Hitchcock elected to Hockey Hall of Fame

Ken Hitchcock didn't mind being the bad guy.

It was exactly what the Stars needed when he was promoted in 1996.

Bob Gainey was both general manager and head coach at the time, and the self-motivated five-time Stanley Cup champion had a certain expectation that players wanted to work hard, compete, and win. Gainey was incredibly smart and understood the challenges of coaching, but there were times he grew fatigued, learning just how relentless a bench boss had to be.

That was never a problem for Hitchcock, who was named part of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2023 class on Wednesday. He demanded excellence and he demanded it every day, which led him to 319 wins in parts of seven seasons with the Stars. He drove Dallas to five straight division championships and the team won nine playoff series under his watch. They made the Stanley Cup Final twice and won it all in 1999.

I remember one particular practice on the road after he had been called up from Kalamazoo to replace Gainey in the middle of the 1995-96 season. The building was empty, and Hitchcock's voice was ringing off the stands. He brought the team together at center ice and told them he was not interested in coaching a .500 team, and that if any of the players were okay with playing for a .500 team, they could go elsewhere. It was an impressive moment.

Remember, Hitchcock had done most of his work in Canadian junior hockey. Sure, he was an assistant coach with the Flyers for three years and was head coach in Kalamazoo for another three years, but he was a stark contrast to Gainey. The Hall of Fame winger looked like he could still play hockey six years after his retirement from the Canadiens, leading to presume that many of the Stars players would have not wanted to engage Gainey in a hockey fight.

But then came "Hitch," who starts cracking the whip on the players. It took a lot of guts to do that.

But Hitchcock always had guts. He had to.

Hitchcock started his career selling hockey equipment to youth teams in Edmonton. That eventually led to a coaching gig with Sherwood Park, where he coached the AAA Midget team to a 575-69 record. He then was hired by Kamloops in the WHL and turned them into a junior powerhouse. He next became an assistant coach for the Flyers, which precded a head coach position for the Kalamazoo in the IHL.

I remember he once said that some people played 20 years and learned to coach hockey, but he coached 20 years and learned to coach hockey. He had that confidence, it wasn't easy. Most NHL coaches played at some elevated level, which gave them an air of legitimacy. Hitchcock simply convinced players that he could make them better if they just did what he told them to do. There was some push and pull, but he found a way to sway pretty much all of them.

Hitchcock will tell you he had a lot of help. Gainey was unwavering in his support of the head coach, which went a long way in the dressing room. Assistant coaches Rick Wilson and Doug Jarvis were often the "good cops" to Hitchcock's discipline. Gainey brought in an impressive support group of leaders which included the likes of Guy Carbonneau, Mike Keene and Brian Skrudland. It was a team effort, and that's part of the beauty.

But Hitch was the straw that stirred the drink. He was there every day in practice, delivering jewels of wisdom either in daily meetups with players or personal phone calls. He helped Mike Modano become a two-way player. He helped Darryl Sydor find his confidence. And he helped Ed Belfour become a calm presence between the pipes.

He could be abrasive at times, but he once said that if all the players were mad at him, then at least they were united.

The irony of Hitchcock was as tough as he was on the players, he was kind company to media and fans. He didn't have a privileged upbringing, so he liked to look to the upper deck and the "cheap seats" to see the fans up there. He always had a minute for fans at coffee shops or restaurants. He knew reporters from across the league and always filled their recorders with wisdom and whimsey.

Hitchcock went on to coach 16 more seasons after he left the Stars from that first go-round, so his career is much bigger than one NHL team. He is fourth all-time in NHL wins with 849, a primary reason why he's going into the Hall, but what he did during his time in Dallas deserves some of the spotlight. He was a primary contributor to the creation of a winning franchise and the development of a new hockey town. His work with The Ticket radio station, with novice reporters trying to learn the game, with a fan at Starbucks . . . you can't put a value on that.

Congratulations to Ken Hitchcock, who pulled himself up from humble beginnings to become a Hall of Famer.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.