Mike Kitchen
Michael Kitchen | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1, 1956 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player (retired), coach |
| Years active | 1976–1985 (player), 1988–2020 (coach) |
| Known for | NHL defenseman and coach; assistant coach for Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks; Stanley Cup champion (2013, 2015) |
Michael Elwin Kitchen (born February 1, 1956) is a retired Canadian defenseman and coach, most recently serving as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League. By February 2016, Kitchen had accumulated coaching experience in over 2400 NHL games, including playoff contests. During the 2012–13 season, he played a key role in guiding the Chicago Blackhawks to their longest winning streak in franchise history. Additionally, he held the position of head coach for the Lake Simcoe Snappers, champions of the Georgina Men’s League.
Kitchen was drafted 38th overall in the third round of the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft by the Kansas City Scouts and was also selected 83rd overall in the seventh round of the 1976 WHA Amateur Draft by the Toronto Toros, ultimately opting to pursue a career in the NHL. Born in Newmarket, Ontario and raised in Schomberg, Ontario, Kitchen is recognized for his philanthropic efforts, dedicating his Stanley Cup day to fundraising for the Southlake Regional Health Centre and other local charitable organizations. He is the elder sibling of former professional player Bill Kitchen.
Playing career
Known as a defensive defenseman, Kitchen played junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association, where he secured a Memorial Cup championship in 1975. He turned professional during the 1976–77 season, initially appearing in 14 games with the Rhode Island Reds of the AHL before making his NHL debut. Kitchen joined the newly relocated Colorado Rockies during his rookie professional year and distinguished himself as the sole player to participate in every one of the franchise's six seasons. Following the team's relocation to New Jersey after the 1981–82 campaign, he continued for two additional seasons with the newly named New Jersey Devils. In 1984–85, Kitchen spent an entire season with the Maine Mariners in the AHL before deciding to retire from playing.
Coaching career
Kitchen’s coaching career commenced as an assistant with the Newmarket Saints during the 1988–89 season. He subsequently joined the coaching staff of the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he served for eight seasons and contributed to appearances in conference finals during both 1993 and 1994. Later, he accepted an assistant coaching role with the St. Louis Blues, eventually being promoted to head coach midway through the 2003–04 season. Taking over from Joel Quenneville when the team ranked ninth in the Western Conference, Kitchen led them to a 10–7–4 finish, securing a postseason berth.
The 2005–06 season saw Kitchen at the helm of a younger Blues roster that finished with a record of 21–46–15. The following year began unfavorably with a 7–17–4 mark, resulting in his dismissal on December 11, 2006; Andy Murray succeeded him as head coach. Blues president John Davidson expressed interest in retaining Kitchen within another capacity within the organization.
In 2007, Kitchen joined the Florida Panthers as an assistant coach and remained through to the end of the 2009-10 season. On July 12, 2010, he signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks, reuniting with head coach Joel Quenneville. The duo had previously guided St. Louis to a franchise-record 114 points and secured a President’s Trophy during the 1999-2000 season.
While with Chicago, Kitchen contributed to two Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and 2015 following their first title win in nearly half a century. His tenure ended on April 24, 2017, after consecutive first-round playoff eliminations.
In 2018, Kitchen served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 92nd Spengler Cup, where Canada finished as runners-up.
After stepping away from coaching for two years, Kitchen once again teamed up with Quenneville as an assistant coach for the Florida Panthers during the 2019-20 NHL season.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1972–73 | Aurora Tigers | OPJAHL | 44 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 138 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 69 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 145 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Toronto Marlboros | OMJHL | 68 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 136 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 35 | ||
| 1974–75 | Toronto Marlboros | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1975–76 | Toronto Marlboros | OMJHL | 65 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 148 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 26 | ||
| 1976–77 | Rhode Island Reds | AHL | 14 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 60 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 61 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1978–79 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 53 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 42 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 CHL season | Fort Worth Texans | Central Professional Hockey League | 30 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||
| 1980–81 NHL season | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 75 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 100 | |||||||
| 1981–82 CHL season | Fort Worth Texans | CHL | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 NHL season | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 63 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 77 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 43 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 AHL season | Maine Mariners (AHL) | AHL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 474 | 12 | 62 | 74 | 370 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Coaching record
| Team | Season | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Standing | Outcome | ||||
| St. Louis Blues | 2003–04 NHL season | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 0 | (91) | 2nd in Central Division (NHL) | Eliminated in first round | ||
| STL | 2005–06 NHL season | 82 | 21 | 46 | – | 15 | 57 | 5th in Central Division | Did not qualify for playoffs | ||
| STL | 2006–07 NHL season | 28 | 7 | 17 | – | 4 | (81) | 3rd in Central Division | (dismissed) | ||
| Career total | 131 | 38 | 70 | 4 | 19 | ||||||
Transactions
- July 15, 1976 – Following the franchise's move, Kitchen's rights were reassigned to Colorado
- June 30, 1982 – Rights were relocated to New Jersey subsequent to franchise transfer
Awards
- 1975 – Selected for the OMJHL First All-Star Team and the Memorial Cup Tournament All-Star Team
- 2013 and 2015 – Achieved Stanley Cup Champion status
- 2016 – Honored with induction into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame under the Athlete/Hockey division
See also
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1956 births
- Canadian ice hockey coaches
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Chicago Blackhawks coaches
- Colorado Rockies (NHL) players
- Florida Panthers coaches
- Ice hockey people from Ontario
- Kansas City Scouts draft picks
- Living people
- Maine Mariners (AHL) players
- New Jersey Devils players
- Sportspeople from King, Ontario
- Sportspeople from Newmarket, Ontario
- Stanley Cup champions
- St. Louis Blues coaches
- Toronto Maple Leafs coaches
- Toronto Marlboros players
- Aurora Tigers players