Blackhawks News: There is an update on Joel Quenneville’s status

The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t been coached by Joel Quenneville in a long time. However, his time with the team is now affecting his NHL coaching career and it isn’t in a positive way.

Although he has won the Stanley Cup three times as a head coach, a lot of bad things have come out since that last win in 2015.

Quenneville, along with a few others, lost their jobs with other NHL franchises because of a sexual assault investigation on the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coach Q was the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks when then-video coach Bradley Aldrich sexually assaulted former player Kyle Beach.

The report on all of this found Coach Q and all of the other people that were leading the team kept quiet so it didn’t hurt their chances of winning. Of course, they did end up winning the Stanley Cup during that spring (2010).

It is one of the greatest achievements in franchise history but it is forever tainted because of the facts that came out about it.

The Florida Panthers let Coach Q go in 2021 after all of this came out and he hasn’t coached since. The NHL has not suspended him but Gary Bettman did make it clear at the time that the two had to meet if Quenneville ever wanted to coach again.

Former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville may return to the NHL.

On Friday, we learned that the two are finally going to meet in order to discuss the status of the former star coach. He had the Florida Panthers going in a great direction before his departure and they are still benefitting from it now.

There is no doubt that from a hockey point of view, he has what it takes to be an elite coach in this league but he has to be given permission by Bettman to return. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

A few teams in the league have already departed from their coach so you never know where he lands if he is allowed to come back.

This meeting isn’t going to take place until after the playoffs are over so we don’t even know what the coach status of these teams will be like by then.

Knowing that this legend might be available might keep some teams from making any decisions for a while but some might be out on him because of his past. There is a lot to think about when it comes to the former Blackhawks coach.