Blackhawks' Quenneville one win from milestone
If there's one thing Joel Quenneville hates more than losing, it's talking about himself.
So don't even try lobbing the Blackhawks coach a softball question about going for career win No. 700 on Tuesday in Philadelphia because you'll get nothing out of him.
He will say how lucky he has been to work for three great organizations in St. Louis, Colorado and the Hawks and how fortunate he has been to have great players, but that's about it.
This is rare air we're talking about here. Only Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour have won 700 or more games. Quenneville would be the third.
Bowman won 1,244 regular-season games and nine Stanley Cups with the Blues, Canadiens, Sabres, Penguins and Red Wings. Arbour won 782 games and four Cups with the New York Islanders.
Quenneville has no illusions about possibly catching Bowman.
"I don't think my wife would even consider that for a minute," Quenneville told ESPNChicago.com.
Quenneville, naturally, deflected the credit for his success to the teams and players he has coached over the past 17 seasons.
"I've been really fortunate where I've been," Quenneville said. "I've been in some real good situations with some great organizations, some real good teams. I've had the privilege to coach some great players as well here. It's been a great six years here in Chicago. We're very happy with where we're at.
"Whether it's the team, the players, the organization, this has been a great fit for us. When I say us, I'm talking about our family. We're just going one day at a time here, and we're just enjoying where we're at."
Hawks winger Patrick Sharp is one of Quenneville's players who loves playing for the coach.
"In the grand scheme of things, he's very even-keeled," Sharp said. "I know he doesn't appear that way. In a course of a game, he gets quite excited. He gets very intense behind the bench. That's what we love about him.
"But he's very even-keeled. He knows how to manage a team. He knows how to manage players. And we look to him as our leader. No question, our team took off because of Joel, and we're real happy he can get into the top (three)."
The Hawks and Quenneville won't have Brandon Saad against the Flyers. He was hurt in Sunday's 4-1 victory over Detroit. But Quenneville will have Marian Hossa to call on. Hossa returned Sunday and had a goal and 2 assists in a dominant performance.
Hossa said it took him awhile to get his feet back under him after missing five games with an upper-body injury, but he was flying around the ice by the third period against the Red Wings.
"Hossa changes the complexion of our team game," Quenneville said. "We seem to have the puck a lot more when he's out there. It made a big difference having him back."
There was no word from the Hawks on Monday on the status of center Teuvo Teravainen, whose season in Finland ended Sunday with a loss for Jokerit. Teravainen is expected to join the Hawks at some point this week.
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The NHL's winningest coaches
Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville is about to join the 700 club for regular-season wins among NHL coaches. Here's a look at the top coaches in NHL history:
<b>1. Scotty Bowman</b>Total wins: 1,244
Seasons: 30
Teams: Blues (110), Canadiens (419), Sabres (210), Penguins (95), Red Wings (410)
<b>2. Al Arbour</b>Total wins: 782
Seasons: 23
Teams: Blues (42), Islanders (740)
<b>3. Joel Quenneville</b>Total wins: 699
Seasons: 17
Teams: Blues (307), Avalanche (131), Blackhawks (261)
<b>4. Dick Irvin Sr.</b>Total wins: 692
Seasons: 27
Teams: Blackhawks (45), Maple Leafs (216), Canadiens (431)
<b>5. Pat Quinn</b>Total wins: 684
Seasons: 21
Teams: Flyers (141), Kings (75), Canucks (141), Maple Leafs (300), Oilers (27)
<b>6. Mike Keenan</b>Total wins: 672
Seasons: 20
Teams: Flyers (190), Blackhawks (153), Rangers (52), Blues (75), Canucks (36), Bruins (33), Panthers (45), Flames (88)
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame