ST. LOUIS — Ken Hitchcock passed Al Arbour for third on the NHL’s all-time coaching wins list early this season and it prompted some fond memories from the Dallas Stars coach.
Hitchcock and Arbour barely passed any time together in the NHL — Hitchcock’s first pro job was as a Flyers assistant from 1990-93, the final three seasons of Arbour’s tenure with the Isles, but Hitchcock always appreciated the time Arbour had for him.
“Scotty (Bowman) was above the fray. Just coaching against him was intimidating, he had so many accolades. Al felt like, when you went down and walked by his door, he wanted to talk to you, he wanted to visit,” said Hitchcock, who recorded his 790th career win on Friday night against the Islanders.