in that area. I do get a little frustrated when Glen Gulutzan says the team wasn't ready to play last night. I mean that falls directly under the heading of the coaching staff. I know there is self-motivation for the players, but the sneaky coaches find a way to push buttons. That's why psychology buffs are so fascinated by the profession. The players have to accept responsibility, but the coaches have to find ways to push buttons.

Mike, why does this team have such a bad record in back to back games?

It is the million dollar question, and one that a lot of people making a million dollars a year have yet to figure out. Teams do it every day in the NHL. The Stars used to brag about their ability to handle the challenge. Now, they simply dig the hole deeper each chance they get. There is not one reason, but probably a million.


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