The St. Louis Blues have made a few front office changes, naming Peter Chiarelli vice president of hockey operations and Ken Hitchcock a coaching consultant. Dave Taylor, who was previously in the role that Chiarelli was given will assume the role of senior advisor to hockey operations.
Chiarelli, 57, had already been working for the Blues as a consultant but will now have an expanded role in the front office. The long-time executive last held a full-time position in 2019 with the Edmonton Oilers, but was fired early that year halfway through another disappointing season. There’s no lack of experience assuming the role for the blues, as Chiarelli was an NHL GM for 13 consecutive seasons between the Boston Bruins and Oilers. Before that, he held various positions with the Ottawa Senators including assistant GM.
Hitchcock will be well known to Blues fans, given he was head coach of the team for parts of six seasons. His last season in 2016-17 was supposed to be his swan song with the team with Mike Yeo was brought on as a coach-in-waiting, but after a 24-21-5 start, GM Doug Armstrong pulled the trigger early and fired Hitchcock. As Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweets, Armstrong never lost respect for Hitchcock, and the legendary coach was already considered a mentor for Blues boss Craig Berube.
Hitchcock is fourth all-time on the NHL wins list with 849 and won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 1999.
Bwahahahaha!!
Good luck Ha Hah Hah Hah
The Blues just got put in life support.
The Blues may now be in a semi-permanently sealed Iron Lung, breathing their own CO2… If they *really* wanted to make things better in STL, they’d get rid of Vitale and bring Chaser back, at any cost.
@Mac – Plastic bottles don’t get recycled as much as former NHL coaches and executives. :D
@Gbear – When Trader Pete stooged EDM, he was vigorously patting himself on the back, showing them just how to build a Cup winner, by stupidly pointing to the past as the template. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, the game was already evolving to fast and faster. He and Hitch could take STL into the nether-regions, if the Blues aren’t careful.
@Mac – I hear they’re trying to get Tony Twist out of retirement. :D
BTW, sorry about the results of your recent election, but know that you will be welcomed here in Pennsylvania if you decide to escape the great white north. :)
@Gbear – Both Twister and Chaser back to active duty? That would be a treat!
@Gbear – I was so caught up with the mention of Twister, that I forgot to finish my original comment. You may be (choose one or more) happy/surprised/puzzled to know that I’m on the same side of the border as you, just on the other side of that big river in the middle. I flew over PA on a business trip in the late ’80s to BOS, and to Philly on a different trip in the mid-late ’90s, missing hockey season both times, unfortunately. Let me know if I need to pick up extra indigestion relief for you, after you read this! :) I do spend a lot of time on Canadian radio shows & podcasts, but I’ll hit many US games in-season, as well.
I would’ve bet a dozen Tim Horton donuts that you were from Canada! :D
I do miss Leafs games being on that 900AM Hamilton radio station. Comes in clear as a bell most nights. :)
@Gbear – You can post a replica coupon for the first installment here! I’ll be the envy of all NHL referees! BTW, have you tried pulling in TSN 1050 for the Leafs or TSN 690 for the Habs over the air? AM radio has changed for the worse with the introduction of HD, which promised to be better, but hasn’t turned out that way. My options are strictly interweb radio now, either via TuneIn, iHeart, or NHL.com’s GameCenter. Naturally, the Sharks have to be an outlier with their own “Sharks Audio Network.”
I used to be a radio enthusiast before SiriusXM and those interwebs came along. Had my Select-A-Tenna dynamic coupling gizmo next to my radio to double the signal strength! Got a real thrill picking up games all across North America when the ionosphere cooperated. :)
Now I just go to an app. The thrill is gone. :(
Yea Peter is a rough one. He’s been horrible sense trading Seguin and that’s just what comes to mind as a fan of another team
Horrible trade. But maybe the guy has learned.
@Gbear – That “gizmo” wouldn’t happen to be the venerable Terk “AM Advantage” loop, would it? Kind of looks like a gray Stargate-shaped loop with a built-in base. If so, mine is still in a closet here!
The terk version is a “newer” model of the same type of device, IIRC. Mine is brown with a big dial in the middle. CCrane has some neat radio enhancement stuff like that.
