The Chicago Blackhawks found their new coach in former Detroit Red Wings bench boss and recent Tampa Bay Lightning assistant coach Jeff Blashill.
Blackhawks management and fans hope Blashill follows a trend – namely, of coaches not getting the results they hoped for in their first attempts before doing good things on another NHL team.
For instance, current New York Rangers bench boss Mike Sullivan was far from a success in his first stint as an NHL coach. In 2003-04, after finishing first in the Northeast Division, Sullivan’s Boston Bruins were eliminated in the first round. The following season in 2005-06, the Bruins didn’t get into the playoffs at all.
It wasn’t until Sullivan changed teams multiple times, serving as an assistant coach and an AHL coach, that he got another chance by being named Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss. And of course, he won a Stanley Cup in that first year with the Pens and went back-to-back, proving he had grown and learned as a coach at the highest levels.
Current Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy followed a similar career trajectory. His first NHL coaching gig came with the Washington Capitals in the 2002-03 campaign. After losing in the conference quarterfinal in his first season, he was fired 28 games into the following campaign. Cassidy’s second coaching job, which came with the Bruins, ended without a Cup win despite six seasons of trying. Cassidy didn’t get to the promised land until he became Vegas’ coach, winning a Cup in 2022-23.
Finally, current Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube struggled initially in his time as an NHL coach. Berube led the Philadelphia Flyers to the playoffs in his first year on the job. But he was let go after a second season in which his Flyers missed the playoffs completely. He didn’t win a Cup until he became coach of the St. Louis Blues partway through 2018-19.
You can see, then, why the Blackhawks are prepared to take a chance on Blashill, who led the Red Wings to the post-season in his first year (2015-16) as Detroit’s coach.
Blashill got another six seasons with the Red Wings but failed to make the playoffs in any of them before he was let go in 2022. In all fairness, when the team decided to start a massive rebuild during his tenure, there wasn’t much he could do. Blashill has since served as assistant coach of the Lightning, and he also previously coached in the AHL, winning a Calder Cup in 2012-13.
Having experience in numerous types of coaching situations serves veteran coaches very well. They learn how to work in different competitive situations. They learn how to adapt their approach to different types of players in different eras, and eventually, they make the most of the opportunities they receive.
Clearly, the Blackhawks and GM Kyle Davidson are gambling that Blashill is now better-equipped to deal with the rigors of coaching an NHL team. Although he’s taking the reins of a Chicago team that will still have trouble making the playoffs next season, Blashill must believe he’s ready to show he’s learned from past failures and resuscitate his NHL coaching career.
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