Ken Hitchcock Ken Hitchcock ( born December 17 , 1951 in Edmonton , Alberta ) also known as " Hitch " is an NHL coach and pro scout , and current head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets . Hitchcock began his coaching career during the 1984 - 85 season where he was coach of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League . Hitchcock spent six seasons with the Blazers , leading them to two WHL championship victories in 1985 - 86 and 1989 - 90 . During his tenure with the Blazers , Hitchcock accumulated a 291 – 115 – 15 record and never had a losing season . He also named the Top Coach in all of Canadian Major Junior Hockey in 1990 . In 1990 , Hitchcock left the WHL and joined the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach . Hitchcock spent three seasons with the Flyers organization before leaving to helm the Dallas Stars ' IHL franchise , the Kalamazoo Wings , for the 1993 - 94 season . In the middle of his third season with the team ( then renamed the Michigan K - Wings ) , he was offered the head coaching position with the Dallas Stars and on January 8 , 1996 , he was named head coach , replacing Bob Gainey , who remained with the Stars as general manager . In his first full season with the Stars , he led the team to a first - place finish in the Central Division and a playoff berth . In his second full season with the Stars , Hitchcock again led the Stars to the playoffs , losing in the Conference Finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings . Also during the 1997 - 98 season , Hitchcock was named to his first of three consecutive NHL All - Star Game teams as coach . During the 1998 - 99 NHL season , Hitchcock led the Stars to a regular season record of 51 – 19 – 12 ( 0 . 695 winning percentage ) , a team best . In the playoffs , Hitchcock led the team to a Stanley Cup victory over the Buffalo Sabres , the team ' s first . The next season , Hitchcock again led the team to the Stanley Cup finals , only to lose to the New Jersey Devils . In the 2000 - 01 season , Hitchcock again led the Stars to the playoffs , but exited early . Midway through the following season , after getting off to a mediocre 23 – 21 – 6 start and in the midst of strife between the players and management , Hitchcock was fired as head coach . Hitchcock was quickly picked up in the off - season by his old team , the Philadelphia Flyers , who had just fired their coach , Bill Barber , after an early exit from the playoffs . Hitchcock brought much - needed discipline and direction to the Flyers and led them to a 45 – 24 – 13 record in his first season , losing in the Conference Semi - finals . In Hitchcock ' s second season with the Flyers , the Flyers finished first in the division with a 40 – 21 – 15 record and advanced to the Conference Finals , losing to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games . Although he never played the game himself , he has become one of the most successful head coaches of is era . From Philadelphia to Columbus . The 2006 – 07 NHL season would see the Flyers get off to a horrible 1 – 6 – 1 start over their first eight games . It was their worst start in 15 years . After a 9 – 1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres , management promised there would be some major changes to the organization . On October 22 , 2006 , the Flyers fired Hitchcock and General Manager Bobby Clarke stepped down . On November 1 , 2006 , the Flyers assigned Ken Hitchcock to be a pro scout for the club . On November 22 , 2006 , Hitchcock and the Columbus Blue Jackets agreed to a three - year contract to become their new head coach . He coached his first game for the Blue Jackets on November 24 against his former team , the Philadelphia Flyers , a game the team lost , 3 – 2 . On July 9 , 2008 , the Blue Jackets announced they signed Hitchcock to a three - year extension to remain as head coach . On February 19 , 2009 the Blue Jackets earned Ken Hitchcock his 500th career NHL win as a head coach , by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs , in Toronto . On April 8 , 2009 Hitchcock secured the Blue Jackets ' first ever post season appearance with a 4 - 3 shootout win over the Chicago Blackhawks , only to be swept in the conference quarterfinals by the Detroit Red Wings .