Saying his struggling NHL team needs a change, Bob Gainey resigned Monday as coach of the Dallas Stars. He will remain general manager and vice president of operations.
Ken Hitchcock, coach of the Stars' International Hockey League affiliate, will become Dallas' new coach today.
Assistant coaches Doug Jarvis and Rick Wilson coached Monday night's home game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Going into the Kings' game, the Stars had an 11-19-8 record and were last in the Western Conference. They had lost eight of their past 10 games.
"I think the change in our coaching is a signal that our team at this point is not achieving to its potential," Gainey said. "We have made this change to enable us to get back on track to our goal of reaching the Stanley Cup playoffs."
Gainey was in the final year of a five-year contract. He was part of the transition when the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 after 26 seasons in Minnesota.
"This was my decision completely," Gainey said. "I really felt strongly our team is under-performing. We still have a large chunk of the season (left) to re-attack our goals."
Gainey, 42, said the team's recent poor play influenced his decision.
