Joel Quenneville Explained

Joel Quenneville
Birth Date:September 15, 1958
Birth Place:Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:200
Position:Defence
Shoots:Left
Played For:Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Rockies
New Jersey Devils
Hartford Whalers
Washington Capitals
Draft:21st overall
Draft Year:1978
Draft Team:Toronto Maple Leafs
Career Start:1978
Career End:1992
Coached For:St. Louis Blues
Colorado Avalanche
Chicago Blackhawks
Florida Panthers
Career Start Coach:1996
Career End Coach:present

Joel Norman Quenneville (born September 15, 1958) is a CanadianAmerican ice hockey coach and former player in the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Coach Q", he is second in NHL coaching wins at 969 behind Scotty Bowman. Quenneville achieved his greatest success as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, a team he coached from 2008 to 2018. He led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles between 2010 and 2015. The team's championship victory in 2010 was the Blackhawks' first since 1961, ending the then-longest Stanley Cup drought.

Quenneville also served as the head coach of the St. Louis Blues from 1996 to 2004, the Colorado Avalanche from 2005 to 2008, and the Florida Panthers from 2019 to 2021.

Playing career

As a player, Quenneville was drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. A defenceman, he played for the OHA's Windsor Spitfires, the New Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks and St. John's Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers and Washington Capitals of the NHL. He has also been a player/assistant coach of St. John's, head coach of the AHL's Springfield Indians, and assistant coach of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche.

Coaching career

Colorado Avalanche

Quenneville won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Avalanche in 1996.

St. Louis Blues

Quenneville then moved to the St. Louis Blues franchise, becoming head coach midway through the next season after Mike Keenan was fired. He led St. Louis to seven straight playoff berths. His best season was in 1999–2000, when he led the Blues to a franchise-record 51 wins and their first Presidents' Trophy for the league's best regular season record. However, they were upset in the playoffs, losing to the San Jose Sharks in the first round. He won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach of the regular season.

In Quenneville's 2004 season with the Blues, the team started poorly and late in the year was in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in a quarter century. As a result, Quenneville was fired.

Colorado Avalanche (2nd stint)

Quenneville was hired as head coach by Avalanche in June 2004, before the 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the season's cancellation. In his first year with the Avalanche, he led the team to the playoffs and a first round upset of the Dallas Stars. On March 25, 2007, Quenneville coached his 750th career game. He became one of only seven currently active coaches to reach 750 games as of the 2006–07 season. Quenneville coached his 400th win on October 26, 2007, a 3–2 overtime game against the Calgary Flames.[1] On May 9, 2008, the Avalanche announced that Quenneville was leaving the organization.

Chicago Blackhawks

Quenneville was hired as a pro scout by the Chicago Blackhawks in September 2008.

On October 16, 2008, Quenneville was promoted to head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, replacing former Blackhawk Denis Savard.[2] On December 1, 2009, he received his 500th win as a coach in an 11-round shootout battle against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his first two seasons with Chicago, he led the team to the 2009 Western Conference Final and the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. With the Blackhawks' victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in the latter, Quenneville earned his first Stanley Cup as a head coach. On December 18, 2011, he earned his 600th career coaching win, winning 4–2 against the Calgary Flames. Quenneville earned his second championship as a head coach against the Boston Bruins during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final, cementing his status as one of a handful of Chicago head coaches with multiple championships (the others are George Halas of the Chicago Bears, Phil Jackson of the Chicago Bulls, and Frank Chance of the Chicago Cubs).[3] On March 19, 2014, Quenneville became just the third head coach in NHL history to record 700 wins. On March 23, 2015, Quenneville reached 750 wins as a coach.[4]

His team won the Stanley Cup for the third time on June 15, 2015, with a 2–0 shutout over the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was the first Blackhawks' championship win on home ice since 1938. With his third win, Quenneville became the third coach in Chicago sports history to win three championships, after Halas and Jackson. On January 14, 2016, Quenneville earned his 783rd win, passing Al Arbour for second all-time among NHL coaches. On April 3, 2016, Quenneville earned his 800th win, in a 6–4 victory over the Boston Bruins, and joined Scotty Bowman as the only two coaches with at least 800 wins.[5]

