I was hoping the Blues post would have something to do with advancing on last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals. However, the team is in the midst of a run that saw them go 4-8-0 last month, being outscored 43-20 in the eight losses. There were victories over San Jose and Pittsburgh--the two teams who met in last June’s Stanley Cup Final--and the hated Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic. Yet, it was not enough for head coach Ken Hitchcock to keep his job.
This is the best news I will hear from now until Valentine’s Day...guaranteed.
Early this morning, Hitchcock was relieved of his duties. Prior to this season, former Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo was tabbed as Hitch’s replacement, as the 65-year-old fourth-winningest coach in league history announced on May 31, 2016 that this would be his last season leading the blue and gold. Hitchcock was one win from tying Al Arbour for third on the all-time list with 782 regular-season wins.
The three guys above Hitchcock were all former Blues’ coaches ironically (Arbour (1970-73): 782 wins; Joel Quenville (1996-2004) 801 wins; and Scotty Bowman (1967-71): 1,248 wins). Bowman has a record nine Stanley Cup Championships, Arbour was the man behind the bench for the New York Islanders string of four straight from 1980-83, and Quenville has three in the past six years with the Blackhawks.
Hitchcock’s lone Cup was in 1999 with Dallas. You might remember that one...it was discussed earlier this week.
After the Washington Capitals lost in the second round last year, the Blues would have held home-ice through the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Instead, the Blues lost four-games-to-two to the Sharks, dashing any hopes of hoisting Lord Stanley for the first time. This season, the team’s 50th, St. Louis will be lucky to even make it to the tournament.
The Blues were within five points of first-place Minnesota for the top spot in the Central Division and Western Conference when they stepped onto the ice at Busch Stadium III on January 2. General Manager Doug Armstrong let forwards Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott walk in free agency, in addition to captain David Backes. In addition, starting goaltender Brian Elliott was traded to the Calgary Flames for draft picks during the NHL Entry Draft back in June. The reigns between the pipes were turned over to Jake Allen. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was named the 23rd captain in franchise history on August 24.
The Blues charged out of the gate this season, winning their first three games, and then reality set in. Hitchcock’s legacy with St. Louis will be plagued with a lack of adjustments whenever his team falls behind. Regardless if it is the first minute, or the final minute, you can see the Blues players with their shoulders slumped, and their step a bit slower. They know, just like the rest of us, that the archaic system Hitchcock runs does not work in today’s NHL. The Blues were transformed from a bruising and scoring team, into a speed and finesse squad almost overnight. The lack of adjustments is not on the players...it’s on the coach.
The Blues charged out of the gate this season, winning their first three games, and then reality set in. Hitchcock’s legacy with St. Louis will be plagued with a lack of adjustments whenever his team falls behind. Regardless if it is the first minute, or the final minute, you can see the Blues players with their shoulders slumped, and their step a bit slower. They know, just like the rest of us, that the archaic system Hitchcock runs does not work in today’s NHL. The Blues were transformed from a bruising and scoring team, into a speed and finesse squad almost overnight. The lack of adjustments is not on the players...it’s on the coach.
The Blues power play has at least one instance per game where neither the first or second unit can gain the offensive zone long enough to set up a play. With defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk all but gone by the trading deadline on March 1, the power play has lost its quarterback. The Blues were hoping to be buyers at the deadline, but the coaching change will undoubtedly turn them into sellers.
Hitchcock was not the only coach let go, as goaltending coach Jim Corsi was relieved after three seasons. Assistant General Manager Martin Brodeur (yes...THAT Marty Brodeur) and developmental goaltending coach Ty Conklin will split duties until a permanent replacement can be found for Yeo. Hitchcock was often criticized for riding “his guy” in net for too long. When Elliott looked gassed in the 2014 playoffs, Hitch rode him into the ground, rather than playing Allen. He then proceeded to do most of the same during last year’s playoffs. The Blues success in goal the past few years has been running a tandem system, with one guy not dominating the playing time. This year, Hitch decided to ride Allen, instead of splitting time more regularly with Carter Hutton or Pheonix Copley.
Now I’m not putting the entire blame on Hitchcock...just the vast majority of it. I’ve listened to a decent amount of St. Louis sportstalk today, and the personalities are saying the axe should have fallen on Armstrong first. However, we all know the coach and players are likely to go well before the GM. Owner Tom Stillman is committed to having a parade down Market Street one June, but Hitchcock was never going to be the guy to get it for him.
Armstrong has to be looked at after the season by Stillman. The contracts offered to Allen and forward Jori Lehtera during the offseason are already blowing up in his face. Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is still owed $5 million for the next two years, and has only nine points and a -9 rating this season in an offensive-defenseman role. Of course the Blues overpaid Vladimir Tarasenko to keep him a Blue for life...you don’t take chances with the guy who could break every scoring record Brett Hull ever set with your franchise.
Yeo certainly has his work cut out for him the rest of this season. However, he is the man calling the shots on game night, and Blues Nation has to stand behind him. He did get the Wild into the playoffs three of his five years there. The Wild were actually a game over .500 (by NHL standards) when Yeo was fired in the middle of last season (23-22-10). Then again, he did lose 13 of 14 before being dismissed...so there’s that.
I was not a fan of Hitchcock in Dallas, Columbus, certainly not Philadelphia, and thought he should have been fired two years ago with the Blues. His teams were good, as was plenty evident by his record, but never great enough where you thought there would be enough in the tank to finish what they started come April. Hitchcock is the most successful regular season coach over the past 10 years, but the Blues went into a cocoon in the playoffs. In fact, the past four years the Blues were eliminated the team lost both Games 5 and 6. In two of those years (2013 and 2014) the Blues were up 2-0 in the series, and lost the next four.
Hitchcock is thought of by many to be a tough guy to play for, and doesn’t always get the most out of his younger talent. Yeo may just be Herb Brooks from another dimension. Seriously, find the video on YouTube of profanity-laden tirade he went off on with the Wild back in January of 2015. I remember seeing Yeo as a player with the Houston Aeros during the old IHL days with my hometown Cleveland Lumberjacks. No one played harder, and got up in your face than him.
The Blues giving Yeo an early start on his new gig isn’t just trying to light a fire...it may be a literal kick in the ass if this season doesn’t turn around quickly.
-JC24