Gosh Pat how do you even type these things? - “Q will be fine and the team’s slide isn’t on him.” Remember when the Predators swept the Hawks in the First Round? Well somehow Bowman had given Q enough of a roster to earn First Seed that year. Q then coached that roster to a sweep.
- Z3Hawk

A roster that most here acknowledged was that talented to warrant a number 1 seed - yet Q got them there...but then he was the failure for them getting swept


It's cool, Q I bet lands on his feet quickly and we'll see how much the golden boy and his analytics do

After all, I was Q holding this talented group of youth back. So they should take off now

This move to fire Q and hire Colliton wreaks of the situation between Jerry Krause, Phil Jackson and Tim Floyd. It is blatantly obvious that Bowman thinks that he can rebuild/reload the Hawks with his own hand-picked coach and philosophy. It will not surprise me when Bowman tears the rest of the team apart and deals off the core players that won the Cup. Krause wanted to show that he could rebuild the Bulls without Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The parallels between Bowman firing Q and Krause making a power move to take full control of their respective organizations cannot be ignored. To me, this shows of the fragile mentality of both GM's who may have felt that they did not receive the proper respect for the championships the teams won.

For BowKrause to lie yesterday and state that there was no tension between he and Q is almost laughable, but nobody in the press pushed him on the fact that he hired Barry Smith to run the powerplay without notifying Q. I do not know anyone with any experience in the work world that would not be ticked off if their boss brought in someone to take on a key role in their team without notifying them.

It also strikes me as odd that BowKrause fired Q on election day where the vast majority of the media attention would not be focused on sports. If the three loses on the road trip were not the trigger to fire Q and this was building up, why let Q linger for the first 15 games of the year with the crap roster he built? Why not fire him on Monday afternoon after the trip? This is a further display of the gutless and conniving tactics that BowKrause employs and it is only a matter of time that the Hawks experience what the immediate post-Jordan/Jackson teams went through.
- MileHighHawks

That is actually false. Jackson and Pippen were both Krause guys. Jackson was brought in as an asst. to Collins and then given the head coaching job because of Krause and his belief in the triangle (also why Tex Winter was there). Pippen was Krauses biggest draft day steal. Jordan was not drafted by Krause, and he wanted to prove he could win without Jordan (and they may have except for a bad Hue Hollins call).

anyway....

Whether you believe Q's firing was justified or not, it is the optics of the whole thing and the issues it creates going forward. Justin you stated The concern comes from John McDonough and Stan saying they believe this roster is a playoff roster. I can assure you, if the 2018-19 Blackhawks get into the post-season at this point, it may be solely on Jeremy Colliton's fresh voice, not the players on paper." If they make the playoffs, then Stan and McD are correct, the roster was good enough to do so. It doesn't mean they wouldn't have with Q at the helm or that the coaching change to Colliton WAS the reason, but it sure supports their decision, correct or not.

The bigger issues are these, if this season goes into the crapper, which many believe it will, how long does Colliton have before his head is on the block?. more bad optics if you fire a HOF coach and replace him with someone you are not gonna keep around. Say McD and Rocky determine the roster isn't playoff worthy and the next move is launching Stan and bringing in a new GM, you then assume that the org will be foisting a head coach on whomever they bring in. Then you begin the same cycle, failure leads to firing the coach and allowing the new GM to hire his own, etc. etc. etc.

Best thing to do would have been to get rid of both and start fresh. Otherwise its a circular blame game and maybe years before the coach/gm are on the same page.......OR, maybe by chance this all works.

I may have missed it but does anyone know anything regarding details on Colliton’s contract?

I may have missed it but does anyone know anything regarding details on Colliton’s contract?
- walleyeb1

I've been trying to find that out as well Walleye.

That is actually false. Jackson and Pippen were both Krause guys. Jackson was brought in as an asst. to Collins and then given the head coaching job because of Krause and his belief in the triangle (also why Tex Winter was there). Pippen was Krauses biggest draft day steal. Jordan was not drafted by Krause, and he wanted to prove he could win without Jordan (and they may have except for a bad Hue Hollins call).

anyway....


- TheTrob

No - Jackson started out as Krause's guy, but when he was getting all of the credit for the championships - Krause, at a presser after Jackson signed his last Bulls contract in the summer of 1997 (I think) - Krause made it clear that it was Jackson's last contract and the coming season would be his last as head coach.

Jordan retired at some point during the next season's lockout, and Pippen was traded to Houston in January, 1999.

3-0 loss for the baby Hawks today.

3-0 loss for the baby Hawks today.
- Justin Lowe

Probably weren't awake yet.

3-0 loss for the baby Hawks today.
- Justin Lowe

Who was in net?

