By Jordan Long
Dallas Stars’ Head Coach Ken Hichcock has decided to retire from the NHL. He has been in the NHL for 22 years and was in Dallas this season. According to ESPN, Stars’ General Manager Jim Nill said, “Ken Hitchcock is an icon when it comes to head coaches, not only in hockey, but across all of sports. He poured his whole life into better understanding in-game concepts and strategy, inspiring players and enhancing teams.”
Hitchcock started his coaching career in the 1995-1996 season for the Dallas Stars. He took over 43 games into the year and the Stars went 15-23 with 5 ties the rest of the season. The Stars were better the next year with a record of 48-26 with 8 ties and a trip to the playoffs. 1999 was his best coaching job. The Stars had 114 points and went on to win the Cup. They made it to the Final the next year but lost to the New Jersey Devils. He coached in Dallas two more years before heading to Philadelphia.
Hitchcock didn’t have as much success in Philadelphia as he did in Dallas. His record with the Flyers was 131-73 with 28 ties and 22 overtime losses. The Flyers had one division title but didn’t play well in the postseason. Hitchcock was fired 8 games into the 2006 season with a 1-6-1 start.
Hitchcock was one of the top coaches out there and wasn’t unemployed for long. Columbus hired him and he was there for 4 years. The Jackets went 125-123-36 with 1 trip to the postseason.
It was off to St. Louis for the 2011-2012 season. He stayed in St. Louis 6 years. The Blues went to the playoffs 5 times but couldn’t reach the Western Conference Finals let alone the Stanley Cup Final.
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