DALLAS — The Dallas Stars are looking backward to move forward.
ESPN first reported the news that the Stars planned to bring back former coach Glen Gulutzan as their new head coach, and on Tuesday, general manager Jim Nill made the official announcement.
This comes after the Stars fired coach Pete DeBoer after three seasons with the team. Under DeBoer, the team made it to the Western Conference final every year but never advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Gulutzan is not new to the franchise. He coached the Stars from 2011 to 2013 and was fired by the organization after missing the playoffs both seasons.
The 53-year-old went on to be an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks, and then in 2016, he was hired to be the head coach of the Calgary Flames, where he lasted two seasons.
Gulutzan moved on to become an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers, who have made the Stanley Cup finals two years in a row, knocking the Stars out of the playoffs both years.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman hinted at the hire at his season-ending news conference by saying he didn’t want to announce anything regarding Gulutzan.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.