Joel Quenneville
Joel Quenneville | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joel Norman Quenneville September 15, 1958 Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, coach |
| Years active | Player: 1978–1988; Coach: 1988–present |
| Known for | Head coach of Chicago Blackhawks (2008–2018), winning three Stanley Cups |
Joel Norman Quenneville (born September 15, 1958) is a Canadian–American former ice hockey player and current professional coach, presently serving as the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Coach Q", he holds the second-highest total of NHL coaching victories with 969, trailing only Scotty Bowman. Quenneville's most distinguished achievements occurred during his tenure as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2008 to 2018, where he guided the team to three Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013, and 2015. The 2010 title notably ended Chicago's longest Stanley Cup drought since 1961.
His coaching career also includes leading the St. Louis Blues (1996–2004), the Colorado Avalanche (2005–2008), and the Florida Panthers (2019–2021).
Playing career
Selected 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, Quenneville played as a defenceman. His playing career spanned the OHA with the Windsor Spitfires, various AHL teams such as the New Brunswick Hawks, Baltimore Skipjacks, and St. John's Maple Leafs, as well as NHL franchises including the Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, and Washington Capitals. Additionally, he took on responsibilities as a player/assistant coach for St. John's, served as head coach for the AHL's Springfield Indians, and worked as an assistant coach with both the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche.
Colorado Avalanche
Quenneville earned a Stanley Cup ring as an assistant coach with the Avalanche in 1996.
St. Louis Blues
He assumed head coaching duties for the St. Louis Blues partway through the next season following the dismissal of Mike Keenan. Under Quenneville’s leadership, St. Louis qualified for seven straight playoff campaigns. The pinnacle of his time there was the 1999–2000 season when he directed the Blues to a franchise-best 51 victories and secured their inaugural Presidents' Trophy for best regular season record. Despite this success, their postseason ended abruptly with a first-round defeat by the San Jose Sharks. That year, Quenneville was honored with the prestigious Jack Adams Award for top NHL coach.
In 2004, after a disappointing start that threatened to break a 25-year playoff streak, Quenneville was relieved of his duties.
Colorado Avalanche (second tenure)
In June 2004, Quenneville returned to Colorado as head coach prior to the canceled 2004–05 NHL season caused by a lockout. In his initial active season, he led the team into the playoffs and orchestrated an upset over the Dallas Stars in the first round. On March 25, 2007, he reached a milestone by coaching his 750th career game, joining an elite group of seven active coaches achieving this during the 2006–07 season. He notched his 400th victory on October 26, 2007, with a 3–2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames. On May 9, 2008, it was announced that Quenneville would be departing from his role with the Avalanche.
Chicago Blackhawks
Quenneville began his association with the Chicago Blackhawks in September 2008 as a pro scout before being elevated to head coach on October 16 after replacing Denis Savard.
He secured his 500th coaching victory on December 1, 2009, following an extended shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his initial two seasons at Chicago’s helm, he guided them to appearances in both the 2009 Western Conference finals and the subsequent 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, capturing his first Stanley Cup title as head coach by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers.
On October 7, 2010, Quenneville became only the second coach in NHL history to reach 1,000 games coached while also having played over 800 games professionally. He achieved his 600th win on December 18, 2011, with a 4–2 victory over Calgary.
Following Chicago’s capture of the Presidents' Trophy during the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Quenneville led them to their second Stanley Cup championship against the Boston Bruins in the finals. This accomplishment placed him among an exclusive group of Chicago coaches with multiple titles alongside figures like Phil Jackson and George Halas.
On March 19, 2014, Quenneville recorded his 700th coaching victory; by March 23, 2015, he had reached 750 wins. The Blackhawks secured their third Stanley Cup under his guidance on June 15, 2015, shutting out the Tampa Bay Lightning. This marked Chicago’s first championship clinched on home ice since 1938 and made Quenneville only the fourth Chicago coach to win three Stanley Cups.
On January 14, 2016, he surpassed former coach Al Arbour for second place on the all-time NHL coaching wins list with his 783rd triumph. He then reached his milestone of 800 wins on April 3 that year, joining only legendary coach Scotty Bowman in achieving this feat.
On February 21, 2017, Quenneville became just the second Blackhawks head coach to reach 400 wins. Exactly one year later to that date, he coached his milestone game number 1,600 in the NHL. By March 10 of that year, he had overtaken Arbour for second-most games coached in league history.
Quenneville was dismissed on November 6, 2018 after beginning that season with a record of six wins, six losses, and three overtime losses. He concluded his Chicago tenure with a regular-season record of 452–249–96 and postseason results of 76–52. With an overall total of 890 victories at that point in time, he stood as second all-time among NHL coaches in wins. His regular-season win total ranks second in franchise history behind only Billy Reay, who also maintained a longer continuous coaching stint with Chicago.
Florida Panthers
On April 8, 2019, the Florida Panthers appointed Quenneville as their head coach. During his initial season, he guided the Panthers to a 35–26–8 record in the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 NHL season, marking their first postseason appearance in four years, where they were eliminated by the New York Islanders in the qualifying round.
In the 2021–22 season, Quenneville began with an undefeated streak of 7–0–0 but resigned unexpectedly on October 28, 2021, following his involvement in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual abuse scandal.
