Crazy things can happen when the winning starts to dry up. The pressure started to mount on Joel Quenneville as the Chicago Blackhawks sank into obscurity after their brilliant run from 2010 to 2015 that featured three Stanley Cup championships. Things seemed to be on the rebound after a solid start to the 2018-2019 season in which the Blackhawks went 6-2-2.
Then it all fell apart. They’ve since lost five straight including a blowout at the hands of the Blues. It appears the organization finally ran out of patience. Quenneville, the man who brought the Blackhawks back to prominence, was relieved of his duties today on November 6th, 2010. His replacement will be Jeremy Colliton.
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
Jeremy Colliton has gigantic shoes to fill with Joel Quenneville
Some less informed fans might not know who Colliton is. He’s a former player who briefly played in the NHL for the New York Islanders but spent most of his career in the Western Hockey League and American Hockey League. He retired in 2014 and shifted to coaching. The Blackhawks hired him to run their Rockford IceHogs last year.
They quickly experienced a major turnaround, going from 25 wins the previous season to 40 wins under Colliton Then in the playoffs, they swept through the first two rounds in seven straight games before falling just short of the championship series in 3rd round, falling to Texas in six games. It was an impressive coaching feat considering it was his first year. It was also the furthest the IceHogs had ever made it.
That job combined with Quenneville’s failure to get his team back to the forefront in the Western Conference compelled the Blackhawks to make their decision. It was painful and not the way most people on the team wanted it to happen. Still, the level of expectations for that franchise are elevated. They don’t tolerate mediocrity anymore.