I've been trying to find that out as well Walleye.
- Justin Lowe

8X8 NMC, NTC? Just a wild guess...

I am not going to pretend that I thought everything was rainbows and sunshine in Chicago over the last few years – it wasn't. However, as I have stated since the summer, IF the Blackhawks were going to rid themselves of Quenneville to gain a fresh perspective, I believed Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough should have made the decision to relieve both Joel AND Stan Bowman.

Joel has been dealt a bad hand and was doing what he could with it. Stan is the dealer, so let's do that math.

I thought both would go at the same time as well, but Mcd is the house so Stan is safe until the house is sold.

I will say that in the past, I was impressed with how Stan was able to manoeuvre his way through difficult salary cap issues to keep this team competitive. I have been more critical lately though, and that's not just because the wins are harder to come by, but it's the type of moves he's made.

Moving Hjarlmarsson was a difficult decision, but I believe it was the right one. Hammer was wearing down and the Hawks couldn't afford another aging defenceman with those types of miles on his body. It was the return that I believe could have been higher for such a well-regarded defensive defender. Nothing against Connor Murphy, but if the timing of the trade was managed better, I believe you get more.

Stan trading Artemi Panarin was a highly questionable move. I was cautiously optimistic when it happened because on the surface getting Brandon Saad back appeared to be a great thing.

Stan is out of his league as GM it is all on Scotty.


If you haven't watched the press conference from yesterday, head over to chicagoblackhawks.com to check it out.

I watched it live and my mood started to gain steam towards frustration and massive concern for this franchise moving forward.

The concern comes from John McDonough and Stan saying they believe this roster is a playoff roster. I can assure you, if the 2018-19 Blackhawks get into the post-season at this point, it may be solely on Jeremy Colliton's fresh voice, not the players on paper.

Hammer hits nail and by the scariest part from yesterday, they actually
do like this team



Mr. Ricochet: What Will Colliton's success/failure look like at years end?

JL: I think Jeremy will be seen as a success if he can improve in some of those areas I mentioned above – team defence, special teams and overall consistent effort. If he's able to get this team to think TEAM-first and playing a competitive and exciting style, I think that's all you can ask for.

Yes that's all you can ask for.

You also mentioned that the team has been healthy but has it really?
With both Forsling and Murphy out we have gotten the R&B show and
it hasnt been good to put it mildly, I wonder what the team might be
playing like had Forsling and Murphy been good to go from the start

Blackhawks lines
DeBrincat-Toews-Kahun
Schmaltz-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Kampf-Fortin
Martinsen-Kruger-Kunitz

Let the bashing begin!!!
- Chunk

He's just taking his brand new Chevy for a test drive
wouldn't you want to drive what 88-19 drive?

Blame Joel for Stan's poor decisions. Easy out. FIRE BOWMAN NOW.

I wouldn't mind the idea of bringing up some kids that Colliton knows well. However, I do have reservations about bringing up guys who just aren't ready or might not ever be an NHL contributor.

In my personal opinion, Highmore might never be an NHL regular. I think he's adequate at everything and not particularly good enough at any aspect.

Ejdsell can't skate. He desperately needs a skating coach or something if he's ever going to be a serviceable forward. If you can't skate, you can't play. I can't find links of Ejdsell playing, but when I saw him in person he had major bambi legs. Seeing him play since then has inspired little.

I see no parallel at all. Bowman has ZERO independent authority to dismantle the team by moving the core. So how many days on either side of the Mid-Terms would’ve worked for you? One? Obviously not. Two? Still close. The answer is - who cares. What “crap roster?” The one with Kane and Toews and others. The Hawks treated Q with incredible respect and patience. Could’ve made a move after the loss to the Blues, certainly after the sweep loss to the Predators, and certainly after missing the play-offs altogether last year. Instead they gave him a 4th chance to put it together this year but this year the rope was understandably short.
- Z3Hawk

The one with these NHL has beens or never will bes: AA, Fortin, Johnson, Kampf, Kunitz, Martinsen, Davidson, Gustafson, Manning & Rutta. And 4 of those are the main reason the D is woeful.

I wish Q well - If he decides to coach again I'l bet on Edmonton or Buffalo - next season.

This will be Bowman's last move- his last card played - the spot light now shines bright and its directed at his shinny bald head.

His record isn't great - and despite what MD says the real Hockey world knows it.

I wish JC well - he seems a good fit
but I think behind the scenes the shelf life for Bowman and McD will expire at the end of this campaign.


Hawks need to follow the new Model including
President of Hockey Opps and GM must be Hockey people - period - Ron Francis- Ken Holland - Brian Burke types-

Some really good tweets from Carcillo today. I know we're frustrated with Stan but Carcillo shed a different light on the man. I think we can all benefit from a little perspective and context when taking about the Hawks management.

