Ken Hitchcock was stuck in no man's land in 2010, let go by the Columbus Blue Jackets in February and still without a job in September. So he called on Olympics coaching buddy Mike Babcock for a favor.

The veteran bench boss, who fidgets when he's away from hockey, asked Babcock if he could attend Detroit's training camp in Traverse City, Mich., to just soak up the Red Wings way.

"Hitch phoned me and said, 'I want to learn, can I come to the camp?'" Babcock told Ansar Khan of M-Live at the time. "He wants to learn, but I want to learn, too. ... Hitch has been around winning his whole life, he loves hockey. If he can get something from us and we can get something from him, that's a bonus situation."

Hitchcock hung out with the Detroit crew through training camp and exchanged ideas with Babcock, GM Ken Holland and then-assistant GM Jim Nill, attending meetings and watching the process of drilling the Red Wings. So it shouldn't be a surprise when now-Stars GM Jim Nill names Hitchcock the new coach of his team Thursday. The two are very familiar.

They have to be.

If you're going to hire Ken Hitchcock as your coach, then your job just got a lot tougher. "Hitch" is a detail man, a perfectionist, a nagger. He's going to annoy the players, and they are going to run to the GM -- or the owner. That's how pro sports work -- and not just today.

Back when he was getting his coaching start with the Stars in the 1990s, young Ken Hitchcock didn't care that he was handed a group of future Hall of Famers that included Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Ed Belfour and Brett Hull. He picked away at their play, he criticized their work ethic, he demanded more.

And it drove the players crazy.

But every time somebody went to Bob Gainey, the general manager smiled and shrugged and said to suck it up. He told these decorated veterans that the chubby guy in the track suit was the boss. He backed Ken Hitchcock unconditionally.

And let's just say that he made it very clear that running an end-around to the owner was not going to be tolerated. Gainey commanded that much respect -- and also created more than just a little fear with his steely demeanor.

That's what Jim Nill has to do now. He has to work with Hitchcock, but mostly he has to support him. He has to make it clear that even if Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin aren't happy, Hitchcock's vote matters the most. That's the only way this is going to work.

The Stars want defensive details and discipline, and those don't come naturally. They come through repetition and focus and hard work. Nill has talked about being an "everyday pro" since his arrival in 2013. His players are about to find out what that really means.

When you look at this thing on the surface, it's easy to say that you can't relive the past, you can't go back 20 years to find answers. But hiring Hitchcock isn't really going back, it's trusting in your experiences.

Nill was part of a Detroit organization that employed two of the most difficult coaches in NHL history -- Babcock and Scotty Bowman. Both were demanding, both were perfectionists, both were naggers. And it would have been easy for the players to revolt, to talk to Holland or owner Mike Ilitch.

They didn't, because the infrastructure was there to support the coach, no matter how eccentric his demands might be.

Nill was part of that infrastructure, so he knows what he's getting into. He knows that hiring Ken Hitchcock will make his job a lot tougher, and the guess here is he welcomes the challenge.

Dallas Morning News

The Stars' forwards were in a tough place this season. On one hand, they drive everything the team does. On the other hand, they were banged up for most of the season, with significant injuries to Mattias Janmark, Ales Hemsky and Patrick Sharp, and nagging injuries to Cody Eakin, Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Jiri Hudler.

So how do you grade this bunch? Well, they dropped a half goal per game from the previous season (first at 3.23 to 16th at 2.71) and many carried big minuses for the season. Is that because they didn't have the chemistry from the previous season -- Jason Spezza missed Janmark, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin missed Valeri Nichushkin and Sharp? Or is it because they didn't raise their game?

It's probably a little of both, and it will make this group of grades very difficult.

Tyler Seguin -- Played through injuries, played all 82 games, led the team in scoring with 72 points. He earned his minus-15, but he also tried to adjust to a ton of time on the right wing.
Grade: B-

Jamie Benn -- The problem with Benn is he is either fantastic or ineffective. There seems no in-between, so you got very frustrated when his play slipped so noticeably. He also battled injuries, but it was a rough season for the captain.
Grade: C+

Jason Spezza -- Like Seguin, Spezza had to try to make an impact on the right wing, and that was a huge challenge. He surprisingly tallied 50 points in 67 games, so his year was better than it appeared. Still, he seemed to make more visible mistakes than Benn or Seguin.
Grade: C-

Cody Eakin -- Coming off a pretty strong playoff performance in 2016, Eakin was poised for a big year, so the knee injury on the first day of training camp really messed him up. But he still played 60 games, averaged 16:48 and got top line play. Scoring just three goals among 12 points is shockingly bad.
Grade: C-

Radek Faksa -- Embraced his role as a checking center and took a step up at age 23. Tallied 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 80 games and learned how to handle pressure of key faceoffs.
Grade: B+

Antoine Roussel -- The details of his game still need some work, but he sure does change the dynamic of his line. First on the team in SAT (shot attempts at even strength) at plus-130, Roussel creates attack zone time and scoring opportunities. Still, a sneaky scorer with 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 60 games.
Grade: A-

Brett Ritchie -- The knock on Ritchie was he had to learn to compete harder at the NHL level, and he took a big step in that direction this season. The power forward tallied 16 goals and got much better at showing poise in pressure situation. He has earned protection in the expansion draft with his performance.
Grade: B+

Patrick Sharp -- The concussion issue really took a lot out of him and pretty much negated his ability to be a key leader. He had 18 points in 48 games and was a team-worst minus-22. Hip surgery means Stars probably won't have to make a decision to re-sign until August or September.
Grade: C-

Devin Shore -- A really nice rookie season for the versatile forward. He tallied 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists), ranking 16th among all rookies, and really showed a great deal of poise and maturity. He finished minus-91 in SAT, almost three times worse than any other Stars forward, so that's an area to work on.
Grade: B+

Adam Cracknell -- Expected to play most of the season in the minors, he became a very important player both on the ice and emotionally. He brings experience, smarts and edge, and the Stars needed all three. He has the opportunity to be a fourth line regular next season.
Grade: A

Curtis McKenzie -- Worked hard to get into 53 games and finished with 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists). Solid forward who can kill penalties. Has more experience at age 26 than younger players trying to take his minutes.
Grade: B

Jiri Hudler -- Mystery illness took away any chance for him to be a key player. He was a one-year patch needed to cover for all of the injuries, and he didn't work out as he played just 32 games.
Grade: D

Ales Hemsky -- Missed almost entire season after hip surgery. Had seven points in 15 games at end of season and really fit what Lindy Ruff liked to do. The question is how he might fit under Ken Hitchcock's disciplined system. Could Stars re-sign him for much less than the $4 million he made last season?
Grade: B

Remi Elie -- One of the reasons the Stars might pass on veterans like Hemsky or Sharp is because Elie played so well in his 18 games. He had 1 goal and 6 assists and did a lot of the same things Roussel does. At age 22, he could step up to regular status next season.
Grade: B

Gemel Smith -- Like Elie, he performed well in the role he was given. Had 3 goals and 3 assists in 17 games. Wasn't as dynamic as Elie, but clearly fit in at the NHL level. Depending on what the Stars add, the 23-year-old will be in the mix to make the team out of training camp.
Grade: B

Mike Heika - Dallas Morning News