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Joel Quenneville

Ducks Name Joel Quenneville Head Coach

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12:30 PM: The Ducks have made the hiring of Joel Quenneville official. He will man an NHL bench for the first time since 2021 next season.

10:00 AM: The Anaheim Ducks are expected to name veteran NHL head coach Joel Quenneville as the 12th head coach in franchise history, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. This will be Quenneville’s first coaching job since resigning form the Florida Panthers organization in 2021 due to his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 2010 sexual abuse case. Quenneville was barred from returning to the NHL until being reinstated late last summer. Dreger points out that Anaheim did extensive background checks on the sexual abuse case, and what Quenneville has done to reform his actions in the years since. He was the first candidate they interviewed after firing Greg Cronin.

There was only one head coaching vacancy by the time Quenneville was reinstated, limiting his options to return quickly to the league. He’ll find a path back in before the next summer hits, though – and join the sixth organization of his 27-year coaching career. Quenneville has racked up three Stanley Cup wins and the second-most wins in NHL coaching history, behind only Scotty Bowman – who he had a chance to succeed in roles with the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. Quenneville is a whopping 275 wins behind Bowman’s record – and would need a healthy extension to his career, and a resurgence from the Ducks organization, to rival the mark.

Quenneville’s lengthy NHL career began as a player originally drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second-round of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He joined the NHL in the following season, and quickly found a rut as a bottom-of-the-lineup utility player routinely posting meager scoring and lofty penalty totals. Quenneville played two years with the Leafs, three years with the Colorado Rockies, and one year with both the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals – all split around spending the heart of his career with seven years with the Hartford Whalers. His career as an NHL player spanned 12 years and ended with Quenneville totaling 190 points and 705 PIMs in 803 games.

Quenneville operated as a player and assistant coach hybrid with the AHL’s St John’s Maple Leafs in 1991-92 – the final year of his playing career. Two years later, he was promoted to an assistant coach role with the Quebec Nordiques that continued on when the club became the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. After three seasons as a second-rank in Quebec and Colorado, Quenneville was awarded the head coaching role for the St. Louis Blues – where his prowess quickly became noticeable. Quenneville championed St. Louis to seven consecutive postseason appearances, though the club never made it beyond the Western Conference Finals. He was only fired when the team eyed a postseason absence in 2004. He took the lockout season of 2004-05 off of work, and returned as the Avalanche’s head coach in the 2005-06 season.

Colorado made the playoffs in one of two seasons with Quenneville at the helm. But after not gaining much ground, they opted to punt him to the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2008-09 campaign. It was in Chicago that Quenneville became a legendary coaching figure, joining hands with a young Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to form one of the most formidable clubs in the NHL. The Blackhawks took a run to the Conference Finals in Quenneville’s first year, then won the Stanley Cup in year two. That pair of seasons would spark a nine-year streak of postseason appearances for Chicago, headlined by two more Cup wins in 2013 and 2015.

Quenneville left Chicago after a missed postseason in 2018 and a poor start to the 2018-19 campaign. He found work with the Florida Panthers from 2019 to 2021, though couldn’t push the club beyond the first round of the postseason.

Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek made one thing clear in the club’s exit interviews: the goal of next season is to make the postseason. That’s a lofty goal for a club that finished with 80 points and a sixth-place divisional rank this season – but they’re looking to find a spark by bringing on the man with the second-most playoff games coached in NHL history (again behind Bowman). Quenneville will inherit a roster that features burgeoning youngsters like Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish (pending contract), Olen Zellweger, Lukas Dostal (pending contract), Trevor Zegras, and more. The young core are flanked by strong veterans in Troy Terry, Alex Killorn, Jacob Trouba, and John Gibson. That’s a hardy makeup for a pro club, but the Ducks still haven’t found a postseason berth since 2018. Following a thorough background check and multiple interviews, Anaheim will stake their playoff hopes in Quenneville beginning next season.

Photo courtesy of Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images.

