Ken Hitchcock career timeline

A timeline of the NHL coaching career of Ken Hitchcock, who was fired Wednesday by the St. Louis Blues:
Jan. 8, 1996:The Dallas Stars name Hitchcock, the coach of their International Hockey League affiliate in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as coach. He replaces Bob Gainey, who remains as general manager. It's Hitchcock's first time as an NHL coach after three seasons as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers and two-plus seasons with Kalamazoo. The Stars go 15-23-5 under Hitchcock and fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

1996-97:The Stars finish first in the Central Division with a record of 48-26-8. However, they lose the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
1997-98:The Stars win the Central Division and the Presidents' Trophy with a 49-22-11 record. They advance to the Western Conference Final but lose to the Detroit Red Wings in six games.

June 19, 1999:Hitchcock and the Stars win the Stanley Cup for the first time in Stars/Minnesota North Stars history with a 2-1 triple-overtime defeat of the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of the Cup Final.
June 10, 2000:The Stars' quest for a second straight Stanley Cup championship ends with a 2-1 double-overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Cup Final.
2000-01:The Stars win their fifth consecutive division title under Hitchcock but lose to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jan. 25, 2002: Hitchcock is fired with the Stars fourth in the division with a record of 23-17-4 with six ties.
May 14, 2002:Hitchcock is hired as coach of the Flyers. He replaces Bill Barber.
2003-04: The Flyers finish first in the Atlantic Division but lose to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Oct. 24, 2006: With the Flyers off to a 1-6-1 start, Hitchcock is fired.
Nov. 22, 2006: Hitchcock is hired as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He replaces Claude Noel.
2008-09: Hitchcock coaches the Blue Jackets to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time but they are swept in the first round by the Red Wings.
Feb. 3, 2010:With the Blue Jackets next-to-last in the Western Conference with a 22-27-9 record, Hitchcock is fired.
Nov. 6, 2011:The Blues hire Hitchcock to replace Davis Payne. They go 43-15-11 in 69 games under Hitchcock and finish first in the Central Division. It's the Blues' first division title since 1999-2000. However, they are swept by the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Semifinals. Hitchcock wins the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in the NHL.
2014-15:The Blues win their second division title under Hitchcock, finishing with a 51-24-7 record. However, they lose to the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs.

2015-16:The Blues finish second in the Central Division with a 49-24-9 record. After three consecutive first-round losses in the playoffs, they defeat the Chicago Blackhawks and Stars in back-to-back seven-game series to advance to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001. They lose to the Sharks in six games.
June 13, 2016:Hitchcock, who had signed a one-year contract May 31, announces he will retire from the Blues at the end of the 2016-17 season. At the same press conference, Mike Yeo is hired as associate coach and named Hitchcock's replacement for the 2017-18 season.
Feb. 1, 2017:Hitchcock is fired by the Blues one day after a 5-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets drops their record to 24-20-5. Yeo is promoted to replace him. Hitchcock's 781 wins in 20 seasons are fourth all-time, behind Scotty Bowman (1,277), Joel Quenneville (831) and Al Arbour (782). His 1,453 games coached are fifth.