Oilers Assistant Coach Glen Gulutzan's Fresno Connection

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For more than half a decade, Glen Gulutzan was on the ice with the Fresno Falcons at the Selland Arena in Downtown Fresno.

"Really close friends comes to mind," Gulutzan said. "I still have close teammates that are still living in Fresno, and ones in the fire department there."

In 2002, Gulutzan helped lead the Falcons to a Taylor Cup Championship as a player-coach.

"Certainly the biggest influence for me in Fresno was our owner," Gulutzan said. "At the time Charles Davenport owned the Fresno Falcons and then he bought the Las Vegas Wranglers.

Davenput put Gulutzan in charge of the Wranglers as both the Head Coach and the General Manager.

"That was really my stepping stone into coaching," Gulutzan said.

In 2011, he broke into the NHL with stints as the Head Coach of the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames.

Seven years later, he'd take on his current role with the Edmonton Oilers as an Assistant Coach - which gave him a chance to coach 3x League MVP Connor McDavid.

"I've got to coach some great players," Gulutzan said. "But at the end of the day, this guy is in a league of his own. He is the best player in the world, and he's probably the best player that's ever played."

With a combined 4 League MVPs between star players like McDavid and teammate Leon Draisaitl, Gulutzan says a Stanley Cup is the only thing missing to cement their legacies.

"I really want to see these young guys win," Gulutzan said. "I've been with them for six years, now they're 26 year old men and I'd really like to see them win. It would mean the most to me to see them hoist the cup."

The Florida Panthers currently lead the best-of-seven series (2-0) against the Oilers.

Game 3 returns to Edmonton on Thursday. Broadcast coverage begins at 5PM on ABC30.

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