Ken Hitchcock

It might seem like the obvious choice to make Robert Esche the Flyers' goalie this afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Esche is 4-1-1 as the Flyers' goalie, with a 1.81 goals-against average. In the Flyers' last two games - both victories - Esche saved 41 of 44 shots (93.2 percent). Meanwhile, Jeff Hackett is 2-2-2, with a 2.44 goals-against average. But Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock is starting Hackett instead of Esche. "My decision is always based on what's best for the team," Hitchcock said.

Shortly after the announcement yesterday that he would be the Flyers' starting goalie in the playoffs, Robert Esche didn't hesitate to say that his "Silent Bob" act of two years ago was officially a postseason production of the past. Esche, the starter the last time the Flyers entered the NHL's spring tournament, in 2004, was outstanding. He was 11-7 with a 2.32 goals-against average as the Flyers went seven games deep into the Eastern Conference finals. He also largely kept his mouth shut, speaking only after games in a reversal of his naked-truth norm for interviews.

When he arrived at the Wachovia Center yesterday morning, Ken Hitchcock's mind was racing in so many different directions he twice referred to his new team as "Nashville. " But he was not confused about the matter of where he would have rather been than in South Philly, making his debut as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets against the Flyers, who fired him on Oct. 22. He would have rather been anywhere else. "Yes, definitely," said Hitchcock before the game, after being introduced as the Blue Jackets' new coach on Thanksgiving Day. "I didn't want to come here and take anything away from the competing players.

The Joni Experiment at the Flyers' training camp has ended. Yesterday, coach Ken Hitchcock told 22-year-old defenseman Joni Pitkanen that he was returning to left defense - permanently. It was welcome news for Pitkanen and his partner, Mike Rathje. Both told the coaching staff that they weren't comfortable switching sides of the ice. "We talked to Joni and felt he wasn't using his speed enough coming up the off wing," Hitchcock said of the young defenseman, a lefthanded shooter.

The second season in the Ken Hitchcock era opens this morning at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, Camden County, when veterans report to training camp. The buzzword this time is trust. A driven man, Hitchcock is sometimes impervious to the demands he asks. Knowing when to push and when to let up is how you develop trust, the coach says. Last season, he felt the trust factor between players and coach wasn't ideal. If they are going to win the Stanley Cup, players have to trust a coach who increases pressure.

There were times when Mike Modano would bristle from the incessant demands of Ken Hitchcock, demands frequently made in biting language. Modano, like some other Dallas Stars, would chafe while wondering why this coach did not seem so impressed that he was among the most reliable goal-scorers in the NHL. "At first, you don't realize why he's such an in-your-face kind of coach," Modano said yesterday from Dallas, moments before Hitchcock, 50,...

Were it not for the Memorial Day holiday, the Flyers would have completed their new coaching staff over the weekend. Wayne Fleming, the 51-year-old vice president of the Canadian Hockey Association, is expected to accept the Flyers' offer to join Ken Hitchcock's staff this morning. Fleming said yesterday from his home in Calgary, Alberta, that he would talk to Flyers general manager Bob Clarke today. "Bob was away for the weekend, so we didn't talk," Fleming said. "We both agreed to talk [today]

A war of words between members of the Flyers' and Toronto brass was expected in the last playoff round. After all, Toronto's Pat Quinn is a former Flyers coach. But Tampa Bay? John Tortorella? Are you kidding? Yesterday, during his news conference in Tampa, Fla., the Lightning coach threw some not-so-playful verbal darts at Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock and even at general manager Bob Clarke, who hadn't said a word during these Eastern Conference finals, which are tied at one game apiece.

A former Flyers assistant coach is rejoining the fold. Craig Hartsburg, 42, an assistant coach with the Flyers from 1990 to 1994, is expected to announce today that he is leaving his job as coach and general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to join Ken Hitchcock's staff, according to a source close to Hartsburg. The Greyhounds, a junior club, have called an afternoon news conference to announce the move. Hartsburg "told me he wants back into the NHL," Flyers general manager Bob Clarke said yesterday.

This time, the Flyers didn't blow a two-goal lead in the third period. They played responsibly with the puck, despite having just five defensemen. And they got timely saves as Robert Esche clearly outplayed Dominik Hasek. It all culminated in a shocking 5-3 Flyers victory over the white-hot, speedy Senators last night at the Corel Centre. "We did a lot of better things; we played the same way for 60 minutes that we did for 45 minutes in Carolina," coach Ken Hitchcock said.