On February 21, 2017, the Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild 5–3, helping Quenneville become the second coach in Blackhawks history to win 400 games.[6] On February 21, 2018, Quenneville became the third coach in NHL history to coach 1,600 games as the Blackhawks won 3–2 over the Ottawa Senators.[7] On March 10, Quenneville coached in his 1,608th regular season game and passed Arbour for second most on NHL all-time games coached list.[8]

On November 6, 2018, the Blackhawks fired Quenneville after a 6–6–3 start in the 2018–19 season.[9] He concluded his tenure in Chicago with a 452–249–96 regular season record, a 76–52 record in the postseason, and as the second winningest coach in NHL history with 890 wins.[10] His 452 wins are second in Blackhawks history behind only Billy Reay, and only Reay had a longer unbroken tenure with the team.

Florida Panthers

On April 8, 2019, the Florida Panthers hired Quenneville as head coach.[11] In his first season with the Panthers, Quenneville led the Panthers to a 35–26–8 record in the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season and the Panthers' first playoff appearance in four seasons, losing to the New York Islanders in four games in the qualifying round.

In the 2021–22 season, Quenneville led the Panthers to a 7–0–0 record through the team's first seven games before his abrupt resignation on October 28, 2021 (see below).

Controversies

2010 Brad Aldrich investigation

On October 26, 2021, an independent investigation into how the Blackhawks responded to claims that former video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted prospect Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs revealed that Quenneville, as well as the several members of the Blackhawks' senior leadership team, opted to defer any action on Aldrich until after the Stanley Cup Finals.

According to the report, Quenneville was particularly concerned about causing a distraction before the Finals. Three weeks after the allegations were raised, Aldrich was forced to resign by HR and Legal after opting not to comply with their investigation and subsequently pleaded guilty to assaulting a player at a Michigan high school where he was a volunteer coach.[12]

Quenneville had previously claimed he had no knowledge that Aldrich sexually assaulted anyone before Beach and the high school player sued the Blackhawks,[13] but multiple witnesses stated that he was called into a meeting to discuss the Aldrich matter shortly after the Blackhawks defeated the Sharks to advance to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.[14] Multiple people in the meeting claimed that the matter discussed did not directly involve sexual assault and then-CEO John McDonough in the meeting committed to getting more information and handling the matter while directing Quenneville and the rest of senior management to keep their focus on the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals.[15]

On October 27, 2021, Quenneville was summoned to a meeting the following day with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss his role in the incident.[16] Within hours of that meeting, Quenneville announced his immediate resignation as Panthers coach.[17] He released a statement following his resignation "I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered. My former team - the Blackhawks -- failed Kyle and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone." According to a formal NHL statement, Bettman, the Panthers, and Quenneville mutually agreed that "it was no longer appropriate" for Quenneville to stay on. Bettman also announced that Quenneville will have to meet with him before he is allowed to work in the NHL again.[18]

On July 1, 2024, nearly three years after his abrupt resignation from the Panthers due to the Blackhawks scandal, Quenneville was reinstated by the NHL (along with Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac) to seek future employment within the league.[19]

Personal life

Quenneville is of Franco-Ontarian heritage and is married to Elizabeth, a native of Connecticut whom he met during his stint with the Hartford Whalers. They reside in Hinsdale, Illinois with their three children: a son, Dylan, and two daughters, Lily and Anna. After working in the U.S. for over 30 years, Quenneville passed the USCIS naturalization test required to become a United States citizen on May 24, 2011, and now has dual citizenship.[20]

Quenneville was hospitalized and reported as being "in stable condition after 'severe discomfort' of a non-cardiac nature" on February 16, 2011, resulting in him missing a home game versus the Minnesota Wild that night.[21] After a conversation with the coach, Kelly Chase reported that Quenneville had suffered from internal bleeding, the cause of which was yet to be discovered, but that he was in high spirits and intended to be behind the bench for the Blackhawks next game on February 18.[22] It was announced on February 18, that the problem had been a small ulcer caused by aspirin, a drug known to have the potential for gastrointestinal side effects.[23] He finally returned to take the Blackhawks practice on February 23, having been released from the hospital on February 19.

