PHILADELPHIA — Life has been pretty good to Joel Quenneville.
A former first-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quenneville enjoyed a 14-year NHL playing career that included a stop in Denver with the old Colorado Rockies. He has been happily married for more than 20 years to the heiress of a Connecticut tobacco fortune, and they have three healthy children. He has a Stanley Cup ring as an assistant coach for the 1996 Avalanche.
And he is only two wins from a second sip from the Cup, but this time as the head coach with the Chicago Blackhawks. This, just two years after a departure from the same position with the Avalanche — a parting that was termed mutual.
Quenneville went from a crossroad to the yellow brick road, the coach of a young, immensely talented team that most hockey pundits predict will make a return trip or two or three to the Finals.
“Obviously, I couldn’t have asked for a much better situation than the opportunity I was given here,” Quenneville said, while the Blackhawks were in Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 against the Flyers. “It’s been a privilege to represent such a great organization, an Original Six organization, and I’m happy with the way things have gone.”
Quenneville doesn’t like to get into the specifics about his departure from the Avs after the 2007-08 season, which saw them get swept in the second round of the playoffs by Detroit. There have been hints that there was a divergence of philosophies in team direction that led to irreconcilable differences.
When Quenneville left, his original plan was to take a year off, stay in the Denver area and assess his options. But he took a scouting job with the Blackhawks early in the 2008-09 season.
The Blackhawks already had a coach, Denis Savard, but after a mediocre start, management dismissed him. Legendary coach Scotty Bowman, who had recently joined Blackhawks management as a senior adviser, was part of the decision-making team for Savard’s successor, and Bowman immediately recommended Quenneville to then-general manager Dale Tallon.
The Blackhawks have had two Western Conference finals appearances since and are hoping to win their first Stanley Cup since 1961.
For Bowman to say someone is a “good bench coach,” as he does with Quenneville, is the equivalent of Chopin saying he liked your piano recital.
“That’s what I really like about him, his management of a game on the bench,” Bowman said. “He doesn’t get distracted. He thinks ahead. It’s a tough thing.”
Troy Murray, a Blackhawks broadcaster who played for the Avalanche in 1996 under Quenneville, said Quenne-ville achieved the tricky task of transitioning from assistant to top dog a long time ago, starting with a 1996 hire in St. Louis.
“As a head coach, you kind of oversee the flock. But you saw that he had the demeanor, when he was an assistant, to be the head coach,” Murray said. “I’m happy for him to be in this position. He’s done a good job with the young guys on this team. He lets guys breathe in this locker room. He lets them fight through some adversity and lets them learn on their own, rather than just telling them.”
There were murmurs, though, about Quenneville’s ability to work with younger players when he was with the Avs. Some thought he went with veterans over youngsters too eagerly and wasn’t the right kind of coach for a team that wanted to rebuild.
None of it matters anymore to Quenneville or the Avs. Both sides have moved on, though Colorado did suffer through a last-place season after Quenneville left.
Was Quenneville worried he wouldn’t find another head coaching job after the departure from the Avalanche?
“That’s tough to comment on that. At that time I was very comfortable with the way things played out. I might have (had) some opportunities at first. I was very comfortable taking some time off and seeing how things went. I was looking forward to staying in Colorado and watching hockey for part of that year, whether it was a whole year or not.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360, adater@denverpost.com or
Q rating
A glance at Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville:
Age: 51
NHL coaching record: 535-327-77-60
Playoff coaching record: 65-59
Notes: Won Stanley Cup with Avalanche as assistant, 1995-96 season; head coach with St. Louis, 1996-2004; head coach of Avalanche, 2005-
