The Dallas Stars will not only have a new head coach next season, but new assistant as well. Rick Wilson, who has been behind an NHL bench for the past 30 years, has retired from coaching. The long-time assistant came back to the Stars last season with Ken Hitchcock, increasing his total to 18 seasons with Dallas over his career. Wilson is the best person to understand his impact on the game, and he did so in a statement:
As I look back on my time as a coach in the NHL, I feel a strong sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Very few individuals in their coaching career have the opportunity to work with incredibly talented athletes like Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher, Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan Suter, Matt Niskanen, Jared Spurgeon and John Klingberg . These are a few of the names that stand out, but this list can go on and on involving all positions. The game of hockey has provided my family and I so many opportunities and we are forever appreciative.
Indeed, Wilson had an impact on a tremendous number of elite defensemen in the league and his teachings will likely play a role in hundreds of careers down the road. Beginning his NHL coaching career in 1988-89 with the Los Angeles Kings, he’ll hang it up after a disappointing season with the Stars. In total though, even this down season can’t tarnish his record. Coaching in 2,306 regular season games, he will finish his career with a record of 1,159-846-301, most of which came as an assistant or associate coach. He did work for a short time as the head coach of the Stars when Hitchcock was fired in 2002, only to remain in his original position when Dave Tippett came aboard the next season.
Stars GM Jim Nill had this to say about Wilson:
We are grateful to Rick and all that he has brought to the Dallas Stars organization and the NHL over his many seasons behind the bench. He has left a lasting impact on this franchise through the countless hours he’s spent teaching, instructing and developing players as well as preparing them to perform at the highest level on the ice.
The Stars will be coached by Jim Montgomery next season, who will need to find a new assistant to coach the defense and penalty kill. While every coach likes to bring in his own people, it’s not clear if Montgomery—a first-time NHL head coach—would have turned down the opportunity to keep Wilson in the position.