Quenneville is a first cousin, once-removed, of Peter Quenneville, who was drafted 195th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, John Quenneville, who was drafted 30th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and, who was drafted 200th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[24] [25]

Career statistics

Playing statistics

  Regular season Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
1975–76Windsor SpitfiresOMJHL6615334861
1976–77Windsor SpitfiresOMJHL6519597816996511112
1977–78Windsor SpitfiresOMJHL662776103114623517
1978–79New Brunswick HawksAHL161101110
1978–79Toronto Maple LeafsNHL6129116060114
1979–80Toronto Maple LeafsNHL3214524
1979–80Colorado RockiesNHL35571226
1980–81Colorado RockiesNHL7110243486
1981–82Colorado RockiesNHL645101555
1982–83New Jersey DevilsNHL745121746
1983–84Hartford WhalersNHL80581395
1984–85Hartford WhalersNHL796162296
1985–86Hartford WhalersNHL7152025831002212
1986–87Hartford WhalersNHL3737102460000
1987–88Hartford WhalersNHL771894460222
1988–89Hartford WhalersNHL6947113240334
1989–90Hartford WhalersNHL4414534
1990–91Baltimore SkipjacksAHL59613195861126
1990–91Washington CapitalsNHL91010
1991–92St. John's Maple LeafsAHL7372330581601110
NHL totals803541361907053208822
AHL totals1481446601262212316

Coaching record

Team Year Regular season Postseason
G W L T OTL Pts Finish W L Win % Result
1996–9740 18 15 7 (83) 2 4 Lost in Conference quarterfinals (DET)
STL 1997–9882 45 29 8 98 3rd in Central 6 4 Lost in Conference semifinals (DET)
STL 1998–9982 37 32 13 87 2nd in Central 6 7 Lost in Conference semifinals (DAL)
STL 1999–200082 51 19 11 1 114 1st in Central 3 4 Lost in Conference quarterfinals (SJS)
STL 2000–0182 43 22 12 5 103 2nd in Central 9 6 Lost in Conference finals (COL)
STL 2001–0282 43 27 8 4 98 2nd in Central 5 5 Lost in Conference semifinals (DET)
STL 2002–0382 41 24 11 6 99 2nd in Central 3 4 Lost in Conference quarterfinals (VAN)
STL 2003–0461 29 23 7 2 (91) (fired)
STL total 593 307 191 77 18     34 34 7 playoff appearances
2005–0682 43 30 9 95 4 5 Lost in Conference semifinals (ANA)
COL 2006–0782 44 31 7 95 4th in Northwest Missed playoffs
COL 2007–0882 44 31 7 95 2nd in Northwest 4 6 Lost in Conference semifinals (DET)
COL total 246 131 92 23     8 11 2 playoff appearances
2008–0978 45 22 11 (104) 2nd in Central 9 8 Lost in Conference finals (DET)
CHI 2009–1082 52 22 8 112 1st in Central 16 6 Won Stanley Cup (PHI)
CHI 2010–1182 44 29 9 97 3rd in Central 3 4 Lost in Conference quarterfinals (VAN)
CHI 2011–1282 45 26 11 101 4th in Central 2 4 Lost in Conference quarterfinals (PHX)
CHI 2012–1348 36 7 5 77 1st in Central 16 7 Won Stanley Cup (BOS)
CHI 2013–1482 46 21 15 107 3rd in Central 11 8 Lost in Conference finals (LAK)
CHI 2014–1582 48 28 6 102 3rd in Central 16 7 Won Stanley Cup (TBL)
CHI 2015–1682 47 26 9 103 3rd in Central 3 4 Lost in first round (STL)
CHI 2016–1782 50 23 9 109 1st in Central 0 4 Lost in first round (NSH)
CHI 2017–1882 33 39 10 76 7th in Central Missed playoffs
CHI 2018–1915 6 6 3 (15) (fired)
CHI total 797 452 249 96     76 52 9 playoff appearances
3 Stanley Cup titles
2019–2069* 35 26 8 78 1 3 Lost in qualifying round (NYI)
FLA 2020–2156 37 14 5 79 2nd in Central 2 4 Lost in first round (TBL)
FLA 2021–227 7 0 0 (14) (resigned)
FLA total 132 79 40 13     3 7 2 playoff appearances
Total 1,768 969 572 77 150     121 104 20 playoff appearances
3 Stanley Cup titles

