Joel Quenneville says hiring assistant ‘will get done soon’
BY ADAM L. JAHNS ajahns@suntimes.com June 22, 2012 9:28PM
Updated: July 24, 2012 9:54AM
PITTSBURGH — Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville still is looking for the right running mate on the bench. But he’ll decide soon enough who’ll replace fired assistant coach Mike Haviland.
“It’s progressing,” Quenneville said of the search. “We’re still not there yet. But it will get done soon. I’ve talked to a few guys. There’s a lot of guys interested. There’s a long list. It’s amazing how many guys are outstanding candidates.”
Quenneville declined to name anyone in contention, but he said he isn’t looking for a coach who specializes in one area, such as the power play. The Hawks were awful with the man advantage last season, and that was a major point of contention, with Haviland turning into the scapegoat.
“We’ll share a lot of the responsibilities,” Quenneville said of the hire.
Quenneville opted to keep Mike Kitchen over Haviland, a move Hawks brass supported.
“It’s Quenneville’s call,” owner Rocky Wirtz told the Sun-Times. “He has to get his team together, and that’s his call, so I don’t think it was anything personally. [The assistant] has to work with Joel, so that’s Joel’s call.”
More on Kane
Quenneville didn’t have much to say about Patrick Kane’s now infamous run in Madison, Wis., in May. But Quenneville, who expects to see Kane at the Hawks convention or sooner, said it’s important to be professional.
“Organizationally, there is some pride and there’s some history there and we should all make sure we watch how we handle ourselves,” he said. “There’s a lot of scrutiny and a lot of attention that these guys are under. [But] let’s progress in a positive way and learn from it.”