Ducks Linked To David Carle, Jay Woodcroft, Joel Quenneville

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Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is in the midst of his second search for a head coach after just his third full season in the club’s top role. After failed tenures with Dallas Eakins and Greg Cronin, Verbeek is pulling out all of the stops. Anaheim reportedly interviewed top coaching prospect David Carle and former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft recently, and plan to also hold a second interview with record-holding head coach Joel Quenneville, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. LeBrun added that the trio of heavy-hitters aren’t the only names on Anaheim’s list.

Whoever lands in the Ducks’ head coaching vacancy will have one clear goal for next season: making the postseason. Verbeek put heavy emphasis on that goal in Anaheim’s final press conference of the season, and said he would be aggressive in the coaching circuit and free agency to achieve that goal. The Ducks haven’t made the postseason since 2018, when they closed a six-year run of playoff berths by getting swept by the San Jose Sharks. That Ducks squad leaned on clearly aged veterans – including a 32-year-old Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, and a 33-year-old Ryan Kesler. Kesler retired and Perry left after the subsequent season, while Getzlaf hung up the skates in 2022. Those departures thrust the Ducks into a rebuild that Verbeek hopes to end with a return to the playoffs in 2026.

Anaheim will have some dazzling coaching candidates to choose from. Leading the pack is the coach with the second-most wins in NHL history. Quenneville hasn’t been deemed as a clear front-runner for the vacancy, but a second interview is a mighty bode of confidence for a man who was barred from coaching from 2021 to 2024, due to his involvement in assault allegations from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. There was only one coaching vacancy by the time Quenneville was reinstated late last summer, and he reportedly wasn’t considered for the role. That makes attention from Anaheim particularly notable, marking Quenneville’s first chance to prove himself after not coaching a full, 82-game season since 2019-20. He won three Stanley Cups with the dynasty-era Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

Two strong candidates will headline the competition for Quenneville’s bid. Carle has gained plenty of acclaim from the hockey world after leading the University of Denver to two national championships in 2022 and 2024. Those rings have been intercut by a conference final loss in 2023 and a frozen four loss this season. He also won back-to-back World Juniors gold medals in each of the last two seasons. Carle has staked his claim as one of the most accomplished coaches in college hockey – a remarkable feat considering he is still only 35-years-old, with just seven years of head coach experience under his belt. Carle did withdraw his name from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks coaching vacancy, and is expected to return to the Denver Pioneers next season – but a strong pitch could convince the burgeoning coach to move to Southern California.

Woodcroft doesn’t have the multiple years of championship pedigree of Quenneville and Carle, though he did lead the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors to a Calder Cup in the shortened 2020-21 campaign. He was promoted to the NHL partway through the following season and led the Oilers to a pair of playoff berths before being axed after a 3-9-1 start to the 2023-24 season. He is another young head coaching candidate with 20 years of experience behind pro benches. That could serve him well as Anaheim looks to strike a balance between winning now and building for their future.

Metro Notes: Flyers, Perevalov, McIlrath

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As one of the several teams looking for a new head coach this offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers are taking their time with the search. In a new article from Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Philadelphia-based journalist publicized the most recent developments from the Flyers organization.

As expected, Kurz indicates the Flyers are monitoring Rick Tocchet’s situation in Vancouver, as he’s viewed as their favorite candidate. Philadelphia won’t be allowed to engage with Tocchet until his contract formally expires on June 30th, but the Flyers will have interest if he doesn’t extend with the Canucks.

The only candidate that Kurz explicitly stated isn’t considered a fit is David Carle from the University of Denver, who recently withdrew his name from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks. As other potential candidates, Kurz reports that Joel Quenneville and Western Michigan University’s Pat Ferschweiler haven’t been ruled out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Flyers will target either.

Lastly, after the Flyers dismissed three of their assistant coaches last week, Kurz believes this indicates the team will retain Brad Shaw as an assistant coach. Before being named the team’s interim head coach toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, Shaw served as Philadelphia’s associate coach for approximately three years.

