| From left to right, Carlo Colaiacovo (28), Jason Arnott (44), Alex Pietrangelo (27) and Jamie Langenbrunner (15) of the St. Louis Blues celebrate a goal with teammates against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center earlier this season. (Getty) |
After starting the season 6-7, general manager Doug Armstrong made a quick and decisive move on November 7 to replace coach Davis Payne and bring in Ken Hitchcock, who previously had a relationship with Armstrong in Dallas when Hitchcock led the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup Championship, with Armstrong serving as an assistant general manager on that team.
At that point in the season, goaltender Jaroslav Halak was struggling with a 1-6 record and a 3.35 goals-against average. His save percentage screamed “bench me, please” sitting at .856.
Fast forward to the last week of the regular season and hiring Hitchcock seems like the best move of the 2011-2012 NHL Season.
The Blues have already clinched the Central division championship and sit with 106 points entering Wednesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. St. Louis still has a chance to win the Presidents’ Trophy for finishing with the most points in the league and sits three points behind Vancouver in that race.
Eye on Hockey recently talked with Blues right winger Jamie Langenbrunner, who was also on the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars team, and also won another cup with the New Jersey Devils, about the Blues turnaround and playing under Hitchcock. He’s played in more than 1,000 NHL games and is one of the top 30 american born scorers in NHL history.
Eye on Hockey: What was your initial reaction when you found out Davis Payne was fired and that Ken Hitchcock would be the new coach?
Langenbrunner: I was a little shocked. We were right around .500 at the time and anytime you have a coach get replaced it’s a bit of a shock. I felt excitement because I knew what he could bring. I enjoyed playing for him in Dallas.
Eye on Hockey: What changed in St. Louis to produce this turnaround?
Langenbrunner: I think he really tried to simplify what we were trying to do at the beginning of the season and he started to push the right buttons.
We needed to play as a team and he gave us that confidence and that’s a winning combination, and it snowballed from there.
Eye on Hockey: How has Hitchcock changed his coaching style from Dallas to St. Louis?
Langenbrunner: In Dallas, the NHL was a bit different and more clutch and grab. You had big, strong defensemen and we played with a very defensive mind. Our defensemen are up in the play all the time now and are a part of the attack.
Being a smart coach, he adapts his system to the team that he has. His message is still very similar on the compete level and he just wants us to play within our system.
Eye on Hockey: The Blues still have a chance to win the Presidents’ Trophy. Is that something that’s discussed in the locker room? Is there a taboo attached to winning it?
Langenbrunner: I think it's something we know is there for us. Our focus all year is that we’re playing well and we’ll get wins and have a chance. I don’t think there is any team that goes into the season with that goal...if you end up with it, that’s great. It’s not something you focus in on.
We expected to be there at the beginning of the year. Our focus is to be an elite team...the challenge now is just to stay there.
Eye on Hockey: How tough is the Central division this season?
Langenbrunner: There’s definitely no off nights. There’s 4 teams that can get over 100 points, which is pretty amazing. The whole western conference is tough. I think it pushes everybody.
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