There are a few significant moments that helped transform the Chicago Blackhawks. Changing ownership after the passing of Bill Wirtz. Drafting Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in back-to-back years. Trading for a young Patrick Sharp. Signing an in-his-prime Marian Hossa. Extending Duncan Keith on the best damn contract in hockey.
And yet, even while putting together the best core in the NHL, it cannot be understated how important a move made in September 2008 was. That’s when the Blackhawks hired Joel Quenneville, recently fired by the Avalanche despite on-ice success, to become a pro scout. What he really was, as we learned four games into the 2008-09 season, was Chicago’s coach of the future.
Now Quenneville is locked up to be the Hawks’ coach through 2019-20 after signing a three-year extension with the franchise on Tuesday. He’s set to become one of the longest-tenured coaches in recent memory. In Chicago, he’s already a mustachioed legend, the hockey yin to football’s Mike Ditka yang.
And while full credit goes to the ownership, management, scouts, trainers, assistant coaches and, of course, the players, the impact of Quenneville is difficult to express. He was there when the team was just beginning to come into its own, a coach still trying to prove he could make it over the top just like the young guns he was mentoring. Together, they would accomplish amazing things. In the process, everyone grew together in a way that’s made Chicago’s locker room the envy of the rest of the NHL.
It’s telling when you hear the players talk about how important Quenneville’s been to the team. It’s equally reflective when they talk about his sense of humor and his ability to bring levity to any situation. Coach Q and his players’ leadership have created an atmosphere not unlike you see in other sports franchises that regularly compete for championships. Everyone is always on the same page. The final chapter will always be a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
You see other players marvel when they join the Blackhawks. We’ve more or less tossed the idea of the hometown discount into the trash after the way the Brandon Saad situation played out last year, but there’s a very real respect that the rest of the league has for the Hawks. Even if it that doesn’t mean you’ll get great players to sign for less money, it helps to make Chicago one of the NHL’s marquee destinations as long as Quenneville, Toews and company are running the show.
“I wish I had bad things to say about that team, but I don’t. The guys were unbelievable,” Trevor Daley told the Chicago Tribune after he was traded to Pittsburgh. “I enjoyed my time there and I learned a lot. I went in there with an open mind, figure out what these guys have been doing right all these years. I think I took a lot out of it, for the short time I was there.”
Even for a player who got buried on the depth chart, then traded in a salary cap dump, Daley appreciated the atmosphere created by Quenneville in Chicago. When you see other coaches who seemingly play games with their players, it’s notable that even when Q messes with the lines, rarely does anyone seem bothered. Occasionally you’ll get a guy who doesn’t quite fit like a Kevin Hayes, but then you see a guy like Daley who got in the doghouse and there’s no resentment. Instead there’s a deference to Q’s knowledge of matchups and hockey in general that some coaches probably haven’t earned. Quenneville has, of course, by winning more than just about anybody else.
Q could pass Al Arbour for second on the NHL’s all-time coaching wins list Thursday. He won a lot of games with the Blues and Avalanche (seriously how did they fire him) before adding hundreds more to his total with the Hawks. In addition to the big shiny rings on his fingers, that’s more concrete proof of his brilliance. Sure, he’s benefited from some of the greatest talent assembled in the salary cap era, but he’s also coached his ass off on many, many occasions.
Let’s just talk briefly about the 2015 Stanley Cup run for a minute because I think that’s Quenneville’s greatest accomplishment as coach. Following a trying regular season that saw the death of Clint Reif, constant off-ice rumors that elicited upset comments from players and several key injuries, the Hawks rallied in the postseason to win another championship.
First there was the deft hand in dealing with a goaltending situation that could’ve imploded the season. Corey Crawford looked lost to begin the first round against Nashville, so Quenneville made the tough choice to use rookie backup Scott Darling to try to get the series back on track. It worked, then Q showed how much confidence he had in Crawford by going back to him. The goaltender rewarded his coach by returning to form and putting up some of the best efforts of his career.
And then came the Ducks series. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the Blackhawks were overmatched at times against Anaheim. The Ducks were just so big and so skilled, you honestly did wonder for a second whether Chicago could withstand that many hits. But about midway through the series, Quenneville seemed to recognize where things were going and took his matchup game to another level.
By the final two games of the series, which Chicago won with its back against the wall, Quenneville straight up outclassed Bruce Boudreau. You’d see the Hawks roll out a line for a faceoff, then quickly change in a matter of seconds to force mismatches. The Ducks seemed unprepared for the development and didn’t have many answers. This was the blender at its finest.
Chicago only had four legitimate defensemen and Q found a way to make it work with the final pairing getting minor minutes. I don’t think there’s any greater example of what Quenneville means to this franchise’s success than that series and that playoff run. I’m not sure the Blackhawks get by the Ducks without playing the matchups the way Q did in the second half of the series.
It all adds up to a coach who deserves to be here until he wants to leave. Quenneville isn’t without his flaws, but the big picture with him is a winning one. He’s a masterful systems coach who has the Hawks playing a style that wins in the regular season, then wins big in the playoffs. He’s a smart manager who’s kept his superstars’ egos in check without inhibiting their development at all. He’s also got three freaking Cups to his name, more than any other active coach.
A big part of winning is process, rather than constantly focusing on short-term results. The Hawks have found theirs under the guidance of Quenneville, Stan Bowman and the Wirtz family’s ownership. Now that Q is nearing one of the league’s most impressive coaching milestones, it was a good time to make sure that brain trust stays intact for as long as possible.
Q isn’t going anywhere, and that’s a really good thing.