Saturday, May 17, 2025

Jim Hiller keeps his job


 

Jim Hiller, the only former member of the Milano Vipers to currently coach an NHL team, has been allowed to keep his job in a fairly unlikely confluence of circumstances. Todd MacLellan was fired last year, and Hiller was installed initially as an interim coach. Somehow, against all odds, his half season of work earned him the 25-26 coaching job. The Kings were better than they were last year (they won 2 games against the Oilers in the first round of the Playoffs instead of one). After this season, GM Rob Blake and the Kings went their own way and Ken Holland was installed as the new coach. An interim coach has only a tenuous grasp on a head coaching job, and one who sees a change at the top even less so. And yet, Hiller is still sticking around, despite a short resume and the mildest of success. Why? Allow me to take a quote out of context and clip it so it's the funniest part, when taken by itself. "He'll be a better coach next year"

Optimism!

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