SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 8: Florida Panthers Head Coach Bob Boughner chats with Assistant Coach Paul McFarland during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the BB&T Center on March 8, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) Florida Panthers Hire Joel Quenneville as Their New Head Coach by Daniel Janicas Earlier today, the Florida Panthers publicly announced that Head Coach Bob Boughner and Assistant Coach Paul McFarland would be relieved of their duties. General Manager Dale Tallon released a statement thanking Head Coach Bob Boughner and Assistant Coach Paul McFarland for their services for the past two seasons with the Florida Panthers. Tallon implied that the coaching change was absolutely necessary and that the team must obtain a “transformative” head coach who possesses “Stanley Cup pedigree.” Regarding Florida’s current head coaching search, it’s widely rumored around the league that the Cats are closing in on a multi-year contract with former Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup-winning Head Coach Joel Quenneville. The rumored contract would essentially pay Quenneville approximately $6 million annually for numerous years. Essentially, the hiring seems completely logical mainly because of the connection between Dale Tallon and Joel Quenneville from their days with the Chicago Blackhawks. Ultimately, by replacing Bob Boughner with the highly sought after Joel Quenneville, the Florida Panthers would be upgrading at the head coaching position. Quenneville is a proven coach in the NHL, winning a total of three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks and transcending the Hawks into an unstoppable dynasty. Regarding former Head Coach Bob Boughner, the ownership and management simply desired a different voice within the position. Following two incredibly disappointing seasons under Bob Boughner – in which the Cats missed the playoffs both years – Tallon realized a coaching change was imperative for the betterment of the team. Bob Boughner’s tenure as Panthers Head Coach can be perfectly described as short-lived, unsuccessful, and unfortunately, underachieving. Unfortunately, though, the Florida Panthers organization had incredibly high expectations heading into the 2019 season but ultimately missed the playoffs with Boughner as the main voice behind the bench. Boughner was hesitant to provide talented prospects such as Henrik Borgstrom and Denis Malgin with necessary playing time. As a result, the development of Florida’s top prospects was greatly hindered. Furthermore, Boughner often provided unproductive veterans like Riley Sheahan, Troy Brouwer, and Jamie McGinn with more minutes and playing time than the younger players in the system. In essence, by favoring the older veterans over the talented youngsters, Boughner sacrificed speed over grit and evidently failed. Ultimately, Bob was viewed as a somewhat stubborn head coach who frequently struggled to make necessary adjustments during losing streaks and in the middle of a game. In addition, parting ways with the unsuccessful Boughner can be deemed as the proper move and an indication that the team is certainly heading in the right direction. If the Florida Panthers can finalize a deal with Joel Quenneville, then the Cats will undoubtedly transform into an instant playoff contender for the upcoming 2019-2020 NHL campaign. We wish Bob Boughner and Paul McFarland all the best in their future endeavors. We hope that they land on their feet rather quickly and successfully.<doc-sep>The Florida Panthers let go of head coach Bob Boughner on Sunday with one year remaining on his contract after he failed to guide the club to the playoffs in either of his first two seasons behind the bench. The Boughner-led Cats posted an overall record of 80-62-22, regressing from 96 points in 2017-18 to 86 in 2018-19, wasting career years from the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgenii Dadonov and Frank Vatrano. So, who is up next on the constantly spinning Panthers coaching carousel? Well, according to reports it could be none other than Joel Quenneville, who led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup wins in his slightly more than 10-season run in the Windy City. There is a real sense today that the process between FLA and Joel Quenneville is much further along than many of us realized. It’s not a done deal, but it’s close. It would not be a surprise if this process closes in the near future. — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 7, 2019 Florida GM Dale Tallon was the man who hired Quenneville in Chicago in 2008 and it looks like a reunion of the two could be confirmed as soon as today as the Panthers have a press conference scheduled for 12 p.m. There are also rumors that former New York Islanders general manager Garth Snow could be joining the organization in some capacity. The Panthers have missed the postseason 16 times in the last 18 seasons and haven’t won a playoff series since 1996. Hiring an experienced coach with Quenneville’s track record could be the shot in the arm the franchise needs to take the next step and would start the offseason, which will likely see the club acquire a new starting goaltender and hopefully some blue line help, with a bang... a big bang. UPDATE: The rumors are indeed true. Quenneville will be announced as the Panthers next coach at the noon press conference. From the team: Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the team has named Joel Quenneville as head coach of the Panthers. “Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise,” said Tallon. “We’ve seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history and we’re thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team. I’ve worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization. Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.” Quenneville, 60, has over 20 years of NHL head coaching experience with the St. Louis Blues (1996-97 to 2003-04), Colorado Avalanche (2005-06 to 2007-08) and Chicago Blackhawks (2008-09 to 2018-19) organizations. A native of Windsor, Ontario, Quenneville owns an 890-532-77-137 record as a head coach in the NHL. His 890 regular season wins as an NHL head coach are the second most in NHL history. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Quenneville has amassed a 118-97 record over 215 postseason contests as head coach. Quenneville guided the team that Tallon helped construct in Chicago to Stanley Cup victories in 2010, 2013 and 2015 during a historic 10-year run with the Blackhawks and is one of only 11 head coaches in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup on three occasions. In the salary cap era, Quenneville is the only NHL head coach to win the Stanley Cup three times. The recipient of the 1999-00 Jack Adams Award for the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success, Quenneville helped lead the St. Louis Blues to the President’s Trophy with a 51-19-11-1 record. He was named a head coach in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game. Prior to his head coaching career, Quenneville served as an assistant coach for the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche (1994-96), winning the 1996 Stanley Cup. Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (21st overall) of the 1978 NHL Draft, Quenneville appeared in 803 career NHL regular season games, recording 190 points (54-136-190) with Toronto (1978-79 to 1979-80), the Colorado Rockies (1979-80 to 1981-82), New Jersey Devils (1982-83), Hartford Whalers (1983-84 to 1989-90) and Washington Capitals (1990-91). Quenneville has been married to his wife Elizabeth since 1988 and has three children Anna, Lily and Dylan.<doc-sep>But Florida stumbled out of the gate, going winless in its first four games and ending the first month of the season 2-4-2. It won five in a row in November, but then proceeded to lose five of its next six and then effectively fall out of playoff contention by losing seven games to start 2019.<doc-sep>
The Florida Panthers weren't without a coach for long. The Panthers announced Monday morning that they have signed former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville to replace Bob Boughner behind the bench. The news comes just one day after the team fired Boughner, who had coached the club for only two seasons. Boughner went 80-62-22 over those two seasons, missing the playoffs in both years. Boughner's firing doesn't entirely come as a surprise considering the Panthers' disappointing season. