In his first full season as head coach of the Dallas Stars ('96-'97), Ken Hitchcock added to his very impressive list of credentials by guiding the Stars to a first place finish in the Central Division -- only the ninth team in NHL history to go from last to first in one season. Now, heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he has led Dallas to the President's Trophy, awarded to the team with the best record in the NHL's regular season.
Ken got his start behind the bench in the Canadian AAA Midget ranks with Sherwood Park, a suburb of Edmonton. Hitchcock posted an incredible 575-69 mark during his ten year reign. Named head coach of the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL in 1984, he began a dominating run at the junior level which saw his team finish first in the West Division in five of his six seasons at the helm. During this regime Ken was named WHL Coach of the Year twice, and his amateur career was capped after serving as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning 1987 Team Canada squad at the World Juniors in Russia.
After a three year stint ('90-'93) as assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, Hitchcock returned to head coaching duties for the '93-'94 season manning the bench for the Kalamazoo Wings, the Stars minor league team.
On January 8, 1996, the 47 year-old native of Edmonton was named the 17th head coach in the Stars' franchise history.
Recently married to wife Nancy, they reside minutes from the Star Center with children Emily, Alex, and Noah. An avid golfer, Hitchcock is adjusting to a golf season 'down under' that lasts considerably longer, say nine months longer, that that where he grew up in Canada. The Hitchcock's definitely are adapting to their Southern Exposure, and look forward to clearing a 'cup-sized' place on the mantle for Ken's next career milestone.

YST: Tell us a little about your background.
"I grew up in Alberta. It's a prairie city that's close enough to the mountains that recreation is a big part of the community. It's very similar to Minnesota because of the limitations of spring and summer, you really end up playing different sports year round. It's a lot different than it is here in Texas. You play baseball and football in the summer, and we play hockey or go downhill skiing in the winter. So you really run the full gauntlet as far as sports goes. It was a huge part of all of our lives. We were involved uniquely in different sports although all three of us were involved heavily in hockey. I can remember playing when I was six, so at a very young age hockey was a strong part of my life. "

YST: Who was your biggest influence growing up?
"My dad was my biggest hero, but he died when I was 14 years old. He supplies terrific motivation every day. I remember him throwing me into a swimming pool teaching me to have fun with new activities. I remember him having a real difficult time taking me to events, but once I got there I never wanted to leave. He was a major influence and there was a real void in all of my life when he died. "

YST: Can you recall a fond childhood memory?
"I don't know if it was one moment. I think it's different for people in the south to understand, but we used to play hockey every day like kids here in Texas play soccer. We have outdoor rinks, and everyday after school we would go to practice and pick-up games from the end of November until the middle of March. I would take my school supplies and my skates and go out the door to school everyday. I'd go from school to the rink and stay there until mom would come and bring supper. That was my winter.
I remember those times fondly. The rules was ten below zero and they wouldn't open the rink. At ten below, you listened to the radio and if it was anything less, you knew the rink was going to be open. I can remember doing that for six or seven years and just loving everyday. "

YST: Can you recall a not-so-fond memory?
" I went through a period of time when I was the best player on my teams, then I started to gain weight. Since the age of 5 or 6, I'd been an elite athlete in four or five different sports. Midget hockey in Canada was for 15 and 16 year olds, and I played at 14. I remember the tragedy the first time I ever got cut. I led in scoring as a 14 year-old, and was the top player at age 14 and 15. Then at age 16, I learned from a list on the board in the locker room that I didn't even make the team. It took me months and months to get over that experience. It affected the way I coach because the way that I was let go was something that I vowed I would never do. Instead of listing the cut players' names for everyone else to see, I talk to the player personally. "

YST: What is your proudest achievement?
"I was one of those students that school came easy to. Anything that had memorization, like history or social studies, I would have grades of 90 or 100. But, anything like math or chemistry, I would be in the 50s and 60s. I didn't spend any time with it.
If there was a presentation on World War II or World War I or the War of 1812, I was always the guy to come up and make the presentation in class. I was really proud that I was able to remember history, and it's still a part of my life. "

YST: How did you get so invloved in the history of our Civil War?
" At the all-star break in 1990, I was coaching in Philadelphia. It was about a four or five day break and I had decided to stay in Philly. One of the fellows that was in charge of ticket sales for the Philadelphia Flyers was a five star general who had come back from retirement to work for the team. He invited me to go with him and some friends on a Civil War battle field tour. We went on this tour with an 85-year old man as our guide, and we walked for about seven hours, and he guided me through every aspect of the Civil War.
I had never done much with the Civil War. I kinda glossed over that period because as a Canadian, it was not as important to us as it was to Americans. Since he sparked my interest that year, I've been to about a dozen reenactments and participated in five. There have been many times that I have traveled a long way throughout the United States to see the battle fields. I've taken nine and ten hour junkets to spend three hours at a field, and I try to get involved in round table discussions twice a year. At these, they bring in an actor to play the role of a general or a private. Dealing with a subject that is so important to the history of this country is what I like.
I like it also because I can spend time being a normal person. Not very many people there know who I am and they don't care. I can be anonymous at these events. When I'm surrounded by such high job expectations and commitments, it's nice to become invisible every now and then. "

