Blues players, management share blame for the ‘mess’ that led to Ken Hitchcock’s firing

Ken Hitchcock is no longer the head coach of the St. Louis Blues. That was an inevitability, but the fact that it came to fruition in January and not June speaks to the message St. Louis management is sending to its players.

That’s the sentiment felt after general manager Doug Armstrong spoke with the media on Wednesday morning following the firing of Hitchcock and the promotion of Mike Yeo to head coach.

Armstrong, who called Ken Hitchcock his best friend, deferred to Yeo to start the press conference in order to fight back his emotions. But when he finally did answer questions, it was with calm fire.

“We don’t lose with pride,” Armstrong said. “Ken is paying the price for all of our failures, starting with mine. I’m the manager. It’s my team.”

But it became more and more clear that Armstrong is highly unhappy with the effort from the players making up that team. Armstrong’s emotions remained steady throughout the event, but with a clear undercurrent of anger, guilt and determination.

Armstrong had nothing but praise for Hitchcock, who he’s been linked with since both worked with the Dallas Stars in the 90’s. He called him “today’s Scotty Bowman” and took a subtle jab at his own players.

The most scathing comment from Armstrong was when he compared the Blues to the St. Louis Cardinals, the gold standard of championship-caliber pro sports in St. Louis.

By calling his players “independent contractors,” Armstrong issued the biggest spotlight imaginable on the Blues’ roster. In a sport held aloft as the best team game in sports, accusing your players of playing for themselves and not the team is among the harshest brands a GM can apply to his team.

“When I say independent contractors, I mean that on 50-50 puck [battles] we cheat on the offensive side of it,” Armstrong said. “Good teams cheat on the defensive side of it.”

In other words, the Blues stopped playing for each other (the defensive hallmark of the Blues in Hitchcock’s successful run) and began playing for their own benefit.

So, why part with Hitchcock now?

Armstrong’s assessment isn’t incorrect. But he was right to lay the blame for “this mess,” as he put it, at his own feet. Because the team’s loss of identity is due to his decisions.

This past offseason was one of change for St. Louis. Longtime captain David Backes departed, and Alex Pietrangelo inherited the captaincy. Backes embodied everything Hitchcock wanted instilled in his team: hard to play against, defensively responsible, and someone who stuck up for his teammates. His absence created a vacuum, as did the departure of veterans like Brian Elliott and Troy Brouwer.

“I think the culture’s changed a bit, and we have to regain the culture,” Armstrong said.

He’s right, but the culture issues are partly due to his indecision. Armstrong’s friendship with Hitchcock likely led to the deeply strange situation behind their bench this season. Hitchcock made it known this was his last season, and Armstrong hired Yeo to be his assistant. The plan was for Yeo to take over in the offseason.

Three veteran voices depart and the players are left listening to the voice of a coach on his way out and the voice of the guy they’ll be listening to in the future.

It’s difficult to re-trench if you feel like you’re playing through a season in limbo. This was a transition year, but a transition year with Stanley Cup hopes built-in. If it sounds like a mixed message, it probably felt that way at some level in the locker room, too.

In hindsight, those hard decisions and the wishy-washy handling of them could really only lead to the spot the Blues find themselves in now. The good news is that Armstrong sounded completely aware of his role in it and the tenuous position he finds himself in now with an expiring contract after next season.

Armstrong’s deep friendship with Hitchcock led to this protracted divorce and stunted season. But the playoffs are still in sight, the state of limbo is gone and the GM and his players are now officially on notice.

It was a message from management that needed to be delivered months ago. But it’s here, and just harsh enough to light a fire strong enough for a second-half rebirth.