The St. Louis Blues are bringing back head coach Ken Hitchcock for the 2016-17 season on a one-year contract. 

There was speculation that Hitchcock's tenure behind the St. Louis bench could be coming to an end after his club was ousted in the Western Conference Final by the San Jose Sharks.

twitter embed

Hitchcock and the Blues exorcised some demons in this spring's playoffs by ousting the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in seven games.

They won another seven-game series against the Stars in the second round to set up a date with the Sharks and an opportunity to qualify for their first Cup final since 1970. The Blues lost in six games and have still not won a Stanley Cup in its history.

The 64-year-old Hitchcock has a record of 224-103-36 over nearly five seasons coaching in St. Louis.