Mike Kitchen
Encyclopedia
Michael Elwin Kitchen is a Canadian
former defenceman and former head coach
in the National Hockey League
. He was selected in the third round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft
, 38th overall, by the Kansas City Scouts
. He was also taken in the seventh round of the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft
, 83rd overall, by the Toronto Toros
, although Kitchen ultimately chose to enter the NHL. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks
of the National Hockey League
.
of the Ontario Hockey Association
, winning a Memorial Cup
in 1975. He turned professional for the 1976–77 NHL season, serving a brief, 14-game apprenticeship Rhode Island Reds
of the AHL
, before making his NHL debut. Kitchen joined the Colorado Rockies
in his first professional season, and spent his entire NHL career with the same franchise. The team moved to New Jersey
after the 1981–82 NHL season, and Kitchen went on to play two more seasons for the New Jersey Devils
. Kitchen was sent to the Maine Mariners
of the AHL for the entire 1984–85 NHL season, and decided to retire following that season's conclusion.
of the AHL for the 1988–89 season, and was subsequently hired for the same position by the Toronto Maple Leafs
, where he spent eight seasons. He then left Toronto for the same position with the St. Louis Blues
franchise, a position he held until his elevation to head coach halfway through the 2003–04 NHL season. The Blues struggled and were 9th place in the Western Conference when they fired Joel Quenneville and replaced him with Kitchen on an interim basis. However under Kitchen, they picked up their play and went 10–7–4 in the process to make the playoffs once again. They would lose in the first round.
In the 2005–2006 NHL season, Mike Kitchen led a younger group of Blues to a disappointing 21–46–15 record, the worst season in franchise history. 2006–2007 started the same as the Blues stumbled out of the gate to a 7–17–4 mark.
On December 11, 2006, after a seven-game losing streak, Kitchen was fired as head coach of the St. Louis Blues and replaced by former Los Angeles Kings
head coach Andy Murray
. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188117&hubname= Blues president John Davidson indicated that he would like Kitchen to remain with the organization in a different capacity.
On August 13, 2007, Kitchen and the Florida Panthers
agreed to a contract to become an assistant coach with the Panthers. On July 12, 2010, Kitchen and the Chicago Blackhawks
agreed to a contract to become an assistant coach with the Blackhawks, replacing John Torchetti
, who had taken an associate coaching role with the Atlanta Thrashers
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
former defenceman and former head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. He was selected in the third round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft
1976 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1976 NHL Amateur Draft was held at the NHL office in Montreal, Quebec on June 1, 1976. It is notable as featuring one of the weakest first rounds in draft history, as only two players played more than 450 career NHL games. In 2002, Federko was elected into the Hockey Hall-of-Fame after...
, 38th overall, by the Kansas City Scouts
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts was a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1974–76. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, Colorado and became the Colorado Rockies...
. He was also taken in the seventh round of the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft
1976 WHA Amateur Draft
The 1976 WHA Amateur Draft was the fourth draft held by the World Hockey Association.-Selections by Round:Below are listed the selections in the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft.-Round 1:1 Blair Chapman - Edmonton Oilers2 Peter Marsh - Cincinnati Stingers...
, 83rd overall, by the Toronto Toros
Toronto Toros
The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 season...
, although Kitchen ultimately chose to enter the NHL. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Playing career
A defensive defenceman, Kitchen played his amateur career with the Toronto MarlborosToronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association and Ontario Hockey League from 1904 to 1989...
of the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
, winning a Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
in 1975. He turned professional for the 1976–77 NHL season, serving a brief, 14-game apprenticeship Rhode Island Reds
Providence Reds
The Providence Reds were a hockey team that played in the Canadian-American Hockey League between 1926–1936 and the American Hockey League from 1936 to 1977, the last season of which they played as the Rhode Island Reds. The team won the Calder Cup in 1938, 1940, 1949, and 1956...
of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, before making his NHL debut. Kitchen joined the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
in his first professional season, and spent his entire NHL career with the same franchise. The team moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
after the 1981–82 NHL season, and Kitchen went on to play two more seasons for the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Kitchen was sent to the Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...
of the AHL for the entire 1984–85 NHL season, and decided to retire following that season's conclusion.
Coaching career
Kitchen was hired as an assistant coach by the Newmarket SaintsNewmarket Saints
The Newmarket Saints were a minor league hockey team in Newmarket, Ontario. It played in the American Hockey League from 1986–91 as the farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ray Twinney Complex....
of the AHL for the 1988–89 season, and was subsequently hired for the same position by the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, where he spent eight seasons. He then left Toronto for the same position with the St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
franchise, a position he held until his elevation to head coach halfway through the 2003–04 NHL season. The Blues struggled and were 9th place in the Western Conference when they fired Joel Quenneville and replaced him with Kitchen on an interim basis. However under Kitchen, they picked up their play and went 10–7–4 in the process to make the playoffs once again. They would lose in the first round.
In the 2005–2006 NHL season, Mike Kitchen led a younger group of Blues to a disappointing 21–46–15 record, the worst season in franchise history. 2006–2007 started the same as the Blues stumbled out of the gate to a 7–17–4 mark.
On December 11, 2006, after a seven-game losing streak, Kitchen was fired as head coach of the St. Louis Blues and replaced by former Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
head coach Andy Murray
Andy Murray (hockey player)
Andy Murray is the current head coach for the Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey team of the NCAA Division I Central Collegiate Hockey Association . He is a former head coach of the Los Angeles Kings and the St...
. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188117&hubname= Blues president John Davidson indicated that he would like Kitchen to remain with the organization in a different capacity.
On August 13, 2007, Kitchen and the Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
agreed to a contract to become an assistant coach with the Panthers. On July 12, 2010, Kitchen and the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
agreed to a contract to become an assistant coach with the Blackhawks, replacing John Torchetti
John Torchetti
John Torchetti is the head coach of the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros and a former professional ice hockey player. Previously, he was the head coach of the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League , and the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL for the 2006–2007 season...
, who had taken an associate coaching role with the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
.
Coaching record
| Team | | Year | | Regular season | | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| STL St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade... |
2003–04 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 0 | (91) | 2nd in Central Central Division (NHL) The NHL's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Norris Division.The Central Division consists of the Western Conference's easternmost teams.-Current lineup:... |
Lost in first round |
| STL | 2005–06 | 82 | 21 | 46 | – | 15 | 57 | 5th in Central | Missed playoffs |
| STL | 2006–07 | 28 | 7 | 17 | – | 4 | (81) | 3rd in Central | (fired) |
| Total | 131 | 38 | 70 | 4 | 19 | ||||
Transactions
- July 15, 1976 - Kitchen's rights transferred to Colorado after the franchise relocated
- June 30, 1982 - Kitchen's rights transferred to New Jersey after the franchise relocated