The Joel Quenneville era in Chicago is officially over.
In what was a shocking move Tuesday morning, the Chicago Blackhawks announced the firing of Quenneville after 11 seasons with the franchise. The move comes amidst a five-game losing streak, dating back to a 7-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on October 27th.
Chicago missed the NHL Playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season when Quenneville was named head coach. That came after a first round exit in the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the Nashville Predators.
The Blackhawks sent out a release with all of the coaching changes:
The Chicago Blackhawks have relieved Joel Quenneville of his coaching duties and have named Jeremy Colliton the 38th head coach in franchise history. In addition, the Blackhawks have named Barry Smith an assistant coach on Colliton’s staff. The Blackhawks have also parted ways with Assistant Coaches Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson. The rest of the Blackhawks coaching staff will remain with the team.
Colliton will become the 38th head coach in Blackhawks franchise history and will be introduced with a press conference at 3 p.m., the team announced. At 33-years-old, Colliton is now the youngest coach in the NHL and inherits a team that is hoping to get back on track.
Quenneville was 452-249-46 in his coaching career with the Blackhawks and delivered the team’s first Stanley Cup in 49 years when they won it all in 2010. He won a total of three Stanley Cups in Chicago, reviving a franchise that was almost dead in the water prior to when he arrived.
Was firing Joel Quenneville the right move for the Chicago Blackhawks?
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