Chicago Blackhawks: Top Five Longest Tenured Coaches in Team History

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a lot of different coaches in their team history. Today I want to highlight the five longest-tenured coaches as well as highlight how far Jeremy Colliton is from getting on this list.

The Chicago Blackhawks have had 38 head coaches in their team history. As an original six team, they have had a lot of different coaches since 1927. Luckily, some coaches stuck around longer than the others and managed to help the team win.

A lot of these coaches are Stanley Cup champions and had great careers with the city. Hopefully, we will be able to add a new name to this list sometime within the next ten years, and who knows maybe it will be Jeremy Colliton. He would only have to coach for five more years with the team to possibly make this list.

5 Rudy Pilous

Rudy Pilous was the coach of the Chicago Black Hawks for six years. He managed to win 162 games with the ‘Hawks and also won the Stanley Cup with the team in 1961. Pilous had the ‘Hawks in the playoffs five out of his six years with the team. He even made it to the Stanley Cup final twice, and yet after leaving Chicago did not coach in the NHL again.

4 Paul Thompson

Paul Thompson coached the Chicago Black Hawks for seven years from 1939 through 1945. He helped the Blackhawks win 104 games and won the Stanley Cup three times in his playing career, twice with the Blackhawks in 1934 and 1938. Interestingly enough Thompson moved from being a player with the Blackhawks to a coach the year after retiring.

3 Bob Pulford

Pulford coached 433 games with the team from the year 1978 through 2000. He did not coach all of the games throughout that time, as he also spent time as GM. Every time he wanted a change as GM he would usually end up coaching the team while also doing a different role in management.

Pulford might not have won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, but he did help the organization throughout some of their darker times. If you want to read more on Pulford check out what was said about him in the past on Blackhawk Up. You do not see people like Pulford in hockey anymore that can play multiple roles with the organization.

2 Joel Quenneville

I mean we all know Joel Quenneville. Coach Q coached the Blackhawks from 2009 through 2019. He managed to take the team to the conference finals five times and won three Stanley Cups along the way.

Quenneville has the most playoff wins in Blackhawks’ history and will always be remembered as one of the greats. Coaches like Quenneville don’t come along that often, and hopefully, we can have another coach bring the city that much success. It is a shame he is no longer with the team.

1 Billy Reay

As a younger Blackhawks fan, I have only seen three head coaches with the Chicago Blackhawks. However, after reading a little more about Billy Reay and what he brought to the team I wish he was still coaching in Chicago.

Reay coached the ‘Hawks from 1964 through 1977. He followed Rudy Pilous who was apart of the championship team in 1961. Reay coached for 14 years in the windy city and in that time he managed to win 516 games, the most in Blackhawks history.

If you want to learn more about Billy Reay and the type he coach he was check out: Blood, Sweat, and Cheers: Billy Reay. It truly did highlight the type of person he was and how he coached the game.

Jeremy Colliton still has a ways to go before making this list, but luckily for him, he is going to get a shot at adding a few more years with the Blackhawks thanks to Bowman hinting at a contract extension for him earlier this week.