Hitchcock Approves of Hire

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dallas Star Coach Ken Hitchcock, who has known Andy Murray for many years and has participated in coaching clinics with him, welcomed the Kings’ hiring of Murray as their coach Monday.

“He’s really a good coach and he’s got the benefit of a lot of experience,” Hitchcock said. “He understands the game at a lot of levels: international and obviously at the NHL level.

“He’s always been a coach that had strong specialty teams, and that will be a big challenge for the people coaching against him. He’ll do a hell of a job there. They’ll be a hell of a team with the details because he’s one of the best in that regard.”

Hitchcock praised Murray’s thoroughness and ability to communicate his ideas to players.

“He motivates from an intellectual level,” Hitchcock said. “He’s very smart that way. He’s very intelligent at being able to read situations and adjust accordingly. He’s a teacher-coach first, but he’s really in tune with today’s players, too.

“He likes practices and preparation, and if you’ve got a feel for players and detail, that seems to be the way the business is going. He’ll do a hell of a job.”

Hitchcock also speculated that Murray might bring at least one assistant with him from the Canadian national team program, perhaps Mike Johnson.

News of Murray’s hiring surprised other observers at the Stanley Cup finals. “It’s an interesting pick,” said former King coach Barry Melrose, a commentator for ESPN. “He’s a guy that hasn’t really coached in the minors. . . . The names that are never mentioned, those are the guys that get the job.”

Said ESPN analyst Darren Pang: “By all accounts, Murray knows a lot about the technical side of international hockey, and at the [Nagano] Olympics, [Canada coach] Marc Crawford leaned on him heavily. He did a good job.”