Reaction from Joel Quenneville firing
John McDonough"Today was a tough day, a bittersweet day for all of us. We made the decision to remove Joel Quenneville as our head coach. Joel had taken us to three Stanley Cup championships, five Western Conference finals, was the greatest coach in the history of our franchise and is a surefire Hall of Famer. We wish him well. We met this morning very early. Joel (was) consistent, was classy, respectful, dignified and appreciative. He will always be a member of our family and I think today we also need to celebrate the accomplishments."
Stan Bowman"Joel's been great to me the entire time we've been together. I would say we have a very good relationship. Do we agree on everything over 10 years? No, we don't. But we see the game very similarly and that's one of the reasons we were able to have as much success as we did together. So there's just no truth to (perceived friction) at all. It was a difficult conversation this morning. It was pretty emotional for both of us. But at the same time, there was always a mutual respect for each other. I've learned so much from Joel; such a bright guy."
Rocky Wirtz"As Chicago Blackhawks fans have seen over the last decade, this organization no longer shies away from making tough decisions or ones based on emotion. Those days are long behind us. Of course, Joel's was difficult, as it should have been. During his tenure as head coach, Joel brought the city of Chicago and our fans three Stanley Cups and an incredible era of hockey."
Patrick Kane"I'll probably wait for things to settle down a little bit and try to give him a call. But just have a conversation that will remain private, but also thank him for everything he did here. He's going to be an icon in Chicago for the longest time, the great things he's done for this organization, winning three Stanley Cups, so that will never be forgotten."
Jonathan ToewsIt was definitely shock. I thought if there was going to be a change it wasn't going to be for a while. Given what we had gone through last year, I think it's still early in the season to try and find solutions and see if we can change the way things (went) in the last five games. It's not easy, but the decision's been made and we've got to go forward and make the right adjustments.
Brent Seabrook"He means the world to me. Ten years, three Stanley Cups. … He taught me a lot as a young man, as a young player. Little things he always harped on that I'll remember for the rest of my life, for sure. Just the way he was with us, how he treated us professionally and as individuals. He was always a guy who liked to have some fun and whatnot, but gave us our space and allowed us to be players. (It's) a tough day today and (we) cherish the days and memories and all the stuff we did together."
Corey Crawford"You never want to see a guy leave, including the coaches. We've been through so much together. ... He's had a ton of confidence in me from the start, and it's hard to hear that news. In this business, those things happen sometimes. It seems like coaches are maybe the first ones to go most of the time."
Daniel Carcillo on Twitter, on what happened the day Steve Montador died"I was in shock. I tried to hide it and get dressed. I broke down once I got to my skates & looked over at his old stall next to Seabrook. I hid it well tho. Making it on the ice to warm up. I did a few laps & broke down crying again. I couldn't do it. I was spiritually done. I skated off the ice & ran down the tunnel into Coach Q's office. He had just heard. I was crying. He was crying. He hugged me in my equipment. I was a mess. I couldn't play. He said he understood. He comforted me. He listened. He didn't force me to play. I'm forever grateful."