According to ESPN insider Kevin Weekes, the Florida Panthers are expected to dismiss Joel Quenneville from head coaching duties.
I’m hearing there’s a coaching change coming shortly with the @FlaPanthers . Keep an eye on my @espn colleague John Tortorella as one of the top potential candidates.@NHL @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter .
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) October 29, 2021
UPDATE: The Panthers have made the news official, announcing former NHLer and current assistant coach Andrew Brunette as the team’s new interim head coach.
Joel Quenneville Out as Panthers Head Coach
Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville was scheduled to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman earlier today. The meeting was about an ongoing investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks during Quenneville’s tenure. During the Jenner and Block Law Firm’s investigation into the Blackhawks, former GM Stan Bowman said Quenneville dismissed the situation “due to the challenge of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals, and a desire to focus on the team and the playoffs”.
Future of the Florida Panthers
Joel Quenneville is second in all-time wins to only Scotty Bowman and led Chicago to three Stanley Cup titles in a six-year span. He spent parts of 11 seasons with the Blackhawks organization. As soon as he was hired by the Florida Panthers, the team saw an instant turnaround. They are currently sitting near the top of the league standings and are one of the most competitive teams in franchise history.
John Tortorella is a name currently circulating as a possible replacement in Florida. Tortorella has also found NHL success with a 2004 Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time career record in 1383 games is 673-541-132 and 37 ties. He has also won the Jack Adams award twice in his career. Twelve of his 18 career seasons have resulted in a playoff berth. Tortorella was most recently the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he coached a playoff sweep of a record-breaking Tampa Bay team. He has appeared on ESPN this season as an analyst.
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