“At some point I will make a decision.” Could another legendary coach return to the NHL?
Dmitry Storozhev September 10, 2023, 13:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Two years ago, Joel Quenneville was kicked out of Florida. He is now close to returning to the league.
Six National Hockey League clubs changed head coaches during the offseason. The most notable resignation occurred in New York, where, after a somewhat sensational elimination in the first round of the Stanley Cup, the head of Gerard Galland, who led the Rangers, fell. The Canadian coach, who last season led the Blueshirts to their first Eastern Conference final since 2015, could not overcome New Jersey’s resistance in his second year in Manhattan, having at his disposal an offense with Artemi Panarin, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. .
The most notable appointment, in turn, also took place in the Metropolitan Division: Columbus returned Mike Babcock to the NHL almost four years after his dismissal from Toronto.
What to expect from Babcock’s return to the NHL?
A great coach in a perennial loser in the NHL. What awaits the union between Babcock and Columbus?
To date, all 32 clubs in the league have head coaches. However, as you know, resignations are quite common. If this happens next season (of which there is no doubt), another legendary coach could return to the NHL.
Joel Quenneville, unlike Babcock, left his previous job in the best league in the world not because of poor results. Led in October 2021 by a Canadian specialist, Florida had perhaps the best start in its history and was on a streak of seven consecutive victories at the time when, due to the scandal during Chicago’s first championship in the 21st century, the management of The Panthers made a decision (=followed by the public) to part ways with an experienced mentor.
Why Florida fired Quenneville:
Values are stronger than common sense. NHL leader expels legendary coach over long-running scandal
In the nearly two years since the layoff, the commotion has naturally subsided. But, although Quenneville suffered serious damage to his reputation (in the United States they literally demanded that his path to the NHL be blocked forever), the league management did not close the door on him forever.
At a recent meeting of NHL coaches and general managers in Chicago, Quenneville and Stan Bowman, who served as general manager of the champion Blackhawks, appeared. And while league commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t make it clear whether he would allow both of them to return to work in the NHL, his presence was clearly for a reason. “They had a chance to talk to everyone about their experiences and lessons learned,” Bettman shared after the meeting.
“I will focus on that and at some point I will make a decision. But for now I don’t want to talk about it publicly. I have yet to consider when, if ever, it would be acceptable to reinstate them into the league. At this moment I am not prepared to answer this question,” the NHL commissioner summarized during the meeting. And it sounds like he’s being disingenuous: If Bettman hadn’t been willing to put Quenneville and Bowman back on the job, he wouldn’t have invited them to Chicago to “talk” either.
Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman
Photo: Chris O’Meara/AP/TASS
Most likely, the first public appearance of the Chicago champion duo in two years, and even in the city where they achieved the main successes of their careers, is an obvious sign that a comeback is just around the corner, it is just a question of the availability of available positions. Furthermore, at the end of the previous season there were rumors about Bowman’s negotiations with Calgary, and Quenneville was actively courted by the Rangers, indicating interest and willingness to cooperate on the part of the clubs.