Other happenings from the Metropolitan Division:

  • The Carolina Hurricanes won’t have one of their 2022 draft selections for at least one more year. In a report from Sport42, Hurricanes prospect Alexander Perevalov has agreed to a one-year extension with the VHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Perevalov got off to a bad start last season, scoring three goals and six points in 21 games for the Omskie Krylia. Still, he rebounded nicely upon joining Metallurg, tallying eight goals and 23 points in 26 contests.
  • Similarly to Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, the Department of Player Safety has fined Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath $2,018.23 for unsportsmanlike conduct in yesterday’s pre-game warm-up. Again, the league didn’t share any specifics of the altercation, but video footage indicates the two sharing words with several members of the opposing teams.

Ducks Interviewed Joel Quenneville For Head Coach Vacancy

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Longtime NHL head coach Joel Quenneville was interviewed by the Ducks for their vacant head coach position, ESPN’s John Buccigross implied. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff confirmed the report, adding he’s being considered but isn’t necessarily a finalist yet.

Quenneville has not coached since resigning as the Panthers’ bench boss early in the 2021-22 season. He was subsequently suspended from working in the league “as a result of [his] inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Blackhawks’ Player, Kyle Beach, had been assaulted by the Club’s video coach.” Quenneville, along with former Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and VP of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, had their suspensions lifted by the league last July. Bowman quickly returned to work as GM of the Oilers, but MacIsaac and Quenneville have yet to work another job in the league or for one of its member clubs.

Only one coaching vacancy was open last summer by the time Quenneville was reinstated. That was the Blue Jackets, and they never approached him for an interview. Other teams had interest in his services earlier in the 2024 offseason, but were told by the league he was unavailable for hire.

Quenneville, who coached the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, 2015, and won as an assistant with the Avalanche in 1996, is the first name linked to Anaheim’s coaching vacancy. They fired Greg Cronin earlier this month with one season left on his contract. Cronin recently expressed interest in moving cross-country to fill the Bruins’ vacancy.

Blue Jackets Not Interested In Joel Quenneville

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The Columbus Blue Jackets remain the only team without a head coach for the 2024-25 NHL season as Don Waddell fired previous bench boss Pascal Vincent on June 17th. Since being reinstated by the league on July 1st, multiple reports have linked Joel Quenneville with the head coaching vacancy in Columbus. However, it appears Quenneville will have to wait for a new NHL home as Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the Blue Jackets have no interest in Quenneville.

Quenneville unceremoniously resigned from his previous position as head coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season after league investigations unearthed his involvement in the Kyle Beach sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to reporting, Quenneville diminished the matter at hand due to eliminating ’distractions’ during the Chicago Blackhawks’ quest for the Stanley Cup.

Upon his resignation, Quenneville said, “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“. After nearly three years away from the game, league commissioner Gary Bettman decided that Quenneville and others were eligible for reinstatement due to, “each of these three individuals has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership“.

Outside of the obvious controversy from the 2010 playoffs, Quenneville sits just behind legendary coach Scotty Bowman for the most wins in NHL history behind the bench. The veteran head coach has spent 25 years in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues (eight years), Colorado Avalanche (three years), Chicago Blackhawks (11 years), and Florida Panthers (three years). Over that stretch, Quenneville has compiled a record of 969-572-77-150 over 1,768 games and has made the playoffs 20 times with three Stanley Cup rings.

This takes one name off the list for Columbus as the team looks to rebound from a disastrous season in 2023-24. The Blue Jackets have not made the postseason since the 2019-20 season and have finished last place in the Metropolitan Division three out of the past four years. The next head coach for the franchise will be important as Columbus has legitimate talent on the roster such as Johnny Gaudreau and a wealth of prospects on the way.

NHL Reinstates Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac, Joel Quenneville

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The NHL issued a press release today indicating that former Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman, vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac and head coach Joel Quenneville have been reinstated from their respective suspensions and may now seek employment in the league (via Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli). The league’s full statement on the matter is as follows:

For more than the last two and a half years, these individuals have been ineligible to work for any NHL team as a result of their inadequate response upon being informed in 2010 of allegations that Blackhawks’ Player, Kyle Beach, had been assaulted by the Club’s video coach.

