This Day in Hockey History – July 7, 2004 – Coach Q to C-O

Jul 7, 2019

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After 13 seasons playing in the NHL and a few more assistant coaching, Joel Quenneville is about to begin his 23rd season coaching an NHL team. He has served three teams as head coach and is about to add a fourth. On July 7, 2004, Quenneville accepted the offer from the second of these, the Colorado Avalanche.

Quenneville already had ties to Colorado. He played defense for the Colorado Rockies from the time he was traded, on December 29, 1979, through the relocation to New Jersey in 1982, only to be traded again the following year. After his playing career ended, he became an assistant coach for the Quebec Nordiques and transitioned with them when they became the Colorado Avalanche. With his assistance, they won the Stanley Cup championship in 1996.

At that point, the St. Louis Blues lured Quenneville away. He was promoted from assistant to head coach midway through the 1996-97 season (when Mike Keenan was fired). They made the playoffs for the next seven seasons. During the 1999-2000 season, the Blues set a franchise record of 51 wins and earned the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time. In recognition of that, Quenneville received the Jack Adams Award for his coaching contribution. When it looked as though the Blues would not secure a playoffs berth in 2004, they fired Quenneville three quarters of the way through the season. They then promoted the assistant, Mike Kitchen, who had played for the Rockies with Quenneville. Still, Quenneville had been their longest-serving coach and their winningest (with 307 wins).

One team’s trash becomes another team’s treasure. After the firing, Quenneville talked with other franchises like the New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators. In July 2004, he took a break from mowing the lawn to accept an offer from his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. They had decided to send Tony Granato back to the assistant coach position he had held in December 2002, when they promoted him to head coach. As GM Pierre Lacroix explained, “Having one of the best hockey minds in the business available made us believe it was an opportunity we simply could not miss. Tony has done a great job for us since taking over a year and a half ago, and he’s looking forward to working alongside Joel.”

Quenneville felt the decision to become the Avalanche’s fourth coach “was the easiest decision I had to make. ‘Absolutely’ was my answer. I’d love to be a part of it. Pierre [Lacroix] moved quickly. Real quick. One minute I’m talking to him on the phone and the next I’m jumping in the shower to jump on a plane.” He remarked, “It’s great to be part of this family again.” Lacroix agreed, stating, “Joel knows our organization very well – as a matter of fact we know him very well. … I can tell you we’re much more excited to have him back in our family.” It truly was in the family, since the Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke was brother-in-law to the Blues owners, Bill and Nancy Laurie.

After the first season was cancelled (due to the 2004-05 lockout), Quenneville brings the Avalanche through three seasons, reaching 95 points in each. In 2007, he became the seventh active coach to reach 750 games. When the team failed to make it beyond the semi-finals, on May 9, 2008, the Avalanche and Quenneville mutually decided to part ways. According to GM Francois Giguere, “Joel Quenneville has an outstanding reputation in this business. When I was hired as a GM, I was a big believer in Joel. I still am a big believer in Joel. Sometimes, for whatever reasons, you need to go in separate ways. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good coach.” Indeed, his record with Colorado was 131-92-23. Quenneville stated, “Whatever happens going forward, my memories are all going to be positive here.”

As it turned out, Quenneville had greener pastures. Soon after joining the Chicago Blackhawks as a pro scout, he was named their head coach on October 16, 2008 (after Denis Savard was fired). Under his guidance, the Blackhawks broke their long drought and won the Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015. On February 21, 2018, he became the third coach to reach 1,600 games, and less than a month later, he passed Al Arbour to have coached more NHL games than all but Scotty Bowman. When the Blackhawks fired him (after a slow start) on November 6, 2018, Chairman Rocky Wirtz stated, “During his tenure as head coach to the Chicago Blackhawks, Joel brought the city of Chicago and our fans three Stanley Cups and an incredible era of hockey.” Quenneville was (and remains) the second-winningest NHL coach (with 890 wins).

At the end of the regular season, on April 8, 2019, 60-year-old Quenneville took the head coach position for the Florida Panthers. Their GM, Dale Tallon, said in the announcement, “Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise. We’ve seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history and we’re thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team. I’ve worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization. Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”