Hitchcock: ‘Sense of responsibility’ to Oilers fans and ‘their team’ runs deep New Edmonton Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock say he knows “the responsibility that sits in front” of him in his return home to Alberta – it’s a weight that’s just different than any of the pressure from his other four NHL stops in Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis, TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli writes.

Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Follow|Archive

COSTA MESA, Calif. — When Peter Chiarelli called to offer Ken Hitchcock the job to coach the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, Hitchcock admitted he hesitated for a minute.



There was no question Hitchcock, the hockey lifer, wanted to be behind the bench again. Coaching courses through his veins, even 211 days after retiring from the NHL. It was a dream opportunity.



But Hitchcock said he paused because he knew what going home meant – a weight that’s just different than any of the pressure from his other four NHL stops in Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis.



“I feel a sense of responsibility that goes way deeper,” Hitchcock said. “I feel that and I’m not afraid of it. I know the responsibility that sits in front of me.”



Hitchcock, 66, said he received more than 550 text messages and 150 calls in the 24 hours after he was announced as the Oilers new coach. There really is no place like home.



About 40 of those messages, Hitchcock said, were from those midget players he coached over 12 seasons with the Sherwood Park Chain Gang program. Think about that: Those 40-plus year-old connections, from a time when cell phones were a pipe dream, have all kept up with Hitchcock's changing cell number over the years.



Hitchcock lost both of his parents at a young age. He began coaching in his early 20s while selling sporting goods at nearby United Cycle, and those players became like his family as they compiled an astounding 575-69 record from 1972-84.



“The biggest factor is the people. I didn’t want to let them down,” Hitchcock said in taking the job. “That’s pretty deep.”



On Tuesday, the same United Cycle shop, now called United Sport & Cycle, sent out a congratulatory message on the company’s instagram account when Hitchcock was hired:



“People I sold sporting goods to are all of [a] sudden your best friend,” Hitchcock said, laughing.



That gaudy record and the championships won for Sherwood Park not only forged bonds, but set him on the path to the WHL in Kamloops and ultimately the NHL.



What a journey it’s been: a Stanley Cup, third on the all-time wins list, three Olympic gold medals as an assistant coach, 14 Stanley Cup playoff appearances in 17 full seasons.



Along the way, Hitchcock is equally proud of his midget players that went on to become doctors and lawyers and parents as he is of the handful of Hockey Hall of Famers he coached.



Hitchcock said he doesn't have any immediate family in Edmonton now. Nonetheless, he’ll have plenty of support to get him settled in Oil Country. He said his brother and sister live in the region and will help him move back home.



When the Oilers host the Stars (of all teams) on Tuesday night, it will be a home-ice debut that’s really a homecoming, a career come full circle after 34 years for this son of Sherwood Park.



“These are people I’ve lived my whole life with and I have a healthy dose of respect for them,” Hitchcock said. “It’s their team. And I’m responsible for getting it to play as well as I can. I get that.”



Contact Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @frank_seravalli