Country Club Islanders? On Wednesday, ESPN's Kevin Weekes [https://x.com/kevinweekes/status/1793279253804359709?s=46&t=HcZgqU-xiCthN2bOOjQJEw] reported that the Los Angeles Kings have removed the interim tag from Jim Hiller [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-jim-hiller-todd-mclellan], coming to terms with the former New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] assistant coach on a three-year deal: Hiller relieved former Kings head coach Todd McLellan on Feb. 2, when the team was 23-15-19, sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division and holding down the first wild-card spot. They had gone 3-8-6 over their past 17 games, and a turnaround seemed bleak. Under Hiller, the Kings went 21-12-1, finishing as the third seed in the Pacific Division. However, they ultimately fell to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the first time Hiller will be an official head coach in the NHL after 10 seasons as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings (2014-15), Toronto Maple Leafs (2015-2019), Islanders (2019-2021) and Kings (2022-2024). Hiller ran the Islanders' power play from 2019 through 2022 before joining the Kings after Barry Trotz was relieved of his duties. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA2NjE1NDQ1NTk4MzgxMjYw/usatsi_15834398-1.jpg] In his two years manning the Islanders a man (or two) up, the power play operated at 19.6 percent. "Jimmy's a good guy, who loves the game," Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck said. "He's got a good mind for hockey. And he's just a fun guy to be around. That coupled with his passion and hockey knowledge, they got a pretty good one." Noah Dobson had Hiller as a teacher early on in his NHL career. "I got a lot of respect for Jimmy as a coach. I thought he was great. Coming in my first couple of years, he really helped me a lot, working with the defenseman. So, I'm happy to see him get the job here in LA and I got a lot of respect for him as a coach and what he did for me." This is a tremendous and well-deserved honor for Hiller, who, by all accounts, is beloved in Los Angeles. TOP STORIES
