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5 Reasons St. Louis Blues Should Hire Joel Quenneville; 1 They Won’t

By Todd Panula

Coach Joel Quenneville of the St. Louis BluesMandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
Coach Joel Quenneville of the St. Louis BluesMandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /
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Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, June 15, 2015, at the United Center in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images)
Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, June 15, 2015, at the United Center in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images) /

Quenneville Is A Winner

If you only had a small sample size, you might not be able to make this argument very well. However, Quenneville has over 20 years of head coaching experience by now. That number is closer to 25 years if you include his time as an assistant.

That is a quarter century behind the bench. I am all for youthful ideas and energy, but sometimes experience really does pay off.

Quenneville has not just lucked into good teams either, though he has been extremely fortunate. This is not like Phil Jackson where, as great as he was, you could make the argument he only ever had championship caliber teams to coach.

Quenneville has made as many winners as he backed into. While some of his Blues teams might have been the strongest we have ever seen in terms of depth, he also coached up several teams in St. Louis.

Until 2017-18, when the Chicago Blackhawks’ salary cap issues caught up to them at last, none of his teams had ever finished under .500. That team and his first year as head coach in Colorado were the only times any of his teams missed the playoffs too.

Then, you cannot ignore three Stanley Cup rings. The Blackhawks might have been as loaded as any teams in recent memory, but that takes nothing away from getting those teams to play his way. You can’t brush aside the fact the Stanley Cup is probably the hardest playoff journey and most difficult trophy to win. To do it three times is impressive.

On top of that, it was not like it was the same team over and over. The core pieces were there, but the contracts handed out put those teams behind the eight ball too. Neverthless, Quenneville managed to find the right chemistry with new pieces playing key roles every time out.

I’m not saying Quenneville would automatically be able to use the young players with the Blues any better, but he certainly managed to find the right roles for guys in Chicago. The Blackhawks might not have been able to keep them all, but they surely produced a lot of young talent that got paid in quick succession. Those guys had the talent, but having the right scenario and coach willing to help them also played a part.

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