The Ken Hitchcock era in St. Louis ended back on February 1st, 2017. Now, almost a year later, it feels weird to once again talk about Hitchcock. A new article from Sports Illustrated offers a fascinating, candid look into what Hitchcock experienced shortly after being fired by the Blues, as well as his journey back to Dallas.
Honestly, you should read the SI story and come back here later. It’s that good.
Hitchcock’s firing has been well documented. His message became stale with the Blues, forcing the team to fire him in what he had previously said would be his final season coaching in the NHL. However, those articles didn’t fully capture Hitchcock’s experience beyond the initial firing.
Let’s let Hitchcock do the talking.
“When I got out, it was a relief. I was really enjoying getting back into a normal routine. You got up when you wanted. I don’t want to call it an older-person routine, but my time was my own. For the first six weeks, I really enjoyed it.”
If you’ve ever lost your job or quit your job without an immediate replacement, you can probably relate to Hitchcock’s comments. At first, it’s pretty awesome. The pressures and stress are gone. Your time is once again your time and not someone else’s.
Hitchcock goes on to say that he joined a workout club with other people of all walks of life in his condo complex, but he never talked hockey while he was there. Instead, he learned about those around him.
Over time, hockey crept back into Hitchcock’s life. Coaches/teams started reaching out, not to offer Hitch a new full-time job, but to have him give advice on various strategies and topics.
That led to Hitch traveling – by car – around the country to give advice to various teams.
“So then on a whim I started to travel. We’re never very good at living in the present. We’re always looking at, what are we going to do tomorrow? So driving gives you a chance to daydream.”
Over time, Hitch realized he was enjoying learning from all of the coaches he was meeting. While they were looking for advice from him, Hitch was being rejuvenated. His excitement for coaching came back, leading him to a position with the Dallas Stars.
The whole article provides some awesome insight into Hitchcock’s approach both to his current hockey role and towards life in general. With his message stale and his approach with the Blues going from disappointing to frustrating to infuriating, it’s easy to forget about Hitchcock the person.
We know his removal was the right decision for the Blues, but it sounds like it may have been a great decision for Hitch too.
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