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Joe Dunman. Game 10: Avalanche 3, Flames 2 (OT). SB Nation. October 27, 2007. May 28, 2018.
  2. Web site: Blackhawks fire Savard after four games . The Sports Network. October 16, 2008. October 16, 2008. October 19, 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081019085020/https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=252791&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl.
  3. News: Blackhawks' 2nd Stanley Cup in 4 years comes in a flash. June 24, 2013. Chicago Tribune. March 1, 2023.
  4. News: Corey Crawford steals a victory for Blackhawks in Carolina. March 1, 2023. March 23, 2015. Mark Lazerus.
  5. Web site: Dan Graf. Joel Quenneville becomes second NHL coach to 800 wins Fox Sports. Fox Sports. March 1, 2023. April 3, 2016.
  6. Web site: James O'Brien. Serious performance: Blackhawks gain on Wild thanks to Toews' five points. ProHockeyTalk. May 28, 2018. February 21, 2017.
  7. Web site: Quenneville coaches 1,600th NHL game. National Hockey League. May 28, 2018. February 21, 2018.
  8. Web site: Bruins Beat Blackhawks 7–4. CBS Chicago. May 28, 2018. March 10, 2018.
  9. Web site: RELEASE: Blackhawks make coaching change . National Hockey League . November 6, 2018 . November 6, 2018.
  10. News: Roumeliotis . Charlie . BREAKING: Blackhawks fire Joel Quenneville; name Jeremy Colliton head coach . . 2018-11-06 . 2018-11-07 .
  11. Web site: Florida Panthers Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach . National Hockey League . April 8, 2019 . April 8, 2019.
  12. News: Pope . Ben . Blackhawks' Stan Bowman resigns in overhaul over sexual assault cover-up . . 2021-10-26 . 2021-10-26 .
  13. News: Quenneville offers to participate in Blackhawks review. Jay Cohen. The Associated Press. July 26, 2021.
  14. https://jenner.com/system/assets/assets/11549/original/Report%20to%20the%20Chicago%20Blackhawks%20Hockey%20Team%20-%20October%202021.pdf 2021 sexual assault report
  15. Web site: Report to the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey Team Regarding the Organization’s Response to Allegations of Sexual Misconduct by a Former Coach . Reid J. . Schar . Jenner&Block LLP. October 2021.
  16. News: Quenneville to meet with Bettman about Blackhawks scandal. NBC Sports Chicago. October 27, 2021.
  17. Web site: Florida Panthers Announce Resignation of Joel Quenneville. October 29, 2021 . 2021-10-29. National Hockey League. en.
  18. News: Panthers' Joel Quenneville resigns amid Blackhawks sexual assault scandal after meeting with Gary Bettman. Wajh AlBaroudi. CBS Sports. October 28, 2021.
  19. Web site: Quenneville, Bowman, MacIsaac eligible to work in NHL again . nhl.com . NHL . NHL Public Relations . July 1, 2024 . July 1, 2024.
  20. News: Busy, rewarding offseason for Quenneville. David Haugh. Chicago Tribune. June 27, 2011. May 28, 2018.
  21. News: Brian Hedger. Quenneville hospitalized Wednesday. Blackhawks website. February 16, 2011. May 28, 2018.
  22. News: Tracey Myers. Report: Quenneville had internal bleeding. Chicago Breaking Sports. February 17, 2011. May 28, 2018.
  23. News: Blackhawks update on the condition of Head Coach Joel Quenneville. Blackhawks website. February 17, 2011. May 28, 2018.
  24. News: Blackhawks vs. Devils is also Quenneville vs. Quenneville . . 2016-12-01 . 2018-12-27.
  25. Web site: Cyrgalis . Brett . What Islanders must do next after curious NHL draft . New York Post . June 16, 2018 . June 25, 2016 . David Quenneville (200th overall), brother of two recent NHL draft picks and cousin to Islanders’ veteran defenseman Johnny Boychuk, as well as cousin to Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville..