Joel Quenneville didn’t show up to occupy what recently was his usual seat in the Pepsi Center press box Thursday night, when the Avalanche played the Flyers.
Just as he was getting accustomed to his new role as a Denver-based pro scout for the Chicago Blackhawks, Quenneville on Thursday was named the team’s head coach in the wake of Denis Savard’s firing only four games into the season.
No NHL coaching change is a complete shock. This one was a little surprising, though, because of its timing.
Savard, the Hall of Fame center and former Blackhawks great, was the victim of heightened expectations, with second-year forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at the leading edge of the NHL revival in the sleeping giant of a market.
It’s clear now that Savard, 47, was on a short leash at the outset of his third season behind the Blackhawks’ bench, and that Quenneville’s hiring as a pro scout left him as a potential Savard successor-in-waiting.
Also, because the announcement of the coaching change came the day after a 4-1 victory over Phoenix, it was obvious the decision was made over the weekend, with Scotty Bowman — on scene as the team’s assistant general manager for hockey operations, but carrying more weight than that title implies — having input.
“I think everybody that knew the situation, with Joel’s reputation, knew it wouldn’t take Joel long to get another position,” said Avalanche coach Tony Granato, Quenneville’s former Colorado assistant. “Whether or not it would be this fast, I don’t think anyone would have guessed this quick, but obviously Chicago was in a position where they thought he was their guy and they wanted to get him in there quickly.
“I’m sure he’s excited to get back behind the bench and I’m looking forward to coaching against him in a couple of weeks. . . . I admire ‘Savy,’ too, and that’s the hard part of when there is a change, generally speaking it’s someone who’s part of the hockey family you’ve known. So, hopefully, he gets back into coaching as well very soon.”
The Avalanche plays at Chicago on Nov. 3. Granato now knows both pro hockey coaches well in Chicago, since his brother, Don, is the coach of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves.
The considerable negative reaction to the coaching change in Chicago mostly was based on the premise — and a reasonable one — that it was unfair to shove Savard out the door so soon, not giving him a longer chance with the upgraded roster that also includes goalie Cristobal Huet and defenseman Brian Campbell, signed as unrestricted free agents in the offseason.
Savard indeed has a lot of friends around the league, especially among older players who either played against him or admired him in their youths. One of those is Avalanche forward Ian Laperriere.
“Good for him,” Laperriere said of Quenneville. “I feel bad for Savy, though, for sure. Looking back, they could have done that in the summer. Nobody’s surprised, what with all the moves they made — bringing Joel in. I don’t think Joel wanted to be a professional scout, you know? I feel really bad for Denis Savard, because I think he did a hell of a job the past couple of years. It wasn’t easy . . . and when it was time for the team to get together, because they do have a good team right now, they fire him.
“He did everything for that franchise all those years. His jersey’s up there. I guess that’s part of the coaching business.”
At the Thursday afternoon news conference in Chicago, Quenneville said he was “fortunate to come into a team that’s in this stage of its development. I’m also respectful of the coaching fraternity and anyone who has been in that situation and been let go. From both sides of it, I’m familiar with what’s ahead.”
The Blackhawks play in Denver this season on Dec. 12 and Jan. 8.