SIFTING THROUGH the charred remains of his team's season on Tuesday afternoon, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero - the son of the only man to ever coach the Flyers to a Stanley Cup - was asked about his cross-state rival and the battles that loom in coming years. "They're not going anywhere," Shero said of the Flyers. For Shero, it was an outward tip of the cap to Paul Holmgren, who was somehow left off the list of finalists for General Manager of the Year, as announced by the league on Tuesday.

BOSTON - After struggling at home for most of the season, the Flyers have finally discovered how to win at the Wells Fargo Center. "It's tough to lose a game," veteran winger Jaromir Jagr cracked, "if you don't give up any goals. " Entering Sunday afternoon's highly anticipated matchup against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers have won four straight at home for the first time this season. They have allowed a total of five goals in those four wins, and Ilya Bryzgalov has shutouts in the last two home victories.

It happened quickly. The St. Louis Blues changed coaches after only 13 games. Now Ken Hitchcock is in charge, an experienced hand who says he knows how to get the most out of players. Yesterday, hours after his introductory news conference as the successor to Davis Payne, Hitchcock was on the bench for his first practice with a team that's off to a stumbling 6-7-0 start. His first game is tonight, at home against Chicago. Hitchcock said he plans no major changes, inheriting a staff and style of play, but will expect more consistency.

KEN HITCHCOCK is back coaching in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues have fired Davis Payne after a 6-7-0 start and hired Hitchcock to a contract through next season. The 59-year-old Hitchcock is 534-350-88-70, winning a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 2000 and also coaching the Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. The team called a news conference for this morning; Hitchcock will be on the bench for practice in the afternoon.   In yesterday's games *  At New York, former Flyer Marty Biron stopped 23 shots for his first shutout in more than 2 years and Marian Gaborik scored two goals to help the Rangers beat the visiting Winnipeg Jets, 3-0. The win was the Rangers' fourth straight.

Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets made the playoffs for the first time. This season, they are 22-27-9, 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. So, once again, Ken Hitchcock is a former coach. Yesterday, the Blue Jackets fired the former Flyers coach, and elevated assistant Claude Noel on an interim basis. General manager Scott Howson announced the firing a day after the struggling Blue Jackets blew a 1-0 lead in a listless 5-1 loss at Colorado. "It wasn't working," Howson said.

The Flyers' six-game homestand - which begins tonight against their old pal, Ken Hitchcock, and his fading Columbus Blue Jackets - could define their tumultuous season. It's their longest homestand of the season, and it offers the Flyers a chance to gain ground in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Just last week, the Flyers were riding an 8-1-1 wave that had vaulted them to No. 7 in the East - the top eight teams earn playoff berths - and the players were openly talking about eyeing the No. 4 seeding.

The Flyers' new coach, Peter Laviolette, was fired by the Carolina Hurricanes less than two years after winning a Stanley Cup with the team. Tampa Bay's John Tortorella met a similar fate after leading the Lightning to the Cup. They are good, intense hockey coaches who are difficult to play for. They come stamped with an expiration date beyond which players simply won't respond to them. On its face, it is impossible to criticize the decision to replace John Stevens with Laviolette.

Plane delays caused by weather problems. Practices canceled because of plane delays. Key players getting injured. For the Flyers, the first two legs of their six-city, 12-day trip haven't gone exactly the way coach John Stevens had planned. Ken Hitchcock's lowly Columbus Blue Jackets outplayed the Flyers in almost every category last night as they scored a 3-0 win at Nationwide Arena. Steve Mason, a 20-year-old rookie, made 20 saves and notched his third career shutout as Columbus recorded its first win over the Flyers in eight tries.

The Flyers made the biggest improvement in the NHL last season, and their coach, John Stevens, was named coach of the year by the Hockey News after his first full campaign. With training camp on the horizon, the Flyers extended Stevens' contract by two years yesterday. He is now signed through the 2010-11 season. Financial terms were not disclosed, as is team policy. Stevens, 42, took over from Ken Hitchcock in October 2006, when Hitchcock was fired after a 1-6-1 start. The Flyers finished that season with the worst record in the NHL. "But we knew it was just a matter of time before we got it done," Stevens said.

Paul Holmgren had an idea what people were thinking when he said he didn't think it would take long to straighten out the mess the Flyers had become last season, when they lost 48 games, more than any in the 40-year history of the club. "I guess some people thought I was crazy," he said. Now, the only thing that seems crazy is the Flyers' stunning turnabout, one that suggests it could be a fascinating spring for a team that hasn't advanced past the first round of the playoffs since the 2003-04 season.