Before you go about your business today, just remember that this is still considered a “report” (though it’s a very strong one). It looks as though Ken Hitchcock is returning to Big D to coach the Dallas Stars once again.
Before we start things here, let’s get one thing straight: Ken Hitchcock has not been OFFICIALLY confirmed as the next head coach of the Dallas Stars. Official confirmation will be him sitting next to Jim Nill, talking to the media at a press conference tomorrow afternoon.
But it’s hard to look past all of the official reports and try to say that Nill is going a different route.
Earlier this morning, rumors and reports began surfacing that the Dallas Stars had reached an agreement to bring Ken Hitchcock back for a second tour of duty as head coach of the Stars. The reports began with Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News and quickly spread to Bob McKenzie, Pierre Lebrun, Elliotte Friedman, and even Mike Modano (who in turn hinted at wanting a job).
It seems as though the reports have been confirmed by everyone except the Dallas Stars’ organization. If they are true, Hitchcock will replace former head coach Lindy Ruff, who the Stars parted ways with on Sunday afternoon.
Ken Hitchcock on his way to Dallas to coach the Stars, two NHL sources confirm. Story in a few minutes...
— Tim Cowlishaw (@TimCowlishaw) April 12, 2017
This is a big move and a big decision for the Dallas Stars organization. There were plenty of candidates going into the coaching search and Jim Nill wasted no time in reaching out and beginning the process. In the end, Hitchcock was one of the very few names that kept showing up on speculation lists.
Dallas Stars
It seems like a perfect fit. Hitchcock spent the first seven seasons of his NHL coaching career in Dallas, taking the Stars from one of the worst seasons in franchise history to a 104-point season in his first full year as coach. In his fourth season at the helm, the Dallas Stars won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The following year, they returned to the Final, though they fell in six games to the New Jersey Devils.
Bringing back Hitchcock will be a proper reunion. He already has ties and connections with people in the organization that he made back when he first coached in Big D and knows the Stars’ system well. Not to mention that he has been coaching against them frequently for the past six years with the St. Louis Blues.
He’s a defensive-minded coach and knows how to get results. Sure he may not go about getting them in the most comforting of ways, but he knows how to get them regardless. In his seven seasons with Dallas, he posted a record of 277-154-72. His overall coaching record at the NHL level sits at 781-474-199.
Next: Dave Strader Back In The Booth For Stanley Cup Playoffs
If Ken Hitchcock is indeed the newest coach of the Dallas Stars, then get ready for a mountain of change, not only to the system, but to the franchise as a whole. The Stars need results, and Hitchcock is going to be the one to get them for him.