The Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Greenberg, formerly of the Chicago Cubs, as their new associate general manager.
General Manager Kyle Davidson confirmed the news to ESPN on Thursday, saying Greenberg will “help carry the Blackhawks into the next generation.”
“That’s the direction I’ve always wanted to go,” Davidson told ESPN, “to bring in the outside influence and expertise that we don’t have in-house and someone who can bring the unique perspective, like a Front office can be managed. I look forward to making his impact on our group and I think he can help us push into where many other sports are right now by streamlining, modernizing and refining the decision-making process, which hockey isn’t In my opinion, absolutely at the level of.”
Davidson, 33, was named general manager in March after the owner conducted an extensive search that included 36-year-old Greenberg as a finalist. Davidson has now rounded out what he calls the “core brain trust” after hiring longtime NHL manager Norm Maciver as another assistant general manager. Maciver, 57, spent 14 years with the Blackhawks before playing a brief stint with the Seattle Kraken. Maciver will oversee Chicago’s scouting operations.
The Blackhawks are in the early stages of a rebuild, and Davidson said that as it goes, the team looks to reorganize its office and modernize its processes. Specifically, Greenberg is tasked with developing new computer and app-based systems that will streamline information for the organization — a journey he’s had a front row seat to with the Cubs. Davidson finally said the team will have all of their information centralized and “at their fingertips,” which “will reduce things like unnecessary calls.”
“I started having conversations in the GM process and it became very clear and even clearer in conversation with [Davidson] and [Maciver] recently that there is an opportunity here to do something new. There’s a desire to bring in some of the processes we’ve developed in baseball that can drive decision making – and that will affect everything from scouting to player development to player acquisition.
Greenberg spent 11 years in baseball operations with the Cubs, most recently as assistant general manager. He joined the team in 2011 and helped rebuild that produced the 2016 World Series for Chicago.
“I had a unique experience with the Cubs to get in on the ground floor and be exposed to the things we were building,” Greenberg said. “To build a championship team, the ability to bring out native talent is essential; that’s not groundbreaking and shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s paying attention. The harder thing is, how do you do these things? How do you make it happen? The systems build, that Commitment to these things, the relentless pursuit of finding the best information available to make the best decisions, is where you can create separation.”
Greenberg, who has a law degree, also worked for the front offices of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates and spent time at Major League Baseball working in industrial relations. Davidson said Greenberg will not necessarily be involved in day-to-day salary caps and contract matters, although his team will oversee it. Davidson said the Blackhawks will be filling out the remainder of their hockey operations staff in the coming weeks.
Davidson warned that the components Greenberg plans to build “take time” and “won’t be packed overnight.”
“We’re just beginning the early phases of the rebuild,” Davidson said. “I’m excited and pleased with this hiring because now we have the cornerstone that will give lift to the on-ice product.”
Though he’s been in baseball his entire pro career, Greenberg said he’s always considered himself “a hockey guy at heart.” Greenberg started skating at age 3 and played hockey as a youth. Raised in Pittsburgh, he noted that he was born a year after the Penguins drafted Mario Lemieux and enjoyed Pittsburgh’s winning streak in the 1990s.
Greenberg starts May 9 with the Blackhawks.