Opinion: Jim Hiller is Taking a Page Out of the Barry Melrose Playbook

Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller played just forty games with LA during the 1992-93 season before being shipped off to the Detroit Red Wings as part of a package deal centered around Defenseman Paul Coffey.

In his short stint in LA, Hiller witnessed first-hand what a Stanley Cup bound team looked like, even with its star player, Wayne Gretzky, sidelined with a herniated thoracic disk.

That team was led by thirty-six-year-old, mullet sporting, rookie NHL Head Coach Barry Melrose.

Marty McSorley, Jari Kurri, Dave Taylor and countless other veteran players left the fate of their season in the hands of Melrose who – although new to coaching in the NHL – was coming off a Calder Cup victory as Head Coach of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Adirondack Red Wings.

Many thought the young Melrose – trying to corral a room of seasoned veterans set in their ways – was in over his head, including his own mother who encouraged her son to, “stay in [Adirondack], it’s so much safer there.”

Yet, he rallied the troops and led the Kings to their first Stanley Cup Final(s) in franchise history.

Named Head Coach on May 22^nd, 2024, Hiller has navigated the Kings to an 18-9-3 record by implementing the same system Melrose used.

That is: it’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jimmys and Joes.

Melrose took what he had, tapped into each guy’s personality, sprinkled in a little bit of magic with the return of Gretzky, and exceeded the expectations of seemingly everybody.

Hiller has done much of the same – even dating back to last season as the club’s Interim Head Coach. His ability to read the room, how guys walk into the building each day, has led to a litany of lineup changes to keep everyone engaged in the process. He’s infused fun into the organization with upbeat practices and installing a true character, D.J. Smith, as one of his assistant coaches. Over the next few weeks/months, he’ll get to sprinkle in some magic of his own with the return of Drew Doughty.

In Doughty’s absence, Hiller’s tinkering of the defense has resulted in a well-oiled machine.

With Gretzky on the shelf, Melrose was able to draw unforeseen production from his forward group; like moving Kurri to Center, resulting in an eighty-seven point season (Kurri's best as a King).

Both Hiller and Melrose played the hands they were dealt and didn’t fold like a house of cards. They found ways to succeed even when the chips were down.

Melrose led the Kings to the promised land after being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs the year prior. Hopefully, Hiller yields a similar result… with a little extra, this time.

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