Chicago Blackhawks to sign coach Joel Quenneville to contract extension
One of the many rewards for a Stanley Cup-winning coach is getting signed to a contract extension. Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville wasthe beneficiary of such a reward Thursday,
as the Blackhawks are signed him to a contract extension.
"I'm very happy," Quenneville said on WGN-AM 720. "It's going to be for more than a couple of years. It's a good thing for the family. It's been a great couple of years.
I know how excited we were when we took this job just a short two years ago. We knew it was going to be great so we're thrilled."
Last season, Quenneville led the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. He was signed by the team at the start of the 2008-09 season, replacing outgoing coach Denis
Savard, a former Blackhawks player. He had previously served as a pro scout within the Blackhawks organization.
During his first season behind the Blackhawks’ bench, the man affectionately known as “Coach Q” guided the team to a 45-22-11 record in 78 games, which gave the team 104 points and second
place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The team enjoyed a good playoff run that year, winning the first two rounds before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in the conference final.
In 2009-10, the eventual Stanley Cup winners ran up an impressive 52-22-8 record, and earned 112 points for first place in the Central Division. The Stanley Cup championship was the first
one as a head coach for the 52-year-old native of Windsor, Ontario.
Quenneville has been a National Hockey League coach since the 1996-97 season. He began his coaching career with the St. Louis Blues, and later coached the Colorado Avalanche, where he
won a Stanley Cup as an assistant coach in 1995-96.
Before returning to the league as a coach, Quenneville played in the NHL as a defenceman. He was drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1978, and went on to play for Colorado,
New Jersey, Hartford, and Washington. He racked up 54 goals and 136 assists for 190 points during his 13-year playing career.
As an NHL coach, Quenneville has a record of 535-327-77-60. He earned his 500th career win on 1 December 2009 in a tense shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
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