I think I may have some Heath Kit stuff laying around somewhere too. :D
Why would you want the guy who made the Segiun trade and Lucic contract in a major position
Now that JFJ is also employed in a management roll all that’s left is Mike Milbury and Garth Snow to get management positions for the worst of the worst in the last 20 years to still be in major front office positions
@amk1920 – Maybe he told Army that he was truly “reformed”, and has learned from the “mistakes of youth.”
Never followed Chiarelli’s career but he won with Boston in 2011. Everyone says he sucks but everyone says a lot of things. What the hell does senior advisor to hockey operations even mean/do?
Ken Hitchcock is just back for the ham and cheese sandwich he left on the bench all the seasons ago. That and our civil war museums Seriously, why bring him on as a coaching consultant. He is outdated and proved that in his last few coaching positions.
Maybe bring in an old face to help wipe Tarasenkos ass?
Yep ! they brought in Hitchcock and Chiarelli to help with janatorial services in cleaning bathrooms , had to let go of the real janitors cause of Covid, and emergency backup Zamboni Driver, if they bring someone in to wipe Tarasenko’s ass , Look out Vlady !!!! run ! Chiarelli might trade you to the Cleveland Barons
Your turn STL! Chiraelli’s reign of terror is not quite over!!!! Lucic is going to STL!
C’mon?? Seriously? Don’t let Chiarelli anywhere near this roster or team, why is this clown still in the nhl? What are we doing here? Hitchcock as well is outdated, the Nhl is way different from when he was a coach, his way didn’t work and Blues teams were successful despite his approach imo. Unless he changes and adapts, he shouldn’t be with team in any way, and Chiarelli shouldn’t be allowed to run a youth hockey team, let alone a nhl team.
In all seriousness, I genuinely ask, “Why?” I mean other than nepotism, “Why?”
Lmfao, as an Oilers fan, i cant believe any sane franchise would hire Chiapet for any decision making hockey position!! wow R.I.P. St. Louis Blues franchise
Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia!
Blues lineup as it stands, looks pretty damn solid. With the addition of Saad makes it even stronger. Saad over Schwartz even though I loved Schwartz. Saad is a stronger player. Bozer back for defensive purposes and killing penalties, yeah I like it. Defense might be a question with Krug and what Parayko will we see. I expect both to have a bounce back season. Hopefully Binnington is the guy we saw in the playoffs during the run to the cup.
Can’t predict the lines cause I don’t have the names in front of me but
Barby Bozer Sandford is not a bad 3rd-4th line
Can the blues fit James Neal into the lineup and do they want to?
Neal with Perron and ROR makes sense.
Tarasenko Schenn Buchnevich
Saad Thomas Kyrou
Barby Bozer Sandford
Lots of wiggle room with this lineup. Lots of inter changing parts. See which one sticks
While yes I love the offensive depth we have, I don’t want Chiarelli anywhere near this team or roster. Not being hyperbolic here, dude has NO CLUE how to manage a roster, complete trades, or re-sign guys. He’s consistently been on the wrong side of trades and extensions as a GM. Army has been awesome, especially recently, I don’t get why Chiarelli was hired in first place or why he’s been promoted basically, I am at a loss of words. He could ruin all of the work army did in a single offseason, really hope army isn’t considering retiring or leaving Blues and this is our replacement for future. Why let Bill Armstrong go, who was amazing and had awesome track record drafting, and promote this fool? Why couldn’t we have given Bill Armstrong this job and continued grooming him for when army left?
Sorry to hear about covid, hope you recover quickly. And interesting note from opening of camp was that vladdy was on a line with Thomas and Saad.. Didn’t expect that, wonder what rest of lines would look like?
Buchnevich ror perron
? Schenn kyrou
Have no clue who would be that left winger for second line, I REALLY hope they don’t have Sanford with ror and perron again, we have tried this experiment for WAY too long, Sanford isn’t a top 6 player.
Chia was so terrible for Edm.
Traded Hall, traded two high picks (including the one used for Barzal) for Griffin Reinhardt, turned Eberle into Strome, then traded Strome when he was ready to break out for Ryan Spooner who was put on waivers soon thereafter, and signed Lucic and Koskinen.
Lot of other baffling moves too, This addition should make STL fans terrified.
Chiarelli traded for Greg Campbell who’s father helped the Bruins win in 2011. That was a good move. The Wheeler trade was ugly though