Mike Kitchen Head Coach
Mike Kitchen was named head coach on February 24, 2004. He spent his first six and a half seasons as the Blues' assistant
coach, joining the staff on September 1, 1998. Prior to joining the Blues, he spent nine seasons as an assistant coach for
the Toronto Maple Leafs. He joined the Leafs on August 8, 1989 after spending one season as an assistant coach for Newmarket
in the American Hockey League.
Kitchen, 47, spent eight seasons in the National Hockey League as a defenseman with
the Colorado Rockies and the New Jersey Devils. He appeared in 474 games, while recording 12 goals, 62 assists and 370 penalty
minutes. Kansas City originally drafted him as the 38th overall choice in the 1976 Entry Draft.
Prior to playing in
the NHL, Kitchen spent three seasons with the Toronto Marlboros of the OHA, accumulating 79 points (14g, 65a) and 429 penalty
minutes in 202 games played. He also spent one season with the Rhode Island Reds of the AHL, registering 10 assists and 14
penalty minutes in 14 games played.
Mike and his wife Jill have two daughters: Amy and Megan. The Kitchen family make
their offseason home in Aurora, Ontario.
Don Lever Assistant Coach
Don Lever will be entering his second season as the Blues' assistant coach after serving as an assistant coach for the Buffalo
Sabres. He joined the staff on June 25, 2002, after spending 12 seasons in the Sabres organization.
Lever, 50, began
his coaching career as a Sabres assistant in the 1987-88 season. He then served as the head coach of the Rochester Americans
from 1990-1992, before returning to Buffalo as an assistant for the 1992-93 season. In 1990-91, Lever's first season as coach
of the Amerks, he earned AHL Coach of the Year honors after Rochester went to the Calder Cup finals following a league-best
45-26-9 regular season. Lever also played for Rochester in 1985-86 and 1986-87, winning the Calder Cup in the role of player-coach
in his final pro season.
Lever played his junior hockey in nearby Niagara Falls, Ontario. After scoring 126 points
in 63 games for the OHL's Flyers, he was the first draft choice (and third pick overall) of the Vancouver Canucks in 1972.
Lever was traded to Atlanta in February 1980 after eight seasons with the Canucks, and moved with the Flames to Calgary that
summer. He was dealt to Colorado in 1981, and again was a part of a franchise shift, as the Rockies became the New Jersey
Devils in 1982. The Sabres acquired his rights from the Devils on September 9, 1985, and he spent two seasons as a player
in Buffalo's organization. In 1,020 NHL games, he accumulated 313 goals, 367 assists, 680 points, and 593 PIM.
Don
and his wife Karen live in Amherst, New York with their three children: Michael, Sarah, and Caitlin.
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