St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock is all smiles as he talks with reporters after it was announced he has signed a one-year contract to coach the St. Louis Blues for the 2016-17 season, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on May 31, 2016. In 2016 Hitchcock took the Blues to their first appearance in the Western Conference Final in 15 years. Hitchcock says this will be the last year he will coach. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock is all smiles as he talks with reporters after it was announced he has signed a one-year contract to coach the St. Louis Blues for the 2016-17 season, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on May 31, 2016.  Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the Blues have signed Head Coach Ken Hitchcock to a one-year contract.  Hitchcock was originally hired by the Blues on Nov. 7, 2011, and will enter his sixth season with the Blues.

This past season, Hitchcock was on the hot-seat after three-straight first-round playoff exits, but he led the Blues to a 49-24-9 record and 107 points – the fourth highest regular season point total in team history. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blues defeated the 2015 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks and the Western Conference’s top regular season team, the Dallas Stars, making their first appearance in the Western Conference Final in 15 years.  The Blues were beat by San Jose in six games.

Overall, Hitchcock has appeared in 363 regular season games behind the Blues bench, accumulating a 224-103-36 record, second only to Joel Quenneville’s 307 wins for most by a Blues’ coach. His .667 career points percentage is the best in franchise history.