Ken Hitchcock is a future Hall of Famer. The third-winningest coach in the history of the National Hockey League leaves a legacy of a Stanley Cup title, two conference championships, three Olympic gold medals, eight division titles, and 823 career wins behind as the 66-year-old announced his retirement on Friday.
After drastically improving a flawed defensive system, Hitchcock’s impact on the Dallas Stars was obvious. But, at the end of his tenure, the many negatives of his time in Dallas began to outweigh the positives, as the Stars monumentally collapse and failed to reach the postseason for the eighth time in 10 seasons.