Tippett Will Coach Stars

Dave Tippett, a King assistant for the last three seasons, will be named coach of the Dallas Stars today, Tippett confirmed late Wednesday night.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Tippett said from New York, where he spent the day negotiating a contract with Star owner Thomas Hicks and General Manager Doug Armstrong. “Dallas has a tradition of being a first-class franchise and I’m very thankful for the opportunity they’re giving me.”

Tippett, 40, takes over from another former King assistant, Rick Wilson, who served as interim coach after Ken Hitchcock was fired Jan. 25. The Stars, who won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and reached the finals in 2000, had won five consecutive division titles before missing the playoffs this year for the first time since 1996.

Tippett, one of the NHL’s most highly regarded assistant coaches, oversaw the Kings’ league-leading power play this season. He also served as interim coach for five games in late February and early March while Coach Andy Murray recuperated from injuries suffered in a traffic accident.

He met with Armstrong on Saturday in Dallas, then interviewed Monday in Palm Springs with Glen Sather, president and general manager of the New York Rangers, about the Rangers’ coaching vacancy.

The Stars also reportedly were interested in having Hitchcock return, but after Hitchcock was hired Tuesday by the Philadelphia Flyers, the Stars moved quickly to secure Tippett.