Ken Hitchcock has 533 wins behind NHL benches and everywhere he goes people love him…except his players
IT FEELS LIKE an unintentional slight, like a father driving off without realizing one of his sons isnt in the car. As the 2010-11 hockey season pulls away from the curb. Ken Hitchcock doesnt have a team to coach for the first time since 1984-85.

Hitchcock will be back in action, the theory goes, when an NHL team gets off to a horrible start and seeks a veteran coach who can step right in and clean up the mess.
It seems inevitable, really. Happens every year.

And when Hitchcock arrives, the community that welcomes him – fans, media, players, etc.- will come to know what those in Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and many points in between will always remember: Hitchcock is a walking dichotomy.

I heres a side of Hitchcock that almost glows as he talks hockey, Canadian history or the U.S. Civil War. He cant suppress a smile as he recalls tales of his beloved Alberta or his way – back coaching days in the Western League. He can fill a reporters notebook with the answer to one simple question.

“Ken is a people person,” former NHL executive Bob Gainey, who gave Hitchcock his first NHI. coaching job, once told The Columbus Dispatch. “The man loves a conversation.”
Put another way: the Philadelphia media, who will rail against sunshine, hugs and chocolate, has maintained a love affair with Hitchcock nearly five years after he left as Flyers coach.
Last month in Toronto, Hitchcock – now slimmer and trimmer after committing to a workout regimen in the spring – regaled NHL officials and media alike with his insights and opinions at the NHL research and development camp.

In Columbus, Hitchcock held lengthy “fireside chats” after weekday practices, shooting the breeze with trusted reporters and broadcasters, the topic rarely confined to hockey.
But just outside the room where Hitchcock held court, players milled about who had never – and may never – gel such a glimpse at the amiable side of the man.
“We see an entirely different side than the guy you guys see,” said one of Hitchcocks former players. “Its like a switch goes on when hes in coaching mode, and he puis his guard up.
“Its been said – and its kind of a running joke – that theres only one kind of player Hitch likes – a former player.”

Hitchcock is well aware of his reputation as a hard – ass and hes not about to change. Hes inspired by, among others, three U.S. Civil War generals – Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and William Tecumseh Sherman. Its Lee he admires most and Lee he seems to channel when he talks about coaching challenges.

“Its an all – consuming job,” Hitchcock said. “Coaches dont want to let our guard down because we think were going to be seen as soft.
“Its not easy pushing players up the mountain; on them or on you. After a while you find out that getting people to do things that are extremely uncomfortable is not an easy task. But in order to be successful at level, those are the places you have to go to.”

Eventually, Hitchcock said, his players get the message. They got it in Dallas, where Hitchcock and the Stars won a Stanley Cup. They got it initially in Philadelphia, before it fell apart early in his fourth season. The Blue Jackets, after three seasons on the rise under Hitchcock, quickly flamed out last season, when many of their young players appeared overwhelmed by his coaching.
“The players know its not personal,” he said. “Sometimes they understand it early in the process, sometimes in the middle, sometimes much later. But they all get it eventually.”
Hitchcock is a bit out of sorts these days, serving as a special advisor for the Blue Jackets while he waits for an opportunity.

His commitment to fitness has given him a new lease on life and a new perspective on coaching. But when hes hired by another franchise, hell be the same ol Hitch, the man with 500 – plus wins, one Stanley Cup and two sides.

“Let me ask you,” he opined. “Whats wrong with the Ken Hitchcock who coached in Dallas, Philadelphia and Columbus?”