I don't think Denis Savard is the best coach in the NHL by any means, but the timing of his firing Thursday was rather curious.
In case you missed it, Savard was relieved of his duties as Blackhawks coach just four games into the season. The Hawks improved to 1-2-1 with their 4-1 victory over Phoenix Wednesday night.
So, what happened that caused Savard to get canned? If management wanted him gone, why did they allow him to conduct training camp and lead the team through the first four games?
If Savard is the wrong coach for the Blackhawks today, then he was the wrong coach for the Blackhawks six weeks ago. There's no sense in allowing a man to start the season as coach, only to dismiss him less than a week into the season.
Former Blues and Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville was named as Savard's replacement. Management obviously sees Quenneville as the right man to take the Hawks to the next level. That being the case, he should have been named coach from Day 1. He would have had all of training camp to install his system. Now, he'll have to operate on the fly.
Certainly, Savard was not perfect. His constant line juggling gave me headaches, and I was always disappointed in how the Hawks' power play struggled during his tenure. Still, Savard is a Blackhawks icon. His jersey number hangs from the rafters at the United Center. He deserved more respect from management.
If Scotty Bowman, John McDonough and Dale Tallon wanted Savard gone, fine. They should have fired him in the offseason instead of orchestrating this embarrassing mess at this stage of the year.
I couldn't help myself but laugh about the Blackhawks firing Denis Savard after a mere THREE GAMES. I did not think they would fire him this quickly. I know his job security could not have been secure with the unrealistic expectations that was set on him, but to fire him after three games is assnine not to mention lack of class. You don't fire a coach or start pulling panic button after three games. What type of sports organization does this type of stuff?
There has been unrealistic hype on the Blackhawks to begin with. I never thought they were that good. To expect couple of very young men to lead them to the promise land is unfair and uncalled for. They are only 19 years old, who are trying to settled themselves. To blame this on Savard is ridiculous. I thought Savard did a good job last year with what he had to work with.
I have no idea why people were in love with the Hawks. I was reading a hockey preview by Mike Russo, who writes for the Star-Tribune last week. The sports cover featured the Hawks. I am not sure what they ever did to deserve any hype. What exactly have they won to warrant this? I understand people want that franchise to succeed and that they want a big market like Chicago to come through in hockey. I get that, but it does not mean that anyone should call them a good team. They never were that good. In fact, I think they are going to be one of the worst teams in hockey.
The Blackhawks are like the Clippers of hockey. When things go bad, they are expected to go bad. That's not Denis Savard's fault. You can't just change an organizational culture in a span of one year. It takes a decade to do that.
Some may think Scotty Bowman pulled this move, but why an astute hockey guy would pull a stuff like that? I can't believe it would be him. It can't be. This sounds like Rocky Wirtz trying too hard to please the masses and keep the hype going. That's another thing about the Hawks. This franchise is more worried about overhyping. You don't win championshps by hype. I look at a team like the Wild, who don't focus on marketing and promoting their product. They do the right thing, which is hiring players that are boring yet effective.
As far as Joel Quenville goes, what exactly has he done to be a head coach? He couldn't win at St. Louis and Colorado. How is he an upgrade? I get firing Savard if you replace him with Scotty Bowman, Jacques Lemaire or John Tortorella, but Joel Quenville?
I am not surprised about this when I look at it. It's your typical day in the office of the Chicago Blackhawks. Nothing has changed, and nothing will.