Ken Hitchcock, Former Flyers Coach, Among Seven Named To Hockey Hall of Fame

Former Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Hall announced seven new inductees. Hitchcock will be inducted into the builders category along with Pierre Lacroix. Five players also will be inducted — goaltenders Henrik Lundqvist, Tom Barrasso and Mike Vernon, Caroline Ouellette and Pierre Turgeon.

Hitchcock coached the Philadelphia Flyers for four seasons, from 2002-06. He was 254-131-73, with 127 overtime losses. In 2004, Hitchcock’s team lost to Tampa Bay in the conference finals.

He also was a Flyers’ assistant coach from 1990-93, leaving to become a head coach with the IHL Kalamazoo Wings.

He coached in the NHL from 1995-2019, winning the Stanley Cup while coaching the Dallas Stars in 1999.

Over Hitchcock’s 21-year NHL coaching career, he was 849-534-88, with 88 overtime losses. Hitchcock, 71, has the fourth-most wins in NHL history. He also coached Columbus, St. Louis and Edmonton.

Hitchcock was a two-time Western Hockey League Coach of the Year as he led the Kamloops Blazers to two WHL championships and four division titles in his six years. The Edmonton, Alberta, native was named an Order of Canada recipient in 2019.

Hockey Canada was a familiar place for Hitchcock, who was a head coach twice, an associate coach five times and twice as an assistant coach. He won three Olympic gold medals as an associate coach.

The 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be Nov. 13 in Toronto.