Oilers add fired Flames coach Gulutzan

EDMONTON Glen Gulutzan coached against Todd McLellan for seven seasons in the NHL, including the last two with the Calgary Flames.

Now, he’ll coach alongside him on the other side of the Battle of Alberta with the Edmonton Oilers after being named to McLellan’s staff as an assistant coach with Trent Yawney and Manny Viveiros on Friday.

“Your sanity hinged on whether you beat the Oilers or not and now it’s gone the other way,” Gulutzan said. “You’ve joined the Oilers, so it’s obviously quite a big flip-flop. It’s a privilege to be in the league and to work for these two organizations is pretty neat.

“I’m really happy to be coming into Edmonton. One, it really works for my family. Two, I’ve known Todd and Trent for a long time and the opportunity to work for them was obviously a draw.

“Then, the most important thing is you always want to go where you feel you can win. Your goal as any coach is to win a championship and you want to go to a place where you think you have that opportunity. That’s a big drawing card.”

Gulutzan and Yawney both have NHL experience as head coaches, while Viveiros just led the Swift Current Broncos to the Memorial Cup tournament as coach and GM. They replace Jay Woodcroft, who has taken the job as head coach with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif., Jim Johnson, who was not retained, and Ian Herbers, who returned to the University of Alberta after three seasons with the Oilers.

Gulutzan, 46, led the Flames to the playoffs in 2016-17 and had an overall record of 82-68-24 as head coach.