Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Ding Dong

November 7, 2021, 3:01 AM ET [239 Comments]
Theo Fox
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT

Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Daily Herald, NBC Sports Chicago, The Athletic Chicago

The Jeremy Colliton era is dead.

This was a long time coming as many Blackhawks fans were fed up with his coaching style and schemes that resulted in very little if anything during his tenure as head coach which lasted exactly 3 years as he replaced Joel Quenneville on November 6, 2018.

Out with Colliton are assistant coaches Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank. Spared in the November 6 firing squad were assistant coach Marc Crawford, goaltending coach Jimmy Waite, video coach Matt Meacham, and assistant video coach Dylan Crawford.

It's assumed that the following are maintaining their roles: player development coaches Brian Campbell, Eric Condra, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Yanic Perreault, player development advisor Chris Kunitz, and skating and skills development coach Kevin Delaney.

In is AHL affiliate head coach Derek King who fills the parent club's head coach position on an interim basis. Rockford assistant coach Anders Sorensen takes on the interim head coaching perch while goaltending coach Peter Aubry also stays on as an assistant.

There's no surprise that the interim role was given to either King or Crawford, both of whom are internal personnel. Whether it was one or the other, the interim role is likely to be just that -- temporary and not permanent -- to possibly make way for an external hire.

One would think then that King would return to his prior role as Hogs head coach especially if the new Hawks head coach gets to pick all of the coaching staff and decides to not keep him on as an assistant. It could happen but most new coaches want their own people.

Additionally, assuming that Crawford isn't the next head coach, that then begs the question of whether he's on borrowed time now with the Hawks organization. But pretend that Crawford is promoted to head coach, then would he consider retaining King as an assistant?

Why Derek King?

Some question why King as he has no track record of coaching in the NHL. While true, many don’t realize that King’s coaching record is far more extensive than Colliton’s coaching record -- albeit most of his stints have been in the minor leagues. King is now in his 16th year.

King was a player/assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins for 2 seasons. For the Toronto Marlies, he was an assistant for 5 years and an associate for one. After being an assistant for the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL in 2015-16, he has been with the Hogs since then.

Also, King had a more illustrious NHL career than Colliton so that has to count for something. King played 14 seasons in the NHL -- mostly with the Islanders who selected him with their #1 draft pick in 1985 -- and recorded just as many hat tricks (7) as Patrick Kane has.

What's Next?

There are a number of things to watch for as the season proceeds:

* Interim general manager Kyle Davidson and King will meet with the media at 11:00am CDT later this morning.

* Davidson's future with the team will be determined as far as removing the interim tag or reverting him back to his prior role as an assistant general manager along with Mark Eaton and Ryan Stewart.

* A permanent head coach will be hired which will dictate the roles of King, Crawford, and perhaps other coaches and player personnel staff.

* Perhaps management has discussions with Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marc-Andre Fleury, and other veterans to determine their respective futures with the team.

* Management will also start to lay out the plan for the franchise's direction whether that's a full-fledged rebuild, a retool on the fly, or something in between.

Statement from Kyle Davidson



Statement from Danny Wirtz



--

Next Game vs Predators

The new coaching era begins with a game tonight against the division rival Predators to kick off a 3-game homestand before embarking on a 2-week road trip that includes a visit to Seattle versus the expansion Kraken and a Canada tour with stops in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Calgary.

--

Roster Moves

It's expected that Nicolas Beaudin will remain in Rockford now that Riley Stillman is able to slot back into the starting lineup. Stillman was ineligible to play on Friday in Winnipeg due to a 14-day COVID protocol threshold for travel into Canada. That threshold has lapsed.

Wyatt Kalynuk and Caleb Jones should be at full health and able to return at different points this month. Kalynuk could potentially start in the AHL since he's waiver exempt but Jones doesn't have that exemption. Their return could also spell the end for Erik Gustafsson.

--

IceHogs: Game Summary

Starting Lineup

Slavin - Reichel - Connolly
Nylander - McLaughlin - Altybarmakian
Pour - Johnson - Teply
Barratt - G Mitchell - Osipov

Beaudin - I Mitchell
Galvas - Krutil
Stanton - Krys

Soderblom
Subban

Scoring Recap

1st Goal (0-1): Spezia (Shine) SH
2nd Goal (0-2): Hirose (Berggren, Barber)
3rd Goal (1-2): Connolly (Barratt, Nylander) PP

SOG For/Against: 22/27
PP: 1-for-2
PK: 0-for-0

Thoughts & Notes

* The IceHogs made horrendous passes all game sending the puck to teammates who were already covered or attempting stretch passes that were far from hitting the mark.

* A pair of Pennsylvania boys Chad Krys (Philadelphia) and Evan Barratt (Bristol) returned to the Hogs lineup after nursing injuries the past couple of games.

* Alex Nylander's new-found hustle is rather refreshing and impressive as well as his capacity to amass puck touches and be productive with his handles.

* Just as impressive is Lukas Reichel's extra gears as he will patiently yet methodically retrieve the puck then turn it up a notch to drive hard to the net.

* It's a head scratcher who in management felt that Michael Krutil should stay in the pros to develop rather than in juniors as he gets mugged easily by opponents and literally passes the puck to the other team.

* Arvid Soderblom was stellar between the pipes stopping 25 shots with many of them requiring keen tracking and sharp athleticism including several point-blank saves.

Highlights

--

See you on the boards!

Join the Discussion: » 239 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Theo Fox
» One Last Shift
» What's the Plan?
» Teaser Ad
» Power Source
» Cut the Mustard