From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013
looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their
Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 27 goes behind the bench to talk about Joel Quenneville.
Joel Quenneville, commonly known as Coach Q, was born on September 15th, 1958, in Windsor, Ontario. As a player, Quenneville was a defenseman. His career began in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, predecessor to the modern Ontario Hockey League, where he accumulated sixty-one goals and 168 assists for the Windsor Spitfires over three seasons and 197 games from 1975-1978. He stepped up to the American Hockey League with the New Brunswick Hawks for 1978-1979, playing to a line of one goal and ten assists in sixteen games before another promotion. He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the twenty-first overall selection from 1978 played in parts of two seasons with them, registering three goals and thirteen assists in ninety-three games before being traded to the Colorado Rockies. In that deal, Quenneville and Lanny McDonald, future Calgary Flames great, were exchanged for Pat Hickey and Wilf Paiement. From 1979-1983, Quenneville accumulated another twenty-five goals and fifty-three assists over 244 games in the Rockies, and later New Jersey Devils, organization. Quenneville's 1983 offseason featured significant instability, as the Devils traded him and future general manager Steve Tambellini to the Calgary Flames for Phil Russel and Mel Bridgman. Then, just fifteen days later, the Flames flipped him to the Hartford Whalers with Richie Dunn for Mickey Volcan. From 1983-1990, Quenneville remained with the Whalers, scoring twenty-five goals and dishing another seventy assists in 457 games. His career in obvious decline, the Whalers sent Quenneville to the Washington Capitals in exchange for money, and he was assigned to the AHL to play for the Baltimore Skipjacks. In fifty-nine games during 1990-1991, Quenneville scored six goals and thirteen assists in the AHL, and then in nine games with the Capitals, he had a single goal, the final one of his NHL career. His final season of professional playing came in 1991-1992, with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the AHL, where he had seven goals and twenty-three assists in seventy-three games. Over 803 total NHL games, Quenneville's career encompasses fifty-four goals and 136 assists. He returned to the NHL ranks in a coaching capacity in 1996-1997, joining the St. Louis Blues after working up through their system. Over parts of eight seasons, Quenneville was a largely effective coach for the Blues, keeping them well above .500 in terms of wins and losses. Quenneville coached Blues teams finished second in the division five times, but failed to ever reach the Stanley Cup finals, with the closest season being 2000-2001, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. Quenneville went without work through the lockout, but returned to the NHL in 2005-2006 to coach the Avalanche for three seasons. While consistently producing ninety-five points in each of his three seasons, Quenneville's Avalanche never escaped the second round, and in his second season missed the playoffs altogether for the first time in his career. Quenneville was fired at the end of 2007-2008, but the Chicago Blackhawks quickly hired him as head coach, and he brought his winning ways with him. In the five seasons of work since then, Quenneville has guided the Blackhawks to two division championships, and two corresponding Stanley Cup victories, over the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Boston Bruins in 2013. While at times he has been questioned while at the helm, the Blackhawks' choice to stay with their coach has brought them much success in the past five years and will likely do so in the years to come. Quenneville received a three-year contract extension this month to remain with the Blackhawks.
Joel Quenneville, commonly known as Coach Q, was born on September 15th, 1958, in Windsor, Ontario. As a player, Quenneville was a defenseman. His career began in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, predecessor to the modern Ontario Hockey League, where he accumulated sixty-one goals and 168 assists for the Windsor Spitfires over three seasons and 197 games from 1975-1978. He stepped up to the American Hockey League with the New Brunswick Hawks for 1978-1979, playing to a line of one goal and ten assists in sixteen games before another promotion. He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the twenty-first overall selection from 1978 played in parts of two seasons with them, registering three goals and thirteen assists in ninety-three games before being traded to the Colorado Rockies. In that deal, Quenneville and Lanny McDonald, future Calgary Flames great, were exchanged for Pat Hickey and Wilf Paiement. From 1979-1983, Quenneville accumulated another twenty-five goals and fifty-three assists over 244 games in the Rockies, and later New Jersey Devils, organization. Quenneville's 1983 offseason featured significant instability, as the Devils traded him and future general manager Steve Tambellini to the Calgary Flames for Phil Russel and Mel Bridgman. Then, just fifteen days later, the Flames flipped him to the Hartford Whalers with Richie Dunn for Mickey Volcan. From 1983-1990, Quenneville remained with the Whalers, scoring twenty-five goals and dishing another seventy assists in 457 games. His career in obvious decline, the Whalers sent Quenneville to the Washington Capitals in exchange for money, and he was assigned to the AHL to play for the Baltimore Skipjacks. In fifty-nine games during 1990-1991, Quenneville scored six goals and thirteen assists in the AHL, and then in nine games with the Capitals, he had a single goal, the final one of his NHL career. His final season of professional playing came in 1991-1992, with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the AHL, where he had seven goals and twenty-three assists in seventy-three games. Over 803 total NHL games, Quenneville's career encompasses fifty-four goals and 136 assists. He returned to the NHL ranks in a coaching capacity in 1996-1997, joining the St. Louis Blues after working up through their system. Over parts of eight seasons, Quenneville was a largely effective coach for the Blues, keeping them well above .500 in terms of wins and losses. Quenneville coached Blues teams finished second in the division five times, but failed to ever reach the Stanley Cup finals, with the closest season being 2000-2001, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals. Quenneville went without work through the lockout, but returned to the NHL in 2005-2006 to coach the Avalanche for three seasons. While consistently producing ninety-five points in each of his three seasons, Quenneville's Avalanche never escaped the second round, and in his second season missed the playoffs altogether for the first time in his career. Quenneville was fired at the end of 2007-2008, but the Chicago Blackhawks quickly hired him as head coach, and he brought his winning ways with him. In the five seasons of work since then, Quenneville has guided the Blackhawks to two division championships, and two corresponding Stanley Cup victories, over the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Boston Bruins in 2013. While at times he has been questioned while at the helm, the Blackhawks' choice to stay with their coach has brought them much success in the past five years and will likely do so in the years to come. Quenneville received a three-year contract extension this month to remain with the Blackhawks.
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