Ken Hitchcock, Associate Coach

INTERNATIONAL

The World Cup of Hockey 2004 will mark the fourth time that Hitchcock has been involved with Team Canada. Hitchcock was an associate coach at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, winning gold, an associate coach at the 2002 World Hockey Championship in Sweden, and an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning Team Canada squad at the 1988 World Junior Championship in Russia.

COACHING BACKGROUND

Hitchcock is the 15th head coach in Philadelphia Flyers history, and is in his second season with the Flyers. Hitchcock served as head coach of the Dallas Stars for parts of seven seasons (1995-96 to 2001-02), compiling a 277-166-60 record in 503 regular season games for a .610 winning percentage.
The Stars qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his five full seasons as head coach and he registered a 47-33 record in 80 playoff games. He led the Stars to five consecutive Division championships (1996-97 through 2000-01), two Presidents’ Trophies (1997-98 and 1998-99), two Western Conference Championships (1998-99 and 1999-2000) and one Stanley Cup Championship (1998-99). In 1999-2000, Hitchcock led the Stars to their fourth straight division title and second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

He holds the Stars franchise records for most career regular season wins by a coach (277), most career playoff wins (47), highest regular season winning percentage by a coach (.610) and highest playoff winning percentage by a coach (.588).

Hitchcock was nominated for the Jack Adams Award in three consecutive seasons, following the 1996-97 through 1998-99 seasons. He was honored in 1996-97 as "The Sporting News" and "The Hockey News" Coach-of-the- Year.
Hitchcock has coached at the NHL's All-Star Game three straight seasons (1997-99) and again in 2004. In addition to leading the North American All-Star team in 1999, the World All-Stars in 1998 and the Western Conference at the 1997 NHL All-Star Game, Hitchcock also coached in the IHL's All-Star event in 1994 and 1995.

In the 1998-99 season, Dallas set team records for most wins (51), most points (114) and highest percentage in a season (.695). During the 1996-97 season, his first full campaign as the Stars’ head coach, Hitchcock guided Dallas to a first-place finish in the Central Division, making Dallas only the ninth team in NHL history to go from last place to first place in a division in one season, and their 38-point improvement from the previous season is tied for the fifth best in League history.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Hitchcock served as head coach of Dallas’ International Hockey League affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings/Michigan K-Wings for three seasons, from the 1993-94 season until being named Stars’ head coach on January 8, 1996. Prior to joining the Stars’ organization, Hitchcock served three seasons as an assistant coach with the Flyers (1990-91 through 1992-93).

Hitchcock has guided every professional team that he has served as head coach to the playoffs in every full season that he has been at the helm.
Hitchcock was Head Coach of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers from 1984-90.
Named WHL Coach-of-the-Year in 1986-87 and 1989-90, Hitchcock was named the Top Coach in all of Canadian Major Junior Hockey in 1989-90 after the Blazers won the WHL title and finished third at the Memorial Cup.
His .693 career winning percentage (291-125-15) with Kamloops is the second highest in the history of the Western Hockey League while his .695 career playoff winning percentage (66-29) with the Blazers is fourth best in league annals.

Got his start behind the bench as a Head Coach in the Canadian AAA Midget ranks with Sherwood Park, a suburb of Edmonton, AB, where he posted a 575-69 record during his ten-year reign. Was honoured as the Alberta Minor Hockey Association Coach of the Year in 1983-84, and was awarded minor hockey Coach of the Year honours in 1982-83.

Hitchcock is a Hockey Canada certified NCCP Advanced I coach.

PERSONAL

Hitchcock attended the University of Alberta before beginning his coaching career

Married in the summer of 1998, he now resides with his family, wife Nancy and children Emily, Alex and Noah, in Philadelphia.

* - Won the Stanley Cup
% - Won the Presidents Trophy