Joel Quenneville knows how to win.
Three Stanley Cup championships in the past six seasons earned him a three-year extension Tuesday morning and Thursday night he could cement himself even more as a legendary NHL coach.
Quenneville, 57, enters the Blackhawks’ game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens with a chance to pass the late Al Arbour for second all-time in NHL regular-season coaching wins with 783. The only coach with more is Scotty Bowman (1,244), who is the Hawks’ senior adviser and father to general manager Stan Bowman. Quenneville has a 782-451-77-110 record in his 19 seasons, which also include stints with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche.
According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Quenneville’s new deal is worth $18 million, which is a raise from his previous contract. Quenneville has won half of franchise’s championships with Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Since taking over as the Hawks coach four games into the 2008-09 season, Quenneville is 343-168-69 in 580 regular-season games over eight seasons. He’s 73-44 in 117 playoff games with the Hawks, good for a .624 winning percentage that is the highest for a Hawks coach since 1940.
With a core nucleus in place and Bowman continuing to replenish top talent, there’s no signs of slowing down for Quenneville.
783 down. 462 to go.