#3 – Hiring of Ken Hitchcock
To reiterate to the first slide, the Lindy Ruff firing was the first of many moves from the Stars front office this season, one that set up the third best transaction on our countdown: the hiring of future Hockey Hall of Fame head coach Ken Hitchcock.
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Hitchcock is no stranger to the limelight as an NHL head coach, as his time as a Dallas Star from 1997 to 2002 culminated into two Stanley Cup Final appearances, with the 1999 Cup going to Dallas. Aside from that, his success with Columbus, Philadelphia, and St. Louis gives him the fourth-most wins in NHL head coaching history (781).
While Hitchcock’s bump and grind style of hockey is better suited for the late 1990s, the heyday of the Edmonton native, good coaching never really goes out of style. He has been quoted often this off-season expressing his willingness to adapt to styles that better suit his players. Players like Alexander Radulov and Jason Spezza will surely appreciate that.
Hitchcock’s assistant coaching staff is quite stacked as well: former Stars fan favorite and penalty kill expert Stu Barnes joins Hitchcock, as does longtime Stars assistant Rick Wilson, while Curt Fraser remains in a smaller role. To say Nill knocked it out of the park as far as coaching goes is an understatement.
Lindy Ruff grabbed a job as an assistant with the New York Rangers, and we thank him for the time, which included two Playoff berths and Division crown. However, we all look forward to the newest chapter in Stars coaching with Ken Hitchcock at the helm.