The Chicago Blackhawks stick to Kyle Davidson.
In a statement Tuesday, the Blackhawks officially named Davidson as the 10th general manager in the history of the franchise. He had been wearing GM’s temporary label since Oct. 26, when former GM and hockey operations president Stan Bowman resigned after the results of an independent investigation into allegations of sexual assault by the club against former video coach Brad Aldrich were made public.
Davidson, 33, was one of several candidates Chicago considered for GM’s permanent position, including three finalists in Davidson, Tampa Bay Lightning Director Mathieu Darche and Chicago Cubs GM assistant Jeff Greenberg.
Also taking part in the race were St. Louis Blues Vice President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli, former Montreal Canadiens GM assistant Scott Melanby, Toronto Raptors Vice President Teresa Resch and Carolina Hurricanes GM assistant Eric Tulski.
The Blackhawks have pledged to be thorough and transparent in their search, searching inside and outside the hockey field for their next leader. In the end, Davidson won.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he started with the Blackhawks in 2010 as a 22-year-old intern and video analyst. Over the next decade, Davidson worked and learned from Bowman as his own responsibilities increased. In 2018, Davidson was appointed Assistant General Manager, and the following year he was appointed Assistant General Manager.
After several months of getting used to the role of GM, Davidson will begin the long road to the recovery of the Blackhawks. Although Davidson was not the most experienced potential tenant Chicago has ever met, he is a well-known product of the organization, has a strong relationship with CEO Danny Wirz and understands where the franchise is trying to go.
The obstacles for Davidson will be many, starting with how he will convince obsessed Chicago fans that he can turn things around. Kyle Beach’s accusations against Aldrich have left a black mark on the franchise, which will not be forgotten soon, and the team’s game on the ice was bad (Chicago is 19-27-8 this season, 25th overall in the league).
Davidson’s first task will be to guide Chicago through the NHL’s March 21st deadline. He is due to meet with the media for an introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon.