The St. Louis Blues went all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the San Jose Sharks in 6 games. Speculation was that St. Louis Blues Head Coach Ken Hitchcock might retire after the season, but he will coach one more year. Earlier this week, the Blues announced that Mike Yeo will take over in 2017.
According to NHL.com, Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said, “There’s a comfort level with him working with Ken for a year. I’m excited about his age as far as the growth pattern with our team. We’re transferring into an area where younger players are going to take a bigger role and I think he fits with his experience and his young age. I think he’s a good fit for us moving forward.”
Yeo’s only head coaching experience was in Minnesota. He coached the Wild for five seasons from 2011 to 2016. Yeo had an impressive record of 173-132-44 and three playoff appearances. Last season was one to forget as he was fired 55 games into the season. The Wild at the time were 23-22-10, 11th place in the West.
Yeo was a highly sought after coach this offseason. The Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks, and Calgary Flames had interest, but didn’t hire him. ESPN stated that Yeo said, “I want to win Stanley Cups, and I believe that we’ve got a group that should go into every season with that mentality. I’m really excited about that.”
This is a smart move by the St. Louis Blues. They know that Ken Hitchcock will coach one more year behind the bench. Instead of conducting a coaching search at the end of the next year, they hire Yeo. Yeo knows how to win games and get the players to buy in to his system. . Hopefully Yeo will coach this team to a Stanley Cup win once he gets behind the bench. The Blues know the future is bright with him.
What do you think of the St. Louis Blue hiring Mike Yeo as the coach in waiting?
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