Chicago Blackhawks: Joel Quenneville recognized as coach of the decade

Even though Joel Quenneville isn’t the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks anymore, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great coach. Today, the NHL Twitter account announced him as the ‘best coach of the decade’.

Joel Quenneville did some amazing things this past decade. The Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 seasons under him. That win started a dynasty that would run through the NHL for years to come.

Quenneville was apart of the 2010, the 2013, and the 2015 Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks. Not only was he winning Stanley Cups, but he was also chasing history. Quenneville moved up to second all-time in coaching wins during the 2010s.

During this past decade, Quenneville won 467 hockey games. He also coached some of the best Blackhawks’ to ever live. He was apart of the success of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Though he did not draft either player, he helped bring them success at the professional level.

Quenneville’s style of coaching helped Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have some of their best seasons. They were elite defensemen under Quenneville’s system. Their success at the blue line helped Corey Crawford become a better goalie.

There were just so many things Quenneville did with these players. The core group of guys from the 2010 Stanley Cup team has so many great things to say about him. The success he brought back to Chicago was something we will never see again. Even though they didn’t win the Stanley Cup each year, they were always considered a favorite.

The impressive thing is how Quenneville took a football city and made it a hockey city again. He made the Blackhawks ‘must-watch’ hockey again.

Jeremy Colliton has taken over and has done the best he can during the rebuild of the Blackhawks. It’s a long process that will take time. I would have liked to see Quenneville finish out last season. It would have been interesting to see how the team would have finished.

Either way, at 61 years old, Quenneville can certainly break the record set by Scotty Bowman of 1,244 career wins. He’s just 331 wins away from breaking the record. That would take another decade of dominance by Quenneville though. By the time he’d break the record, he’d be close to retirement.

As the coach of the up-and-coming Florida Panthers, anything is possible. He has already turned the Panthers into a better team. As of January 16th, 2019, the Panthers are just three points out of the playoffs.

It’ll be interesting to see what the team has planned for Quenneville when he returns to the United Center on January 21st. It’ll be a night of celebration for everyone. The most important thing is for the Blackhawks to take the win.