YST: In what ways does being a publicly-known figure affect your personal life?
" Things have changed dramatically in the time that I've been here. When I first arrived, no one knew or cared who I was, and I could move around the city freely. As time has gone on and the team has had success, my freedom has become more limited. The publicity brought about by television and radio has made me and my name more visible to the fans. I find it surprising that places I went a year and a half ago, and no one knew who I was, are now the same places that people come up with a comment about the game or team. "

YST: Are the southern hockey fans different than those up north?
"I get a kick out of the fans here. I find the fans to be unbelievably knowledgeable about such a fresh sport to the area. It's amazing to me how up to date the people are about several sports in general. At first I was a little discouraged about the take off of hockey here. But now, I find that Dallas fans hold strong opinions about their sports, and they really love hockey. The passion for hockey has just recently evolved. The passion of hating Detroit and Edmonton and really hoping to see the Stars win is what makes the sport fun for me. "

YST: How did you an Nancy meet?
"We met in 1992 when she was involved in community programming for Channel 3 television in Kalamazoo, Mich. We had a chance meeting concerning the Toys for Tots program. We naturally built the relationship up from there. When I left to come to Dallas, we made the decision to spend our lives together, so we got married in June 1997 and came to Dallas together. "

YST: Tell us about your family.
"There's Noah, 8, Alex, 10, and Emily, 12. They keep Nancy and myself going seven days a week. Between band, hockey, soccer, and all the other activities within the community we are always running from one event to the next. This is a really different experience for me. I've never had to manage my day like I do now. I really enjoy the challenge. "

YST: What do ya'll as a family do for fun?
"We go to a lot of movies. With Nancy's influence, we do cultural activities also. Whether we attend concerts at fair park, museums or educational events, these activities provide a terrific balance in our lives. It would be easy for the boys to swing over into a sports-driven life. But it's good to have that balance. Nancy is an outdoorsy person who gets involved in the community. She's directly involved in a number of charities in the D/FW area, and believes very strongly in the importance of volunteering and helping out the community. She makes sure the whole family gets involved and has fun. "

YST: How has your move from Kalamazoo to Dallas been?
" We just got into our new house in June, a little less than a year ago. We are real happy here in Dallas. There is so much to do in the North Dallas community if you know where to go looking for it. We are getting to know where to visit on the weekends."

YST: What would you be doing if you were not a coach?
"I would have probably been a teacher...it's a lot like coaching. I've never gone out and looked for work -- opportunities have always come to me. When I was working in Edmonton, someone asked me if I wanted to coach junior hockey. I've always been at the right place at the right time. I was at a stage in Kamloops, British Columbia, where I didn't know what else there was to do in junior hockey. At that point, I was looking for a different challenge. I've never really had a plan and I don't now. I do it all on feel. I've a very passionate, unorganized person in my personal life, but very detailed in my hockey coaching. Coming to coach in Dallas felt like it was the right thing to do, so I did it. "

YST: What involvement to you have with golf?
"I started playing when I was 12 years old. At one point, I was a really good player. I'm not a very strong player like I once was, but I have a great time playing.
I find the four or five hours that I can spend on the golf course a great chance to get away and enjoy the personal challenge of the game.
As a parent, I find that golf is one of the most enjoyable experiences socially or sportswise that you can do together with your kids. It's a terrific chance to enjoy time as a family. "

YST: What qualities do you think are required to be a successful youth coach?
"Although I feel strongly that once the game begins, coaching to win is important, it's all of the issues and qualities leading up to the game that I find make a successful coach. Those qualities are enthusiasm, strong teaching fundamentals, discipline, and most important, making it as fun as possible. "

YST: Do team sports help develop a child?
"Yes, in my opinion, absolutely. There is no better feeling than to be a part of a team.
Noah had a soccer teammate that he became best friends with. They always called each other on the phone and went over each other's houses.
I've seen many hockey players that never want to leave the game because they don't want to give up that team bond. "

YST: What do you like best about coaching?
I've coached for 17 years now. I find that the enthusiasm is unparalleled - I feed so much off of the players' energy. I go back to summer hockey schools to coach youth and regain that feeling. The drive is ongoing. To me, it would be a tremendous blow in my life if I were not allowed to teach or coach.

YST: What is the common bond in coaching youth and professional sports?
Athletes, no matter the age, feed off of your direction. If the coach has enthusiasm, so will the team. If the leadership is unorganized without much direction, that's how the team is going to perform. I find that more so of young people than anywhere.
Our children are always looking for guidance. This point was reassured this year by watching Noah's soccer team. I saw the team grow together by the direction from the two coaches.
Coaches can build relationships between their players and themselves for life.

YST: What advice would you give kids wanting to play youth hockey?
First of all, it's a terrific team sport. It is a sport where the more time you put in, the better you get. On the ice there's a role for everybody. Many different skills are in play. As long as you love to play and as long as you want to improve, there's a role for you in this sport. The other thing is because the game is cuch a highly intense, emotional game, there's the opportunity to become great at something that could become the fabric fo a child's personality for a long time because of the emotion a player has to put into the game.

YST: Are you surprised by the success of the Dallas Stars hockey team?
No, not really. Our long-term focus is to win the Stanley Cup, obviously, but our daily focus is to continue playing well and develop as a team."