Basically Carcillo was say how grateful he was in Stan for believing in him and support him during his recovery from substance abuse. Carcillo felt bad for all the negative messages he sent yesterday.

A couple of questions if Q wasn’t connecting with the new style of hockey what was Colliton teaching them at Rockford ? So are we in for a total rebuild ? I don’t think Bowman should be in charge of it .He is the reason why we are in this position .when Kane and Toews are still in top seven salaries after signing contract in 2015 that says they were overpaid back then and still now .thanks Blowman

A roster that most here acknowledged was that talented to warrant a number 1 seed - yet Q got them there...but then he was the failure for them getting swept


It's cool, Q I bet lands on his feet quickly and we'll see how much the golden boy and his analytics do

After all, I was Q holding this talented group of youth back. So they should take off now
- PatShart

Oh man did bending into that pretzel hurt your back? Pretzel Logic at its finest.

A couple of questions if Q wasn’t connecting with the new style of hockey what was Colliton teaching them at Rockford ? So are we in for a total rebuild ? I don’t think Bowman should be in charge of it .He is the reason why we are in this position .when Kane and Toews are still in top seven salaries after signing contract in 2015 that says they were overpaid back then and still now .thanks Blowman
- hawk66

We're not in total rebuild, we're in Boston Bruins 2014-16 retool.

Bowman likely shouldn't be the retool chief, his evaluation of talent is dependent on Mark Kelley for drafting and I don't know who for free agency. His UFA signings have been questionable, his resignings have been overpayments with too many NMCs handed out.

I would like a fresh set of eyes who has experience evaluating talent. I'd also like to clear out a lot of the old boys club. McIsaac sounds like a 'very important' guy with a huge ego that doesn't belong in a functional front office. Go out and find some Kyle Dubas types who can find you a diamond in the rough in the 4th round.

3-0 loss for the baby Hawks today.
- Justin Lowe

I hope this isn't an indication of what the Hawks are in store for tomorrow night against Carolina..

Some really good tweets from Carcillo today. I know we're frustrated with Stan but Carcillo shed a different light on the man. I think we can all benefit from a little perspective and context when taking about the Hawks management.

Basically Carcillo was say how grateful he was in Stan for believing in him and support him during his recovery from substance abuse. Carcillo felt bad for all the negative messages he sent yesterday.
- DarthKane

I bet he is a bit sheepish today as I thought he was one of the ex-players the Hawks tried to keep a connection with and use for appearances and what not.

Justin Lowe: Life Begins with Jeremy Colliton
I've added "Colliton" permanently to my spell check in Microsoft Word. While Microsoft didn't recognize "Colliton" as a proper word, I have acknowledged that I will need to type that name a lot for the foreseeable future.

If Stan Bowman gets his way, I will be typing Jeremy Colliton's name for a long time. If I am, there's a good chance that he keeps his job because replacing him for a Hall of Fame coach will be forever on Stan's resume.
- Justin Lowe

Great fresh blog with the mailbag piece. Really like it. On the JC note, Jesus died at the age of 33 ... Colliton just might be the second coming for this team.

I'm with you on both Q and Stan getting the pink slip at the same time. I thought that would have happened at the end of the year ... if the negative trend continued. Stan went to Rockford all those times, not to scout players, but the coach he had down there. I'm glad Ulf and Dino are gone, the inepticon twins.

I really hope Colliton has a Pit Sullivan like time behind the bench. I'm excited, upset, but excited. A fresh voice, a new system, a man who knows the young guys, hopefully re-fired up core, and young guys wanting to prove themselves as well as call-ups. I'm excited for the Carolina game. I won't get carried away with a win and I won't be pissed with a loss. This season has become an even bigger evaluation season/placeholder.

I think it was save the embers who said Stan might make smaller trades. I agree. As upset as the Core might be ... I don't see them a) being asked to waive and b) them wanting to waive. I think they are morivated, but not going to jump ship.

Really?
- paulr

Totally Agree...really?

Oh man did bending into that pretzel hurt your back? Pretzel Logic at its finest.
- Z3Hawk

Nope, just following your logic

This team - the effort, the pp, pk and dzone coverage - all Q failures

Golden boy should then fix those Q failures with this group, because you believe this team is playoff talent, and anything less than playoffs and the PP/PK being top 10 under Colliton should be a viewed as a failure. Same standards Q failed to meet.

Or does Colliton not have to meet those same expectations? Stan, McD, the front office and people here now believe this team should have been better than what they are this year...so I look forward to them being in the playoffs this year or it's another epic failure

I've been trying to find that out as well Walleye.
- Justin Lowe

Doesn't it stay the same as what he was making as an ahl coach, or is there some sort of bump up? Or did you mean the money specifically?