11-02-2018, 09:23 AM
FRISCO Womens Jared McCann Jersey, Texas (AP) Ken Hitchcock wasn’t sure how long he would coach the Dallas Stars the second time around after 15 years away.Turned out to be one season.The coach who led Dallas to its only Stanley Cup championship retired Friday, ending a 22-year career as the third-winningest coach in NHL history. The 823 wins are behind only Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Joel Quenneville (884). He’s fourth in total games with 1,536.The 66-year-old Hitchcock will become a consultant for the Stars.”I have contemplated this since our last game and I came to the conclusion that now is the right time to step away and let the younger generation of coaches take over,” said Hitchcock, who last year signed a multiyear contract that included the stipulation of becoming a consultant when he was finished coaching.Hitchcock returned to Dallas after 14 seasons elsewhere, including stops in Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis. General manager Jim Nill hoped Hitchcock could get the Stars back to the playoffs, but a late-season slump kept them out for the second straight year and the eighth time in 10 seasons.”We were honored to have Ken as our head coach and it was fitting that he finished his coaching here,” Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said. ”He is a certain Hockey Hall of Fame coach and he left a lasting legacy wherever he went.”The Stars went to the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive seasons, beating Buffalo for the title in 1999 before losing to New Jersey in six games. Those are the only times Hitchcock or the Stars have made it to the final.Dallas also won five straight division titles under Hitchcock, who was fired from his first head-coaching job with the team sliding in January 2002. He coached the Flyers from 2002-06, followed by the Blue Jackets (2006-10) and the Blues (2011-17).St. Louis made the playoffs in each of Hitchcock’s five full seasons, reaching the Western Conference finals in 2016 after beating top seed Dallas in seven games in the second round. The Blues abruptly fired Hitchcock in February last year, cutting short what was already going to be his last season with the Blues after their fifth loss in six games.”To each and every player that I coached, I wish I could do it all over again,” said Hitchcock, a Canadian whose record is 823-506 with 88 ties and 119 losses in overtime or a shootout. ”You guys were the main reason for the all the wins, and I enjoyed coaching each and every one of you.”Nill turned to Hitchcock when the Stars had 79 points, their second-fewest in a full season since moving Dallas in 1993-94, in the last of four seasons under Lindy Ruff.Led by high-scoring forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin and one of the top-scoring defensemen in John Klingberg, the Stars were solidly positioned for the playoffs in March before an eight-game losing streak that started with six losses on the road.Still, Dallas improved significantly in a year, finishing with 92 points, just three out of the playoffs. And Nill said Hitchcock went out on his terms.”To have him instill what he put into our organization, to help build this foundation, it’s going to pay dividends for us down the road,” Nill said. ”He made a lot of these players a lot better.”Nill essentially described a wide-open coaching search that could take time depending on whether potential candidates are on teams still alive in the playoffs, including teams in the minor leagues.The sixth-year general manager has chosen veteran NHL head coaches both times with the Stars.”I want to be pretty open-minded about this,” Nill said. ”You’re seeing some successful young coaches come in. And there’s some successful coaches out there that have great resumes. I think there’s a big variable there.”Hitchcock’s playoff record is 86-82, and he also has an extensive background with Team Canada, which is where he forged a relationship with Nill. In Detroit, Nill was still an assistant GM when Hitchcock was a guest coach on Mike Babcock’s staff during training camp in 2010.”He poured his whole life into better understanding in-game concepts and strategy Jonathan Huberdeau Jersey , inspiring players and enhancing teams,” Nill said. ”He leaves an indelible mark on the game, and his influence will be felt across the sport for years to come.”— Three games into the season, things are already taking on a familiar look for the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings, who lost an NHL-high 27 one-goal games last season, are 0-2 in one-goal games so far. After going 3-12 in overtime last season, Detroit dropped its season opener to the Columbus Blue Jackets in OT. And after scoring 217 goals to finish 28th in the NHL in 2017-18, an average of 2.64 goals per game, the Red Wings are scoring at an even slower rate, with six goals during their 0-1-2 start.Article continues below ...“I feel like we’re definitely getting a lot of chances,” Detroit forward Andreas Athanasiou said. “I think the chances are right there. I’ve had two breakaways, missed the net.“Eventually, they’re going to go in and we’ll see everything start to open up after that.”The Red Wings will need to make the most of their chances Thursday, as they play host to the scoring machine that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Off to a 3-1-0 start, Toronto has potted an NHL-high 20 goals, averaging five per game. The Maple Leafs have scored seven goals in each of their last two games, a 7-6 win over the Chicago Blackhawks and a 7-4 triumph over the Dallas Stars, opening their four-game road trip 2-0.Toronto center Auston Matthews leads the league in goals (seven) and points (10). Matthews has scored in every game and is on pace to finish with 144 goals. John Tavares has six goals, five in the past two games.“When we move the puck well and keep things simple, we’ve got a lot of talent and skill out there,” Matthews told the team’s official website. “When we can find each other, we’ve got different weapons that can all score.”The Red Wings recognize that they’ll need to find a way to slow Toronto’s potent attack.“It’s going to be fun night,” Detroit defenseman Joe Hicketts said. “Hopefully they used up all their goals in the first couple of games here. They’re definitely a high-octane team, a team that thrives on the power play.“They got a lot of weapons that can put the puck in the net. It’s about managing the puck. Staying out of the (penalty) box is going to be a big key and then limiting their grade-A chances. If we can do that, I think we can set ourselves up for some success.”The last thing the Red Wings can afford to do is get into a track meet and trade chances with the Maple Leafs.“Against Toronto, we know if we turn it over it’s in the back of our net, so that’s going to be a hard and intense game,” Detroit forward Anthony Mantha said. “We want to get that win as fast as we can. I don’t think we’ve played bad, we just need to put a little extra effort to get that win.”The Red Wings will be without rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski, out at least the next two games due to an upper-body injury. Detroit defensemen Mike Green (viral infection of the liver), Jonathan Ericsson (lower body injury) and Trevor Daley (upper body injury) are also out.On the plus side, defenseman Niklas Kronwall (undisclosed injury) will make his season debut.