At this stage of his life, Ken Hitchcock claims he's an uncomplicated man. This belies his previous image as an intense, restless and occasionally volatile coach. The Hitchcock soul has endured plenty of torment through the years, but he's 60 now, and people change.

When he took over as Blues coach on Nov. 7, Hitchcock had to find a home for his new wife Corina and their two pugs, Billy and Buster. Their choice was a condo in University City, near Delmar and I-170.

"It's been exactly what I wanted: simple," Hitchcock said. "On one street, I have my whole life. I have the barbershop, the Starbucks, the dry cleaners, and the grocery store. I have everything on one street. That's how I like to live my life, on very simplistic terms."

Since hiring Hitchcock, the upwardly mobile Blues have moved into a much better NHL neighborhood.

An elite NHL neighborhood, where the residents have an impressive trophy case, always leaving room for a Stanley Cup.

True to his code, Hitchcock has kept things simple on the ice by implementing a north-south, tempo-based, pesky-forecheck style that best utilizes the Blues' roster.

Saturday night at Scottrade Center, the traditionally hard-luck Blues missed out on a chance to clinch first place in the Central Division in front of their passionate home fans, inexplicably losing 5-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As it turned out, the Blues managed to clinch later Saturday when Chicago defeated Nashville in overtime. It isn't the way the Blues wanted to lock in first place in the Central for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, but we'll take it.

The Blues have flattened out late during the regular season, going 3-3-3 since March 13. They've been at least temporarily bumped from the top spot in the Western Conference, with Vancouver holding a one-point lead over the Blues with three games remaining for each team.

The Blues must raise their game to make noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but that's another conversation for another day. It's special to win the Central, easily the NHL's toughest division.

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Bernie: Simple life just fine for Hitchcock