A couple of noteworthy quotes, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, from today’s press conference announcing the re-signing of Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock.
First, from Hitchcock:
“This is unfinished business for me. I don’t want to coach to coach. I want to coach to win and I couldn’t find a better spot than to show up right here and coach this hockey club. This is a really good team trying to become a great team. I think I have the tools and the expertise to help them along the way.”
Second, from GM Doug Armstrong:
“Show me a well-liked coach, and I’ll show you a losing coach.”
That Armstrong quote is basically the same thing Blues owner Tom Stillman said recently, when asked about the speculation that some players had been chafing under Hitchcock’s rule.
So, now that the coaching decision has been made, all eyes will be on Armstrong as the draft approaches. The GM all but guaranteed there will be changes to the roster, though as he did last month, he fell short of guaranteeing a blockbuster trade.
Army: "We are going to explore improving our team to levels we haven't explored before. But it has to make sense." #StlBlues
— Andrew Allsman (@allsmandrew) May 26, 2015
Hitch said the noticeable difference in the 4 remaining playoff teams is speed. He says coaches will make adjustments to pick up the pace.
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) May 26, 2015
Related: ‘I’ve got no issues’ with Hitchcock, says Blues captain Backes