For the first time in three years, former National Hockey League (NHL) head coach Joel Quenneville gave an interview.
The 65-year-old was a guest on the “Leafs Morning Take” podcast on Friday. He did not address his resignation from the Florida Panthers in October 2021. He resigned from his position as pilot after a meeting with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman regarding the investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks sex scandal during the 2010 playoffs.
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Quenneville and former Hawks general manager Stan Bowman have been on the sidelines since the Brad Aldrich case came to light. The former person responsible for the video is said to have sexually abused ice hockey player Kyle Beach. A second potential Aldrich victim filed a lawsuit against the Blackhawks last November.
Quenneville was head coach of the Illinois club from 2008 to 2018, where he won three Stanley Cups.
In the podcast, the Windsor native spoke primarily about the 2023-2024 class of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hosts still asked him if he planned to one day return to the bench of an NHL team.
“That's a good question. I can’t really answer that,” Quenneville said simply.
The experienced coach needs Bettman's approval to return to the NHL. According to the TSN network, the meeting between the two men should take place after the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season. History does not say whether the meeting ultimately took place.
Before leading the Blackhawks and Panthers, Quenneville coached the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. In 1,768 games as a head coach in the NHL, he held a record of 969-572-77-150.