Hitchcock makes return to Philadelphia as Columbus coach
This afternoon at the Wachovia Center, irony will reign supreme as former Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock makes his return to Philadelphia as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The irony of it all? It will be Hitchcock's first game behind the Columbus bench after being hired on Wednesday night by general manager Doug MacLean and the Blue Jackets. Hitchcock originally said that he would not coach this game if he were hired, but he was asked to be here by the Columbus front office.
The race was down to two candidates after head coach Gerard Gallant was fired on November 13. Gary Agnew became the interim coach of the team, but it was clear tha
t Columbus would not allow him to be the head man for long. They wanted someone with experience to teach the young players. It came down to former Kings coach Andy Murray and Hitchcock. In the end, Columbus chose Hitchcock. It was an interesting choice, because one of the reasons the Flyers got rid of Hitchcock was because he was apparently too tough on the younger players.
Nonetheless, Hitchcock has the duty of turning around a team that is 5-13-2 and last place in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets have just one regular player, Anders Eriksson, who is in the + range of the +/- scale. Even at that rate, Eriksson is still just a +2. David Vyborny is the team leader with 18 points. Columbus is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Will things change with Hitchcock behind the bench?
That is a question we will have to wait and find out the answer to. The Flyers meanwhile, since firing Hitchcock and hiring John Stevens on October 22, are just 4-8-2. After a tough loss to Ottawa on Wednesday, they'll be looking to rebound in the classic day after Thanksgiving battle.
Game Information: 1:00, ComcastSportsNet, 610 WIP
This afternoon at the Wachovia Center, irony will reign supreme as former Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock makes his return to Philadelphia as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The irony of it all? It will be Hitchcock's first game behind the Columbus bench after being hired on Wednesday night by general manager Doug MacLean and the Blue Jackets. Hitchcock originally said that he would not coach this game if he were hired, but he was asked to be here by the Columbus front office.
The race was down to two candidates after head coach Gerard Gallant was fired on November 13. Gary Agnew became the interim coach of the team, but it was clear tha
t Columbus would not allow him to be the head man for long. They wanted someone with experience to teach the young players. It came down to former Kings coach Andy Murray and Hitchcock. In the end, Columbus chose Hitchcock. It was an interesting choice, because one of the reasons the Flyers got rid of Hitchcock was because he was apparently too tough on the younger players.Nonetheless, Hitchcock has the duty of turning around a team that is 5-13-2 and last place in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets have just one regular player, Anders Eriksson, who is in the + range of the +/- scale. Even at that rate, Eriksson is still just a +2. David Vyborny is the team leader with 18 points. Columbus is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Will things change with Hitchcock behind the bench?
That is a question we will have to wait and find out the answer to. The Flyers meanwhile, since firing Hitchcock and hiring John Stevens on October 22, are just 4-8-2. After a tough loss to Ottawa on Wednesday, they'll be looking to rebound in the classic day after Thanksgiving battle.
Game Information: 1:00, ComcastSportsNet, 610 WIP
posted by Victor at 8:28 AM
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