Ken Hitchcock will always have a special place in Columbus Blue Jackets history, having coached the first playoff team in franchise history in 2008-09.
He also has a special place in Dallas Stars history, having coached the team to the 1999 Stanley Cup.
And now, Hitchcock is headed home, having been selected to replace Lindy Ruff as the coach of the Stars.
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
Hitchcock is one of the most decorated coaches in NHL history, having won 1,454 games and eight division titles along with that Stanley Cup. In all, Hitchcock has coached 20 seasons with Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis, Hitchcock has coached 14 playoff teams and also led Dallas to the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals.
The man known as Hitch took over the Jackets in November 2006 and led the team until midway through the 2009-10 season. In four seasons, he was 125-123-36 behind the bench in Columbus and led the team to a 41-31-10 mark in 2008-09 along with a first-round playoff defeat vs. Detroit.
He was coaching in St. Louis until being let go midway through this season. His previous five teams all made the playoffs, with last year's squad advancing to the Western Conference finals.
