Hitchcock Is Hired by Flyers

When the Philadelphia Flyers fired Bill Barber two weeks ago, they planned to conduct a long, exhaustive search to find a new coach.

It took only one interview.

Ken Hitchcock, who led the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup championship in 1999, was hired Tuesday to lead the Flyers. He was the only candidate to meet with the team.

“When we made that statement, we were worried that Ken was on his way to the [New York] Rangers,” team chairman Ed Snider said. “Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. We jumped in right away. He’s exactly the coach this team needs.”

Hitchcock, 50, an assistant with the Flyers from 1990-93, was fired by the Stars in January. He is the fifth coach hired by General Manager Bob Clarke since 1997.

A demanding coach whose philosophy centers on defense, Hitchcock said there are many things alike between the Flyers and the Stars.

“There’s a similar situation of a desperation to learn and the commitment that the players have reached the stage where they hopefully are willing to listen and learn,” Hitchcock said.

Hitchcock has a 277-160-60-6 regular-season record, 47-33 in the playoffs.

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Carolina defenseman David Tanabe skated for the first time since breaking his right wrist a month ago, but his return for the Eastern Conference finals remained questionable.

Tanabe has been sidelined since being injured in Game 1 of the opening-round playoff series against New Jersey. Tanabe has been fitted with a soft cast.

“It’s not 100%, but it’s definitely getting there,” Tanabe said.