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Teams Looking to Bring Joel Quenneville In as Head Coach Next Season

It appears Joel Quenneville’s time in purgatory may already be over. One report suggests a number of teams are looking at him to coach again.

As per respected hockey journalist Andy Strickland, it doesn’t sound like Joel Quenneville’s time on an island is going to last all that long. After being removed as head coach of the Florida Panthers for his role in the Kyle Beach allegations back when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks, teams seem to feel Quenneville has paid for his crimes and they want him back.

Related: DeBrincat Talks About His Future If Kane and Toews Exit Blackhawks

Quenneville was the coach of the Blackhawks when Kyle Beach was sexually assaulted. He was told about it during the NHL playoffs and reports are that he covered it up because he cared more about winning and not disrupting team chemistry.

Strickland tweeted on Sunday, “Expect #NHL teams to inquire about hiring Joel Quenneville as their Head Coach. Hear he wants back behind the bench and there is expected to be significant interest in hiring the future Hall of Famer.” Strickland adds that the former coach will first need to speak with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to be reinstated, but if all goes well, there could be interviews taking a place and a job offer or two on the table rather quickly.

There will be a number of fans and likely some other teams who are not going to get behind Quenneville being reinstated into the NHL. They’ll argue that covering up for a sexual predator is worthy of a lifetime ban from hockey. But, it’s already been speculated that the league is putting all of this behind them and move on. Many aren’t surprised that Quenneville’s name has come up so quickly again.

Joel Quenneville Panthers former coach
Joel Quenneville Panthers former coach

How Is This Going To Go Over With The NHL?

At this stage, the former coach just needs to convince teams nothing like this will ever happen again. His statement when he resigned read: “I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered. My former team the Blackhawks failed Kyle and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all of this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone.” The question now is, has this short amount of time been enough to effectively do so?It’s been less than seven months.

Next: Nurse On Ice For Oilers, Looks Ready to Play in Game 1 of NHL Playoffs

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Rodney

    May 1, 2022 at 1:55 pm

    Ted Nolan proven winner in purgatory! ??

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