Photo via Hockey Hall of Fame
Former Kamloops Blazers head coach Ken Hitchcock has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2023.
The 71-year-old Edmonton native was bench boss in Kamloops between 1984-85 and 1989-90. He led the team to four consecutive division titles and won the WHL title twice in 1985-86 and again in 1989–90.
In six seasons in Kamloops, Hitchcock put up a 291-125-15 record, and was named WHL Coach Of the Year twice, in 1987 and 1990.
Ken Hitchcock during his time with the Kamloops Blazers (Photo via WHL)
As an NHL head coach, Hitchcock spent time with the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and the Edmonton Oilers.
He won the Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and is the fourth winningest coach in NHL history with a total of 849 victories over 22 seasons.
Hitchcock also won the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year in 2012 while in St. Louis, and in 2019, he was named a recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada.
“My career started in minor hockey coaching kids and to reach this stage is almost overwhelming to me,” Hitchcock told The Canadian Press. “When the call came today…I was in complete shock and not really ready for it.”
“This is an unbelievable honour for a guy who started out just coaching kids.”
Goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barasso, and Mike Vernon, forwards Pierre Turgeon and Caroline Ouellette in the players category, along with Pierre Lacroix in the builder’s category make up the rest of the Class of 2023.
Congratulations Hitch!🔥 https://t.co/kdJIGWdUPa
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) June 21, 2023
