CONTROVERSIAL COACH NOT A CANDIDATE FOR BLUE JACKETS JOB
The Columbus Blue Jackets remain the only team without a head coach for the 2024-25 NHL season after Don Waddell fired previous bench boss Pascal Vincent on June 17. Since being reinstated by the league on July 1, multiple reports have linked Joel Quenneville with the head coaching vacancy in Columbus. However, it appears Quenneville will have to wait for a new NHL home. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports the Blue Jackets have no interest in Quenneville.
Quenneville unceremoniously resigned from his previous position as head coach of the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season after league investigations unearthed his involvement in the Kyle Beach sexual assault allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. According to reporting, Quenneville diminished the matter at hand due to eliminating "distractions" during the Chicago Blackhawks’ quest for the Stanley Cup.
“I want to express my sorrow for the pain this young man, Kyle Beach, has suffered," Quenneville said upon his resignation. "My former team – the Blackhawks — failed Kyle and I own my share of that. I want to reflect on how all this happened and take the time to educate myself on ensuring hockey spaces are safe for everyone“.
After nearly three years away from the game, league commissioner Gary Bettman decided that Quenneville and others were eligible for reinstatement, noting “each of these three individuals has [sic] acknowledged that and used his time away from the game to engage in activities which, not only demonstrate sincere remorse for what happened, but also evidence greater awareness of the responsibilities that all NHL personnel have, particularly personnel who are in positions of leadership“.
Quenneville sits just behind legendary coach Scotty Bowman for the most wins in NHL history behind the bench. The veteran head coach has spent 25 years in the NHL between the St. Louis Blues (eight years), Colorado Avalanche (three years), Chicago Blackhawks (11 years) and Florida Panthers (three years). Over that stretch, Quenneville has compiled a record of 969-572-77-150 over 1,768 games and has made the playoffs 20 times with three Stanley Cup rings.
This takes one name off the list for Columbus as the team looks to rebound from a disastrous season in 2023-24. The Blue Jackets have not made the postseason since the 2019-20 season and have finished last place in the Metropolitan Division three out of the past four years. The next head coach for the franchise will be important as Columbus has legitimate talent on the roster and a wealth of prospects on the way.
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2024-07-07T19:21:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd