Hitchin' A Ride (blues)

Ken Hitchcock has spoken with his family. He has also spoken with his boss Doug Armstrong. Hitchcock has agreed to sign on for one more year as St. Louis Blues head coach.

Round about last week, there was an under current of conversation inside the hockey community concerning Hitchcock's future in St. Louis. The Blues have been built for deep playoff runs the past tree seasons. They have been prematurely sent packing from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the past three seasons.

It makes perfect sense that the Blues and Hitchcock have agreed to a one year deal because if their regular season and post season success rates don't improve the two parties will part company during or after next season. It would appear to this observer that the Blues are telling Hitchcock to "show me" that you are committed to righting the playoff wrongs by getting then Blues out of their first round doldrums. If he can accomplish advance his team beyond round one, the Blues will likely slide him a multi-year contract extension. If he fails, they can walk away and immediately begin their search for a replacement who is capable of directing the Blues to the Stanley Cup Finals.

You knew something was up with Hitch when the St. Louis Blues were rumored to be a possible landing spot for Mike Babcock. Doug Armstrong spoke with Babcock at the IIHF World Championships in Prague. Like Babcock at the time, Hitchcock was set to become UFA on June 30 when his current contract expired. Babcock and Hitchcock are very close friends and confidantes. It didn't make sense to me that Babcock would want to interview for his buddy's job.

The Bufalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks are still in search. Don't worry, Sabres fans. Hitchcock was not a candidate to become Buffalo head coach. Were he to leave St. Louis, Hitch appeared destined to land in San Jose where he has coached elder statesmen Joe Thornton and Patty Marleau.

Hitchcock, 63, was originally named the 24th head coach in Blues history on November 11, 2011. Since, he has guided the Blues to four straight postseason appearances, three 100-point regular season campaigns and two Central Division championships. In 2014-15, he captured his second Central Division title with the club, while logging the third-best regular season record in franchise history (51-24-7, 109 pts).

During Hitchcock’s four-year tenure, the Blues have posted the NHL’s best regular season record (175-79-27, .671) and achieved three of the top four regular season records in franchise history. Hitchcock’s success has landed him second on the club’s all-time wins list and first in terms of points percentage (.671). Hitchcock has reached several milestones behind the Blues’ bench including Mar. 12, 2015, when he became the fourth coach in NHL history to reach 700 career regular season wins. In addition, in the Blues’ Central Division-winning 2011-12 campaign, he became just the fourth head coach in franchise history to receive the NHL’s Jack Adams Award as the League’s best coach.

Overall, the Edmonton, Alberta native has posted a 708-429-185 (.606) all-time regular season mark, slotting him fourth on the NHL’s all-time wins list. In 18 NHL seasons, including stints with Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis, he has led his teams to eight division titles and a dozen 100-point regular seasons, while he is the only coach in League history to record at least 125 regular season wins with four different teams. In his postseason career, Hitchcock has made 13 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances (76-72 all-time record), including 1999, when he captured the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars.

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Charlie Sheen isn't the only Estevez brother to create a buzz on the world wide web.

Charlie's older brother Emilio took to Twitter on Tuesday night to implore his Anaheim Ducks to victory.

You know Emilio, right?

He'll be known for posterity as the original Mighty Ducks head coach Gordon Bombay.

Bombay showered bombs on the Blackhawks and their fine city of Chicago after Matt Beleskey closed the show with his dramatic OTGWG. The Hawks were a perfect 4-0 in OT games in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs before they ran into the Ducks on Memorial Day.

With Corey Crawford on the bench for the extra attacker, Hawks captain Jonathon Toews tied the game by scoring two huge goals in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 4s.

Beleskey, man. The pending UFA is going to get paid this summer. The former Belleville Bulls star plays the heavy game and has nice finishing touch around the net. I would love to see him in a Buffalo Sabres uniform next season. He earned $1.35 million this season.

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When the Ottawa Senators re-signed goaltender Andrew Hammond to a three-year contract extension last week, and signed Boston University Terriers free agent goalie Matt O'Connor, the hand writing was slammed on the wall. Now one of Robin Lehner or Craig Anderson have to leave Ottawa. O'Connor is slated to start the 2015-16 season in AHL Bingo.

“Five or six teams have called, and there has been some discussion and there will continue to be. We’ll see what comes of it,… Sens GM Bryan Murray told the Ottawa Sun.

Bryan's nephew Tim is a huge Robin Lehner fan. The Sabres are looking for their number one goalie. Lehner was the starter in Bingo when the Baby Sens won the Calder Cup five years ago Murray can reunite the Bingo band if he trades for Lehner and hires his buddy Luke Richardson.

Lehner is the poster child fir Tim Murray's desired goaltender typw. He is 6'5" tall and is mobile, agile, and hostile. Lehner needs a change of scenery from Ottawa where try as he might will never be Ottawa's number one goaltender. Lehner would thrive under the tutelage of Sabres goalie coach Archie Irbe who worked miracles with Michal Neuvirth, Anders Lindback, and Jhonas Enroth in 2014-15.

The Sabres have two super Swede goalie prospects warming in the incubator in Linus Ullmark and Jhonas Johansson.

Having Lehner in Buffalo would allow Murray to keep Ullmark and Johansson in the developmental leagues where they belong right now.

Buffalo, Edmonton, and San Jose Sharks are among teams that will be looking for a goalie this off-season.

Tim Murray may also take a healthy run at Anaheim backup tendy John Gibson. Freddy Andersen may end up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. If he wins the Cup, Gibson will be relegated to baseball cap duties.

Brian Murray is seeking a top-six forward in exchange for a goalie solution.

Hammond's heroics delivered the Sens to the playoffs, however, when Montreal pushed back hard on the Sens in the playoffs, Dave Cameron gave the net to veteran Anderson, whose career playoff numbers are spectacular. Despite losing to the Canadiens, Anderson posted a .972 save percentage. The 34-year-old is signed through 2017-18 at an average annual value of $4.2 million.

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