Anaheim Ducks
On May 8, 2025, Quenneville was named the 12th head coach in the history of the Anaheim Ducks franchise.
2010 Brad Aldrich investigation
An independent inquiry released on October 26, 2021, disclosed that Quenneville and other senior officials of the Blackhawks delayed addressing allegations that former video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted prospect Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, choosing instead to concentrate on winning the Stanley Cup Finals. Aldrich resigned three weeks after these claims emerged and later admitted guilt to assaulting a high school player.
Quenneville initially claimed ignorance regarding Aldrich’s misconduct before Beach and the high school player initiated lawsuits against the Blackhawks. Nevertheless, several witnesses confirmed that Quenneville attended a meeting shortly after advancing to the Finals where Aldrich was discussed. The discussion centered on issues unrelated to sexual assault, with CEO John McDonough pledging further investigation while instructing management to prioritize focus on the Finals.
Following a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on October 27, 2021, concerning his involvement, Quenneville stepped down as Panthers coach soon after. He expressed regret toward Beach and accepted part of the responsibility. The NHL declared that his continued presence was inappropriate and mandated that Quenneville consult with Bettman before any potential future NHL employment.
On July 1, 2024, nearly three years post-resignation, Quenneville was reinstated by the NHL alongside Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac, making him eligible for employment within the league once again.
Personal life
Quenneville is of Franco-Ontarian descent and is married to Elizabeth, originally from Connecticut, whom he met during his tenure with the Hartford Whalers. The couple resides in Hinsdale, Illinois with their three children: son Dylan and daughters Lily and Anna. After spending more than three decades working in the United States, Quenneville obtained dual citizenship by successfully completing the USCIS naturalization exam on May 24, 2011.
In February 2011, Quenneville was hospitalized due to internal bleeding caused by a small ulcer related to aspirin consumption, which forced him to miss a home game. He was discharged shortly thereafter and resumed coaching within a week.
Quenneville is a first cousin once-removed to Peter Quenneville, who was selected 195th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013; John Quenneville, drafted 30th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2014; and David Quenneville, chosen 200th overall by the New York Islanders in 2016.
Playing statistics
1981–82 NHL season | Colorado Rockies | NHL |64 |5 |10 |15 |55 |— |— |— |— |— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1982–83 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL |74 |5 |12 |17 |46 |— |— |— |— |— |- 1983–84 NHL season | Hartford Whalers | NHL |80 |5 |8 |13 |95 |— |— |— |— |— |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1984–85 NHL season | Hartford Whalers | NHL |79 |6 |16 |22 |96 |- 1985–86 NHL season | Hartford Whalers | NHL |71 |5 |20 |25 |83 |10 |0 |2 |2 |12 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1986–87 NHL season | Hartford Whalers | NHL |37 |3 |7 |10 |24 |- 1987–88 NHL season | Hartford Whalers | NHL |77 |1 |8 |9 |44 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1988–89 NHL season || Hartford Whalers || NHL ||69 ||4 ||7 ||11 ||32 ||4 ||0 ||3 ||3 ||4 |- 1989–90 NHL season || Hartford Whalers || NHL ||44 ||1 ||4 ||5 ||34 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1990–91 AHL season || Baltimore Skipjacks || AHL ||59 ||6 ||13 ||19 ||58 ||6 ||1 ||1 ||2 ||6 |- 1990–91 NHL season || Washington Capitals || NHL ||9 ||1 ||0 ||1 ||0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1991–92 AHL season || St. John's Maple Leafs || AHL ||73 ||7 ||23 ||30 ||58 ||16 ||0 ||1 ||1 ||10 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||||||||||||||
| 1975–76 | Windsor Spitfires | OMJHL | 66 | 15 | 33 | 48 | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1976–77 | Windsor Spitfires | OMJHL | 65 | 19 | 59 | 78 | 169 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 112 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1977–78 | Windsor Spitfires | OMJHL | 66 | 27 | 76 | 103 | 114 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 17 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1978–79 | New Brunswick Hawks | AHL | 16 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1978–79 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 61 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1979–80 | Toronto Maple Leafs / Colorado Rockies | NHL | 67 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| 1980–81 | Colorado Rockies | NHL | 71 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| "NHL totals" | - bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | "AHL totals" |
} Coaching record
Three Stanley Cup championships |- style=" background:#fdd;" | Florida Panthers (FLA)|'2019-20'|'69*'|'35'|'26'|'—'|'8'|'78'|'4th Atlantic Division'|'1'|'3'|'25%'|'Lost qualifying round (New York Islanders)' background:#fdd;" | FLA|'2020-21'|'56'|'37'|'14'|'—'|'5'|'79'|'Second place Central Division'|'2'|'4'|'33%'|'Lost first round (Tampa Bay Lightning)' FLA|'2021-22'|'7'|'7'|'0'|'—'|'0'|'(14)'|'(Resigned)'|'—'||'||'||' FLA total !132 !79 !40 !— !13 ! ! !3 !7 !30.00% !Two postseason appearances |- ! Total !!1768 !!969 !!572 !!77 !!150 !! !! !!121 !!104 !!53.75% !!20 playoff participations Three Stanley Cup victories
See alsoExternal links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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- 1958 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen
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