Goaltender Ed Belfour #20 of the Dallas Stars stetches on the ice before the NHL game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo: Getty Images
The Stars are set to induct two team legends into their Hall of Fame. Former Dallas goaltender Ed Belfour and head coach Ken Hitchcock are set to join the Stars Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony this season. The two will be inducted at a ceremony the weekend of October 21st and 22nd. Belfour spent five seasons with the Stars from 1997-to-2002, and helped lead the team to a Stanley Cup title in 1999. Hitchcock coached Dallas from 1995-to-2002, where he compiled a franchise-record 319 wins.
"It is with great pleasure that we announce the induction of Ed Belfour and Ken Hitchcock into the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame as the class of 2023," said Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts. "Ed was instrumental in guiding this franchise to a Stanley Cup championship, and his performance in the postseason will never be forgotten. He'll forever be one of the greatest goaltenders to ever suit up for the Stars."
"Similarly, Ken transformed this franchise when he was brought on as head coach in the mid-90s, and his success behind the bench left an indelible mark on this fanbase and the city of Dallas," added Alberts. "He was able to get the most out of his players, and it resulted in an unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup in 1999. We can't wait to celebrate Ed and Ken during the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame Weekend in October."
One of the premier goaltenders to ever play in the National Hockey League, Belfour's 17-year NHL career was highlighted by a 1999 Stanley Cup championship with the Stars. Signed as a free agent in the summer of 1997, Belfour's impact in Dallas was immediate.
In his first season with the Stars (1997-98), Belfour posted a 1.89 goals-against average, leading Dallas to a Presidents' Trophy for the most points in the NHL (49-22-11, 109 points) and an appearance in the Western Conference Final. He finished the campaign with a 37-12-10 record and .916 save percentage, ranking second among league netminders in wins (37) and GAA and third in shutouts (9).
The following season saw Belfour lead Dallas (51-19-12, 114 points) to its second consecutive Presidents' Trophy. With the Stars allowing the fewest goals against that year (168), Belfour won his fourth William M. Jennings Trophy presented annually "to the goaltender(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team(s) with the fewest goals scored against it during the regular season." Belfour's numbers that season with Dallas nearly mirrored his first with the team, as he posted a 35-15-9 record, 1.99 GAA, .915 SV% and five shutouts in 61 appearances. Belfour elevated his game in the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs, finishing a championship run with a 16-7 record, 1.67 GAA and three shutouts. In the Stanley Cup Final alone, Belfour posted a 1.26 GAA, including a 53-save performance in Dallas' triple-overtime Stanley Cup-clinching victory in Game 6 against Buffalo.
A two-time NHL All-Star with Dallas (1998 & 1999), Belfour earned a 160-95-44 record, 2.19 GAA, .910 SV% and 27 shutouts in 307 regular-season games as a member of the Stars from 1997-2002. He also posted a 44-29 mark with a 1.85 GAA, .926 SV% and eight shutouts in 73 Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Stars.
Hitchcock's legacy as head coach of the Stars includes five consecutive postseason appearances from 1997-2001, two conference championships (1998-99 & 1999-00), two Presidents' Trophies (1997-98 & 1998-99) and a Stanley Cup championship (1999). The fourth-winningest head coach in NHL history, Hitchcock made his NHL head-coaching debut with Dallas midway through the 1995-96 regular season. In his first full season behind the Stars' bench in 1996-97, Hitchcock led the club to a first-place finish in the Central Division. Then, in 1997-98, he guided the Stars to a league-best 109 points (42-22-11), the first of two consecutive Presidents' Trophies in team history (1993-present). After losing in the conference finals to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Hitchcock's Stars marched right back to the postseason the following year after posting 114 points (51-19-12) during the 1998-99 campaign, the most in team history. Then, after series victories over Edmonton (conference quarterfinals), St. Louis (conference semifinals) and Colorado (conference finals), Hitchcock's Stars defeated Buffalo in six games to win hockey's ultimate prize in the 1999 playoffs.
During his time with Dallas, Hitchcock was nominated for the Jack Adams Award three times (1997, 1998, 1999) and served as the Western Conference's head coach in three All-Star Games (1997, 1998, 1999). In his eight total seasons with the Stars (including 2017-18 when he was re-hired), he compiled a 319-186-80 record in 585 career regular-season games. He currently ranks first in Stars franchise history in games coached (585), wins (319) and points percentage (.614). Hitchcock also amassed a 47-33 record in 80 Stanley Cup Playoff games during his first tenure with the Stars.