Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Dallas Stars officially sign head coach Dave Tippett to a contract extension

By Pegasus News wire

DALLAS — The Dallas Stars announced on Monday that the club has signed Head Coach Dave Tippett to a two-year contract extension through the 2010-11 season. Tippett’s was signed to a one-year contract extension through the 2008-09 season in December.

Photo not provided by the Dallas Stars

With his tough, grinding style, Tippett should have little problem competing for a spot on the fourth line

Recently finishing his sixth year with the club, Tippett has a cumulative record of 235-127-48, the best record of any active coach in the NHL. He has guided the Stars to the playoffs in every season at the helm. He was named as the 19th head coach in Stars franchise history on May 21, 2002.

“Dave Tippett has done an exceptional job as head coach of this hockey club,” said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “We are looking forward to getting back to work in preparation for the 2008-09 season.”

Tippett guided the Stars to a 10-8 record in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

“Dave has proven to be a great leader on the Stars bench and we are pleased to have him under contract for the next three seasons,” added co-General Manager Brett Hull.

Tippett’s teams have been near the top of the NHL standings since he took over as head coach, boasting the third-best record in the league since ’02-03 and the second-best home record. Also, Tippett has guided Dallas to two 50-win campaigns during his tenure (23 of the 30 NHL teams have not registered even one 50-win season since 2002-03).

Under Tippett’s leadership, the Stars have finished in the top-10 in goal scoring three times (ranking tied for eighth in ’07-08, ninth in ’05-06 and tying for sixth in ’02-03). On the flip side, Dallas has finished no worse than sixth in goals-against all five seasons under Tippett, including ranking in the top-three on three occasions (’06-07, ’03-04 and ’02-03).

Prior to becoming a coach, the 46-year old native of Moosomin, Saskatchewan, played 11 years as a forward in the National Hockey League with the Hartford Whalers, the Washington Capitals, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. In 721 career NHL outings, he registered 93 goals and 169 assists for 262 points with 317 penalty minutes.

Source: Dallas Stars

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