Hawks decide Quenneville's experience needed now

Denis Savard's firing as coach of the Blackhawks on Thursday came down to one thing.

Experience.

General manager Dale Tallon and senior advisor of hockey operations Scotty Bowman didn't feel Savard had enough experience as a head coach to get the team to the playoffs while properly developing the young talent on the roster.

Veteran coach Joel Quenneville, with a .592 career winning percentage in 11 seasons with St. Louis and Colorado, was hired to replace Savard.

"We have a very young team, younger than it was even last year, and we felt the experience and the track record of Joel would be the balance that we needed with our young and inexperienced team," Tallon said.

"It's a process, something that we've been evaluating over a period of time since training camp started. We decided as an organization that we have a finite period of time to develop our young players to be successful now and in the future."

Tallon didn't like the way training camp went, calling it flat and without energy. And when the GM felt it all carried over into an 0-3 regular season start, the decision was made to make a change despite Wednesday's 4-1 victory over Phoenix.

"It was flat," Tallon said of the preseason. "We ended up with 5 wins, but it was a flat camp and we got out of the gate flat and just didn't seem that we carried over the energy we had to finish the year last year.

"We felt we needed to send a message and invigorate this team."

Bowman's brief remarks at Thursday's news conference were most telling. It was apparent from what he said in reeling off the names of Central Division coaches Mike Babcock (Detroit), Barry Trotz (Nashville), Ken Hitchcock (Columbus) and Andy Murray (St. Louis) that the Hawks felt Savard was overmatched behind the bench.

"This hockey business is very difficult," Bowman said. "And when you look around, especially in this division, and see Babcock in Detroit, Trotz in Nashville and Hitchcock and also Andy Murray in St. Louis - these are guys that have been coaching in this league probably upwards of 10 years.

"It's a very difficult job, especially with a young group. This was a most difficult decision for this organization, but it wasn't a whim of one person. It was a total decision."

Bowman said he believes Quenneville fits the description of the kind of coach the Hawks need to get to the next level.

"He's closing in on 500 wins as a coach," Bowman said in referencing Quenneville's 438-283-118 record. "Just the fact a coach like that would be available at this time is very fortunate. I've coached against Joel and I know what he can bring to a team.

"With the experience he has, he's had some great teams. I think his record speaks for itself."

Savard was informed of his firing when he arrived at the United Center for practice Thursday morning. The practice ultimately was canceled, and the players were asked by management not to comment on Savard's dismissal until today.

"I'm hurt, disappointed, whatever word you want to use, but I still want them to do well," Savard said. "I know they are committed to winning the Stanley Cup and maybe they feel whoever they hire can get them there.

"But I really believe in my ability. When I look at what I did with the players I had, I'm proud of what we accomplished."

Hawks president John McDonough said Savard would be offered a position in the organization, but Savard wouldn't commit to his next step.

"Denis Savard is a Blackhawk, he will always be a Blackhawk, and he is all class," McDonough said. "This is a decision that is an organizational decision, one that had been made over the course of the last few days."

Tallon called firing Savard the toughest decision he ever had to make.

"But it's about moving forward," Tallon said. "It's about achieving and winning and developing a consistent approach and having a process and plan in place, and we felt we needed a more experienced person in that position."

Now the heat is squarely on Tallon to fix the Blackhawks' problems that go beyond coaching, such as the distracting situation in goal with Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet, the need for a second-line center and finding help for a thin defense.

"Dale's obligation is to put forth a winning team," McDonough said.

"I can handle it," Tallon said. "That's what we're in this business for.

"I'm held accountable right now, every day. But I have to do what's right for the Chicago Blackhawks, long term. We're going to move forward and get the job done."

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=243247">Rozner: Smart move comes not a moment too soon <span class="date">[10/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=243396">Rave reviews for 'Q' <span class="date">[10/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=243377">Warning signs were there for Savard <span class="date">[10/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=243242">The Quenneville File <span class="date">[10/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=243194">Blackhawks fire coach Denis Savard <span class="date">[10/16/08]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=243231">Yawney out, Savard in as Hawks' head coach <span class="date">[11/28/06]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Audio</h2> <ul class="audio"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=26&type=audio&item=2">Denis Savard on Mike North Webio Show (wildfireresturant.com) 10/16. </a></li> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=26&type=audio&item=1">Savard on committing 'to the Indian'</a></li> </ul> <h2>Related documents</h2> <ul class="morePdf"> <li><a href="/pdf/081016-quenneville.pdf">Full statement from Blackhawks </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>