A Circle Of Changes: Mike Yeo Joins Blues

Last year in 2015, around this time the St. Louis Blues fans wanted Ken Hitchcock gone as head coach, and Mike Yeo's Minnesota Wild had just knocked out the Blues in 6 games in the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Blues were a team that hadn't won a first round playoff series since 2011-2012, when they beat the San Jose Sharks in 5 games. The Blues then lost to the Los Angeles Kings in 6 games in the second, who later went onto win the Stanley Cup. You could see why Blues fans were frustrated with Ken Hitchcock after three straight first round exits.

The Wild were the underdog team, and people expected the Blues to win. People didn't know if Ken Hitchcock would stay as head coach or leave, since his contract was up. Hitchcock decided to stay as Blues head coach for the 2015-2016 season, he took a one-year contract. The one-year contract was his own decision, the Blues had wanted to give him a long-term contract, but he wanted to see if he still could coach.

After coming back for one season, Hitchcock and the Blues went on a run to the Western Conference Finals. They ended up losing to the San Jose Sharks in 6 games, but the Blues hadn't been on that kind of run since 2000-2001. This was the Blues seventh time in franchise history to ever reach the Conference Finals.

This time, shortly after the Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks, Ken Hitchcock re-signed with the Blues for another one-year contract. Hitchcock announced that this coming season 2016-2017 will be his last season as a head coach. Assistant coaches Brad Shaw and Kirk Mueller left to take other jobs elsewhere. They both wanted longer contracts, than only one-year.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong hired Mike Yeo to become the Blues head coach after the season. Yeo, 42, will be on Hitchcock's staff as an assistant. He went 173-132-44 as head coach for the Wild, and was fired earlier during the season. Doug Armstrong tried to hire Yeo as head coach a few seasons ago, when the Peoria Rivermen had an opening. Instead, Yeo went to become head coach for the Houston Aeros (AHL). Yeo gets a four-year contract from the Blues.

In addition to Mike Yeo, the Blues also hired former Blues defenseman Rick Wilson as an assistant coach. Wilson, knows both Yeo and Hitchcock. He won the cup as part of Hitchcock's staff with the Dallas Stars in 1999, and the past few seasons he was on Mike Yeo's staff with the Wild. Wilson tends to work well with defensemen.

Yeo should be a good hire for the Blues moving forward after Hitchcock retires this coming season.