Reinstated Former Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville Is Primed To Pounce

Joel Quenneville figures to be back in the NHL next season. Maybe in a hurry.

He’s done this before, with lightning speed. The “Q” in Coach Q also stands for quick.

Quenneville, the second winningest coach in league history with 969 victories, was reinstated on July 1 by the NHL and is looking for work.

Quenneville, now 65, was forced to step down from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 28, 2021 following a meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman. That session took place two days after an investigation exposed Quenneville’s lack of response as the Blackhawks bench boss when his then-video coach, Brad Aldrich, was accused of sexual assault in May 2010 by Chicago prospect Kyle Beach.

Quenneville had a 10-plus year run and three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, going 452-249-96 with the team before being released November 2018 in a front-office power-play and following a 6-6-3 start.

Joel Quenneville with Florida.

USA Today Network

He booted Denis Savard as the Blackhawks coach even faster at the outset of the 2008-09 season when Chicago started 1-2-1. That was after the Blackhawks had improved to 40-34-8 and 88 points in 2007-08 under Savard after finishing at 31-42-9 and 71 points a season earlier under Trent Yawney and then Savard, a beloved Hall-of-Famer.

The Blackhawks moved quickly in October 2008, just weeks after Quenneville had been hired as a scout. The former defenseman and the Colorado Avalanche parted ways in May 2008 after he served as head coach there for three seasons. The Avalanche went 44-31-7 and were swept by Detroit in the Western Conference semifinals that spring.

At that point, Quenneville had won 438 games in 11 seasons as a head coach with the Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues.

Too Late For Columbus

After his reinstatement last month, Quenneville re-entered the coaching market too late for the final remaining offseason vacancy. Columbus hired Dean Evason as coach on July 22.

But here’s who Quenneville could supplant in a snap if their team falters in October 2024.

Derek Lalonde – Detroit Red Wings: After being in a wild-card slot for most of 2023-24, the Red Wings missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season despite adding Patrick Kane. The Wings failed to reach the postseason for the eighth straight year. Gerard Gallant, a former Detroit player, could be a possibility in Motown too.

Mike Sullivan – Pittsburgh Penguins: Under Sullivan, the Penguins missed the playoffs for the second year in a row in 2023-24. Pittsburgh expected to be back in the postseason after adding talent in the 2023 NHL offseason. Despite Sullivan’s previous success, if the Penguins start sour in 2024-25, he could be one of the early coaches fired.

Ryan Huska – Calgary Flames: The Flames took another step backward in 2023-24 and slipped below .500. If it continues into the 2024-25 season, Huska could be a hot-seat coach.

André Tourigny – Utah Hockey Club: After landing an NHL team with an assertive owner, Utah wants to be competitive immediately. This is a fresh start for the former Arizona Coyotes franchise, so a change behind the bench could make sense. After being in the playoff race for a good portion of last season under Tourigny, a 14-game losing streak from late January to late February crushed the Coyotes’ chances.

Where is Quenneville not going? Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz would never re-hire him. New Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman, also reinstated on July 1 after his role in the Aldrich affair, was part of the disgraced gang that fired Quenneville in Chicago.

Source