List of Chicago Blackhawks head coaches

Last updated

Pete Muldoon was the Blackhawks first head coach, and allegedly put a curse on the Hawks. Pete Muldoon.jpg
Pete Muldoon was the Blackhawks first head coach, and allegedly put a curse on the Hawks.

The Chicago Blackhawks are an American professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They play in the Central Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). [1] The team was first named the "Chicago Black Hawks", until 1986, when spelling found in the original franchise documents spelled the franchise name as the "Chicago Blackhawks", making the team change its name in response. [2] The team is also referred to as the "Hawks". [3] The Blackhawks began their NHL play in the 1926–27 season as an expansion team with the Detroit Cougars and the New York Rangers, and is one of the Original Six teams. [4] The franchise has 6 Stanley Cup championships, most recently winning in the 2014–15 season. Having played in the Chicago Coliseum (1926–1929) and the Chicago Stadium (1929–1994), the Blackhawks have played their home games at the United Center since 1994. The Blackhawks are owned by the Wirtz Corporation, chaired by Danny Wirtz; Kyle Davidson serves as the team's general manager. The Blackhawks named Nick Foligno as captain in the 2024–25 season, following the team's decision to not re-sign Jonathan Toews for the 2023–24 season. [5] [6]

Contents

There have been 42 head coaches for the Blackhawks. The franchise's first head coach was Pete Muldoon, who coached for 44 games in the 1926–27 season. However, he is also well remembered for allegedly "putting a curse" on the Blackhawks, which stipulated that the team would never finish in first in the NHL. [7] The Blackhawks never had a first-place finish until 40 years after that incident. [8] Hughie Lehman, originally the team's goaltender, became the Blackhawks' third head coach after yelling at the first Blackhawks owner, Frederic McLaughlin, that his proposed plays were "the craziest bunch of junk [he had] ever seen". [9]

Orval Tessier became the only head coach to have been awarded the Jack Adams Award with the Blackhawks by winning it in the 1982–83 season. [10] Tommy Gorman, Tommy Ivan, and Rudy Pilous are the only Blackhawks head coaches to have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder. [11] Gorman, Bill Stewart, Pilous, and Joel Quenneville are the only coaches to have won a Stanley Cup championship as the head coach of the Hawks. [12]

Billy Reay, the Blackhawks' head coach for 14 seasons, is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season and playoff games coached and wins, with 1012 regular-season games coached, 516 regular-season game wins, 117 playoff games coached, and 57 playoff game wins. Twenty-three head coaches spent their entire NHL head coaching careers with the Blackhawks. Darryl Sutter and Brian Sutter are the only pair of brothers [13] to have coached the Blackhawks; both coached the Hawks for three seasons each.

Joel Quenneville was the head coach of the Blackhawks from the 2008–09 season to early in the 2018–19 season. [14] [15] and guided the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015. At the time of his firing, Quenneville was the second-winningest coach both in the Blackhawks and NHL history, and was also second in all-time games coached. [14]

The current coach of the Blackhawks is Jeff Blashill, who was named head coach on May 22, 2025. [16]

Key

#Number of coaches [a]
GCGames coached
WWins = Two points
LLosses = No points
TTies = One point
OT Overtime/shootout losses = One point [b]
PTS Points
Win% Winning percentage [c]
RefReference
*Spent entire NHL head coaching career with the Blackhawks
Elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder
Spent entire NHL head coaching career with the Blackhawks
and have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder

Coaches

Hughie Lehman won three out of the 21 games he coached. Hughie Lehman.jpg
Hughie Lehman won three out of the 21 games he coached.
Charlie Conacher coached the Blackhawks for three seasons. Charlie Conacher Red wings.jpg
Charlie Conacher coached the Blackhawks for three seasons.
Mike Keenan was the Blackhawks head coach for four seasons. Mike Keenan practice.PNG
Mike Keenan was the Blackhawks head coach for four seasons.
Darryl Sutter coached the Blackhawks for three seasons. Darryl Sutter, 2006 NHL Awards.jpg
Darryl Sutter coached the Blackhawks for three seasons.
Alpo Suhonen was the Blackhawks head coach in the 2000-01 season. Suhonen Alpo Assat 2008.jpg
Alpo Suhonen was the Blackhawks head coach in the 2000–01 season.
#NameTerm [d] Regular seasonPlayoffsAchievementsRef
GCWLT/OTPTSWin%GCWLTWin%
1 Pete Muldoon* 1926–1927 441922341.4662011.250 [18]
2 Barney Stanley* 1927–1928 23417210.217 [19]
3 Hughie Lehman* 1928 2131717.167 [20]
4 Herb Gardiner* 1928–1929 32523414.219 [21]
5 Dick Irvin 1929 122648.333 [22]
6 Tom Shaughnessy* 1929–1930 21108323.548 [23]
7 Bill Tobin* 1930 231110224.5222011.250 [24]
Dick Irvin 1930–1931 442417351.5809531.611 [22]
Bill Tobin* 1931–1932 4818191147.4902110.500 [24]
8 Emil Iverson* 1932–1933 2187622.524 [25]
9 Godfrey Matheson* 1933 20200.000 [26]
10 Tommy Gorman 19331934 7328281773.5008611.8131933–34 Stanley Cup championship [12] [27]
11 Clem Loughlin* 19341937 144616320142.4934121.375 [28]
12 Bill Stewart* 19371939 6922351256.4061073.7001937–38 Stanley Cup championship [12] [29]
13 Paul Thompson* 19391944 27210412741249.45819712.368 [30]
14 Johnny Gottselig* 19441947 1876210520144.385404.000 [31]
15 Charlie Conacher* 19481950 162568422134.414 [32]
16 Ebbie Goodfellow* 19501952 14030911979.282 [33]
17 Sid Abel 19521954 140397922100.357734.429 [34]
18 Frank Eddolls* 1954–1955 7013401743.307 [35]
Dick Irvin 1955–1956 7019391250.357 [22]
19 Tommy Ivan 19561957 10326562173.354 [36]
20 Rudy Pilous 19571963 38716215174398.514401822.4501960–61 Stanley Cup championship [12] [37]
21 Billy Reay 19631976 1,0125163351611,193.5891175760.487 [38]
22 Bill White* 1976–1977 461624638.413202.000 [39]
23 Bob Pulford 19771979 160616534156.488408.000 [40]
24 Eddie Johnston 1979–1980 8034271987.544734.429 [41]
25 Keith Magnuson* 19801982 132495726124.470303.000 [42]
Bob Pulford 1982 281214226.4641587.533 [40]
26 Orval Tessier* 19821985 213999321219.5141899.5001982–83 Jack Adams Award winner [10] [43]
Bob Pulford 19851987 187847726194.51922913.409 [40]
27 Bob Murdoch 1987–1988 803041969.431514.200 [44]
28 Mike Keenan 19881992 32015312641347.542603327.550 [45]
29 Darryl Sutter 19921995 2161108026246.569261115.423 [46]
30 Craig Hartsburg 19951998 24610410240248.5041688.500 [47]
31 Dirk Graham* 1998–1999 591635840.339 [48]
32 Lorne Molleken* 19991999 4718191046.489 [49]
Bob Pulford 1999–2000 582824662.534 [40]
33 Alpo Suhonen* 2000–2001 8229411270.427 [50]
34 Brian Sutter 20012004 2469110352234.476514.200 [51]
35 Trent Yawney* 20052006 10333551581.393 [52]
36 Denis Savard* 20062008 147656616146.497 [53]
37 Joel Quenneville 20082018 797452249961,000.6271287652.5943 Stanley Cup championships (2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15) [12] [54]
38 Jeremy Colliton* 20182021 205879226200.488945.444 [55]
39 Derek King* 20212022 7027331064.457 [56]
40 Luke Richardson* 20222024 1905711815129.339 [57]
41 Anders Sorensen* 2024–2025 561730943.384 [58]
42 Jeff Blashill 2025–present [59]

Notes

  1. A running total of the number of coaches of the Blackhawks; thus, any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is only counted once.
  2. Before the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted a penalty shootout for regular season games that remained tied after a five-minute overtime period, which prevented ties. [17]
  3. In ice hockey, the winning percentage is calculated by dividing points by maximum possible points.
  4. Each year is linked to an article about that particular NHL season.

References

General
Specific
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  2. Diamond, Dan (1991). The Official National Hockey League 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. p. 291. ISBN   0-7710-6727-5
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  13. "Brent Sutter cites family in explaining resignation as Devils coach". Calgary Herald . June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.[ dead link ]
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  26. "Godfrey Matheson Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  27. "Tommy Gorman Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  28. "Clem Loughlin Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
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  32. "Charlie Conacher Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  33. "Ebbie Goodfellow Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  34. "Sid Abel Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  35. "Frank Eddolls Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  36. "Tommy Ivan Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  37. "Rudy Pilous Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  38. "Billy Reay Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  39. "Bill White Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  40. 1 2 3 4 "Bob Pulford Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  41. "Eddie Johnston Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  42. "Keith Magnuson Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  43. "Orval Tessier Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  44. "Bob Murdoch Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  45. "Mike Keenan Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  46. "Darryl Sutter Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  47. "Craig Hartsburg Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  48. "Dirk Graham Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  49. "Lorne Molleken Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  50. "Alpo Suhonen Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  51. "Brian Sutter Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  52. "Trent Yawney Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  53. "Denis Savard Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  54. "Joel Quenneville Coaching Record". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  55. "Jeremy Colliton Coaching Reference". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  56. "Derek King Coaching Reference". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  57. "Luke Richardson Coaching Reference". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  58. "Anders Sorensen Coaching Reference". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
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