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Taxi! Gulutzan out as head coach in Dallas

Stars Coach Hockey

New Dallas Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan speaks at a news conference, Monday, June 20, 2011, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Matt Strasen)

AP

The Dallas Stars have fired head coach Glen Gulutzan.

The club made the announcement on Monday, also parting ways with assistant coach Paul Jerrard.

Dallas’ other assistant coach, Curt Fraser, has been retained, as has goaltending coach Mike Valley.

Gulutzan, 41, replaced Marc Crawford as head coach in 2011 and posted a 64-57-9 record with the Stars over two seasons at the helm.

Dallas never made the playoffs on his watch, though the club did make a spirited postseason push this year after dealing away veterans Derek Roy, Jaromir Jagr and longtime captain Brenden Morrow.

Gulutzan’s days seemed numbered in Dallas when the GM that hired him, Joe Nieuwendyk, was fired in late April and replaced by former Wings assistant GM Jim Nill.

As for who’ll replace Gulutzan...

AHL Texas head coach Willie Desjardins has to be considered a leading candidate. He captured the American League’s coach of the year honors this season and has done a fine job of grooming a number of young prospects that have played with Dallas at the NHL level.

Another name to keep an eye on could be Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault, who is on the hottest of hot seats in Vancouver at the moment.

Stars owner Tom Gaglardi is a British Columbia native and once tried to purchase the Canucks (before losing out to current owner Francesco Aquilini.)