National Hockey League (NHL) Commissioner Gary Bettman will meet with Joel Quenneville at the end of this playoffs to assess his status in terms of returning behind the bench on an NHL team.
The TSN network reported Friday, which argued that Stan Bowman, the former Chicago Blackhawks general manager and ex-Quenneville boss, also needs a permit to join an NHL team. He would have held talks with some of the Bettman Circuit teams.
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According to the same source, Quenneville’s name has been increasingly circulating in connection with the vacant post of New York Rangers head coach.
He resigned from an identical position with the Florida Panthers in the fall of 2021 following shocking revelations about the Blackhawks’ mismanagement of the Kyle Beach case. The latter says he was sexually assaulted by an assistant coach, Brad Aldrich, in 2010. These alleged facts occurred during the Hawks’ capture of the Stanley Cup that same year.
The 64-year-old was the head coach of the Chicago team at the time. For his part, Bowman has held the positions of general manager and president of hockey operations. He submitted his retirement in 2021.
Bettman sets the record straight
Still, Bettman said in May 2022 that Quenneville had expressed no intentions to him about returning to the league.
“Nothing is happening with Joel at the moment. If there’s a real conversation, I’ll focus on that when the time comes,” he said in comments reported by TSN.
“I think Joel will take the initiative. When he thinks it’s the right time, he’s ready to come back and the opportunity is there,” the commissioner replied.
Quenneville is the second most successful coach in NHL history with 969 wins, behind Scotty Bowman with 1,244.