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Nostalgia aside, Ken Hitchcock returning to coach the Dallas Stars makes sense for these reasons

J. MARK KEGANS/File

Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock answers questions during a press conference to discuss his firing Friday afternoon at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Valley Ranch.

This wasn't the worst season since the Stars moved to Dallas.

It was the second worst.

The worst season came in 1995-96 when the Stars went 26-42-14, chasing GM/coach Bob Gainey from the bench at mid-season and forcing the Hall-of-Famer to trust a little known coach out of the minors.

That's how Ken Hitchcock got his start in the NHL.

The then-44-year-old was a hockey lifer with three years as an assistant coach in Philadelphia, three years as the head coach of the Stars' IHL affiliate in Kalamazoo, Mich.