A month ago the St. Louis Blues were a losing team destined to miss the postseason. After replacing Davis Payne with Ken Hitchcock, they are no longer singing the Blues.

DENVER – The St. Louis Blues were a game under .500 a month ago and looking very much like a team that probably would miss the Western Conference playoffs for the third season in a row and fifth time in six years.

Enter Ken Hitchcock, who was hired to replace Davis Payne as head coach on Nov. 6. The Blues have been on fire since, posting a 9-2-3 record while outscoring teams 34-24.

But Hitchcock, 59, doesn't take much credit for the Blues' revival, which has catapulted them from 14^th place in the West into a top-five team.

"It was easy (for players) to buy in because there weren't a lot of changes," he told Hockey Primetime during the Blues' recent visit to Denver. "Davis had a similar system. I mean, I'm not sure what I've tweaked. I just do what I do. I don't know what I've tweaked at all. I just coach. I don't know what's different. I don't even talk to the old coaches, the assistant coaches who were here with Davis. We don't talk about what the differences are. For me, the team just flat responds and plays hard."

That's usually the case with Hitchcock.

He's enjoyed success wherever he has gone, whether it has been behind a bench in Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus or St. Louis. He guided the Stars to the Stanley Cup championship in 1999 and another trip to the Finals the following season; led the Flyers to the Eastern Conference finals in 2003-04; and prodded the Blue Jackets to a team-record 41 wins and their only playoff appearance in 2008-09.

An assistant coach for Canada's gold medal-winning teams in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics, Hitchcock has won six division titles in the NHL and owns a gaudy 543-352-91-70 career record.

Hitchcock, who got his first NHL head coaching job with Dallas in 1995-96, has a well-earned reputation as a hard-nosed defensive coach. The Blues are playing tight defense in front of goalies Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott – a major reclamation project – but also are playing a ferocious forechecking game and taking advantage of their size and speed.

"It's been great," defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. "Hitch came in and he knew what we had and he didn't try to take away our best assets – our speed and our hard work. He kind of implemented his system around the team that we have. I think the biggest thing is we're all buying into what he's preaching. We knew he's an experienced guy. He's been through it all. It's pretty easy to jump on board with what he's saying.

"The first couple games with Hitch it was almost like a little spark. I think he just brought out our full potential. It hasn't been anything major. We just needed a little push. We thought (the style) might be a little more defensive, but he's made it a point to tell the ‘D' to jump in the rush and be active."

The Blues have had a number of injuries to key players but finally are getting healthy. Winger David Perron is back after missing all but 10 games last season and the first dozen games this year to recover from post-concussion syndrome. Forwards B.J. Crombeen (fractured shoulder) and Andy McDonald (concussion) are hopeful to return in the next few weeks.

Perron, captain David Backes, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen give the Blues plenty of size and talent up front – more will come if power forward Chris Stewart plays up to expectations – with Shattenkirk, Barret Jackman, Kris Russell and Alex Pietrangelo heading a quality defense.

It remains to be seen if the Blues can compete for a Stanley Cup, but they are finally on the rise and a team to watch.

"When you push us, we come right back at you," Hitchcock said. "We don't hang our heads anymore. We don't slump our shoulders. We come right back at you. That to me, if I've been able to influence just that, that's fine.

"But from a technical aspect, I think the technical part of the game is really overrated. Ninety percent of the teams play the same system. It's just who plays with the most attention to details. I'm a detailed guy and I demand that players pay attention to it. To see the players respond when they get pushed is the most impressive thing."

Photos by Getty Images

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