Mike Kitchen

Mike Kitchen
Kitchen as an assistant coach for the Blackhawks
Born	(1956-02-01) February 1, 1956 Newmarket, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position	Defenceman
Shot	Left
Played for	Colorado Rockies New Jersey Devils
NHL Draft	38th overall, 1976 Kansas City Scouts
WHA Draft	83rd overall, 1976 Toronto Toros
Playing career	1976–1985

Michael 'the Kitch' Kitchen (born February 1, 1956) 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.^[1] Kitchen was born in Newmarket, Ontario, but grew up in Schomberg, Ontario.

Kitchen is the older brother of retired hockey player Bill Kitchen. Kitchen also owns a very successful thoroughbred racing horse named Midnight Hawk.

Playing career

A defensive defenceman, Kitchen played his amateur career with the Toronto Marlboros 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.

Coaching career

Kitchen was hired as an assistant coach by the Newmarket Saints 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.^[2] 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. Kitchen name was engraved on the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013.

Coaching record

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

Awards

• 1975- OMJHL First All-Star Team
• 1975- Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team

See also

• List of NHL head coaches

References

External links

• Kitchen's profile at hockeydb
• Legends of Hockey profile
• hockeydraftcentral.com profile