TOP STORY
Blackhawks Fire Denis Savard
AP Story - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gIPpeZP1YLirB0TNdVs3LXrz9alAD93RT3IG0
This is one of the classic firings that shock you at first, but when you dig a little, you start the see the reasoning behind it (whether you agree or not).
Savard’s record had improved each of the years he’s been there (granted, it was only two years). But for a guy who hasn’t really coached before, he was doing well for himself. He had a young team with some key veterans and the Blackhawks were starting to put something together for the first time in a long time. They could have easily snuck in the playoffs this year and been a team that would improve even more over the next few years. Instead, the carpet was yanked from Savard after only four games (and after the team’s first win of the season) and they’ve decided to go another route. I don’t think it’s crazy to say that the Blackhawks, a team that was so distant from the minds of Chicago sports fans, fires a fan favorite like Savard, the move better work otherwise they could be back to square one.
In steps Joel Qunneville. Joel has been one of the more consistent coaches over the past decade or so. Savard wasn’t replaced by a slouch. Quenneville has gotten his teams to the playoffs over 9 of the last 10 seasons and has over 400 wins to his credit. I’ve said he’s been consistent, but sometimes consistency isn’t always good. With the exception of one season in St. Louis, he’s never gotten his teams past the 2nd round of the playoffs. You can argue that his teams were always one player short in a tough West (which I agree with), but one Stanley Cup appearance on the resume would be nice if you’re going to make a move like this.
I said earlier that you could see the reasoning behind this. There are two facts that jumped out at me:
1) Quenneville was hired by the Blackhawks as a scout before this season – He may have not gotten deep in the playoffs often, but a guy with his resume doesn’t just go back to being a scout. Maybe Denis Savard was a bit of a lame duck going in to this season (no contact extension offered to him in this past off-season)
2) In the press conference today, most of the answers by GM Dale Tallon were typical front office answers when a coach is let go. When Scotty Bowman (a special advisor to the Blackhawks) was asked why he felt the need to put a guy like Quenneville behind the bench, he started rattling off the names of other coaches in the Central Division (Mike Babcock in Detroit, Ken Hitchcock in Columbus, Barry Trotz in Nashville, Andy Murray in St. Louis), you could get the sense that putting Quenneville behind the bench was almost a case of keeping up with the Joneses. While Murray is only in his 2nd full season as the Blues bench boss, the other 3 have been household names in the league for the past decade. If other teams coaching statuses factored in to this decision, the Blackhawks are foolish. Savard was building something. He may not have been the best X’s and O’s guy, but he was developing young talent, whether the players got along with him or not
Don’t get me wrong, Joel Quenneville will do some good for this team and will probably have them back in the playoffs either this year or next year, but I feel this hiring was a bit shortsighted. Quenneville will eventually be liked in Chicago, but he won’t be close to Savard’s popularity. When a franchise is climbing back from as far down as it was in the minds of fans, you need to keep a fan favorite who was also improving the franchise.
RUMOR MILL
Marian Gaborik to Montreal, Ottawa??
-Gaborik on the Canadians would make the best team in the East even better. Their already lethal power play would become a nightmares for PK’s across the league. If Higgins is one of the main chips going back to Minnesota, he would thrive under Jacques Lemaire and be a pseudo-replacement for Brian Rolston.
-If Gaborik went to the Senators, he would provide speed to a team who can already score in bunches. Could this be a sign that Daniel Alfredsson’s knee injury is worse than we are led to believe? Keeping Gaborik out of Montreal is an added bonus.
LAST NIGHT’S RECAPS
Minnesota Wild over the Florida Panthers 6-2
-The Wild dominate in Florida without Marian Gaborik in the lineup due to a lower-body injury and remain undefeated.
Washington Capitals over the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3
-The Caps rally with 3 goals in the 3rd period and get a win against a team they’ve had trouble beating over the past few seasons.
New Jersey Devils over the Atlanta Thrashers 1-0
-Marty Brodeur gets his 97th career shutout and is just seven shy of Terry Sawchuk’s career record. Brodeur also only trails Patrick Roy by 10 wins on the all-time goalie wins list.
New York Islanders over the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in OT
-The Isles rebound after an embarrassing loss to the Sabres at home while things remain rough for Barry Melrose.
Vancouver Canucks over the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in OT
-The Red Wings drop a tough one at home while the Canucks rebound after a tough loss in DC.
Philadelphia Flyers @ Colorado Avalanche
-In a battle of winless teams, Colorado dents the win column first thanks to a strong 1st period. Philadelphia couldn’t get much offense going being outshot 34-18.
St. Louis Blues over the Dallas Stars 6-1
-Six different Blues score in the victory. St. Louis has outscored their opponents 9-2 in the 2nd period this season.
AROUND THE BOARDS
-Brian Rolston had to be helped off the ice after a tough collision with the boards in Atlanta last night. No word on how severe the injury is or if he will miss any time.
-The Phoenix Coyotes recalled D Ryan Lannon from San Antonio (AHL) yesterday after D Derek Morris injured his hand in Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss in Chicago
-Still waiting on word from the Senators if RW Daniel Alfredsson will return against Phoenix tonight or Boston tomorrow
-Russia's Kontinental Hockey League said it would investigate the death of Alexei Cherepanov. KHL managing director Vladimor Shalaev will lead a special commission to conduct "an exhaustive investigation into all aspects of the situation," the league said in a statement. The group is expected to cooperate with state and local authorities.
GAME OF THE NIGHT
Vancouver Canucks @ Buffalo Sabres – 7:30PM
-The 3-1 Canucks head in to Buffalo for Game 4 of their 6 game road trip out east. The Sabres are looking to go to 4-0 on the season after an impressive performance @ MSG against the Rangers on Thursday. Buffalo has only allowed 1 goal in each of it’s 3 games this year, but the Canucks have Roberto Luongo between the pipes. With their respective styles of play, this could either be a 2-1 goalie duel or a 6-5 barnburner.
Other Action:
-Phoenix Coyotes @ Ottawa Senators – 7PM
-Toronto Maple Leafs @ NY Rangers – 7PM
-Nashville Predators @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7PM
-Edmonton Oilers @ Calgary Flames – 9PM
-San Jose Sharks @ Anaheim Ducks – 10PM
-Carolina Hurricanes @ LA Kings – 10:30PM
^All times Eastern
**My weekly power rankings, “Plus/Minus” come out every Wednesday evening.
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