The Chicago Blackhawks have announced it has fired longtime head coach Joel Quenneville. Chicago has also fired assistant coaches Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson. The team has installed Jeremy Colliton as the interim head coach.
The Chicago Blackhawks have relieved Joel Quenneville of his coaching duties and have named Jeremy Colliton the 38th head coach in franchise history.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2018
Blackhawks Fire Coach Joel Quenneville
The Chicago Blackhawks have parted ways with Joel Quenneville. This season, the team has a record of six wins, six losses and three overtime losses. Chicago sits in sixth spot in the seven-team Central Division.
Over his 21-year NHL career Quenneville has split his time between the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. Overall he has 890 wins, 532 losses and. His greatest success was winning the Stanley Cup with Blackhawks in the 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons.
Team owner Rocky Wirtz said this in a press release.
“The Chicago Blackhawks front office has made a decision to release Joel Quenneville from his head coaching duties, doing so with my full support. As Chicago Blackhawks fans have seen over the last decade, this organization no longer shies away from making tough decisions or ones based on emotion. Those days are long behind us. Of course, Joel’s was difficult, as it should have been. During his tenure as head coach to the Chicago Blackhawks, Joel brought the city of Chicago and our fans three Stanley Cups and an incredible era of hockey.
What This Means for the Team’s Future
This is a surprising move given Quenneville’s track record with the team. He’s second all-time in wins and he brought the club back to glory. Quenneville is 60-years-old and would be on many team’s shortlist should he want to find another job. He is a Hall of Fame coach no matter if he takes another job or not.
Colliton is now the youngest coach in the league at 33-years-old. He was the coach with the AHL Rockford IceHogs. This is likely the start of the rebuild that Blackhawk fans have speculated would come.
CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 23: Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville yells from the bench during a game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks on February 23, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. Blackhawks won 3-1. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