While it is clear that, at the time, their responses were unacceptable, each of these three individuals (Messrs. Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville) has acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership. Moreover, each has made significant strides in personal improvement by participating in myriad programs, many of which focused on the imperative of responding in effective and meaningful ways to address alleged acts of abuse. The League expects that they will continue this commitment in any future capacity with the NHL and/or one of our Clubs.

While Clubs are free to discuss potential employment opportunities with Messrs. Bowman, MacIsaac and Quenneville effective immediately, they will not be permitted to enter into new employment relationships with any of these individuals until on or after Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

Bowman likely won’t be out of work for long, as he’s viewed as a top contender for the Oilers’ GM vacancy, Seravalli reports. He was viewed as a candidate for the Oilers’ CEO of hockey operations position last summer but was still ineligible to work, said Seravalli. They hired Jeff Jackson, now their acting GM after Ken Holland’s contract wasn’t renewed, instead.

Evening Notes: Bowman, Quenneville, LTIR, Levshunov

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Touching on a variety of topics before the start of the Stanley Cup Final, Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke directly about the futures of executive Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville. With both rumored to be speaking reinstatement into the NHL, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that neither will be back in the league next season.

Around this time last season, at the same press conference, Bettman confirmed that both were seeking individual appointments to consider reinstatement. As things would turn out, neither has returned to the NHL and may never be awarded reinstatement while Bettman is Commissioner.

Both Qunneville and Bowman resigned from their previous positions in 2021 after both were found partly responsible for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment” according to the league’s investigation of the sexual assault allegations made by former-player Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite rumored interest around the league over the last two years, it appears both will have to continue and wait for Bettman to consider reinstatement.

Other notes:

  •  According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly, has begun taking calls from numerous General Managers across the league regarding LTIR usage around the salary cap in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unlikely to be resolved before the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NHLPA, it is most likely an issue that will be debated over the next rendition of the CBA. Over the last several years, teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights have allegedly kept players “hidden” on LTIR throughout the regular season, only to be activated for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs to avoid the need for salary cap compliance.
  • Even if the Blackhawks take Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft according to their reported interest, he may not be playing for them next season. In an interview between Levshunov and Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Levshunov is undecided about playing in the NHL next or returning to Michigan State University for his sophomore season. If selected by Chicago, it is more than likely that Levshunov would have direct access to top-level minutes, which could be enticing for the 18-year-old Belarusian. However, if Levshunov slips to third overall and winds up in Anaheim, a loaded defensive pipeline may make Levshunov reconsider and push his rookie campaign a year or two down the road.

Joel Quenneville Remains Ineligible Despite NHL Interest

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Joel Quenneville will remain ineligible from coaching in the NHL, despite multiple clubs looking into the veteran signal-caller, shares David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Quenneville stepped down from the Florida Panthers on October 28, 2021, amid the Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.  The news ended Quenneville’s 27-year career in the league – a tour that took him through long stretches with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago Blackhawks. He won three Stanley Cups along the way, leading a prolific Chicago core that featured Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Corey Crawford.

A long list of teams are currently in the process of reconsidering their coaching staff, with five teams currently without a bench leader for next season. That includes the New Jersey Devils, whose coaching vacancy represents one of the highest ceilings in the league per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The long list of mingling teams also means a long list of strong candidates – with former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe becoming the most recent coach to hit free agency. He’s now competing with a wide array of talents, from the development focus of coaches like Jay Woodcroft and Dave Hakstol to postseason and even Stanley Cup precedent through Gerard Gallant, Todd McLellan, and Craig Berube.

Teams will try to find an edge any way they can, especially when hiring for a role as pivotal as head coach. Because of that, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen teams check the pulse of Quenneville’s eligibility. He’ll remain away from the league but still well-represented in the record books, boasting the second-most wins and fifth-most games coached of any coach in NHL history.

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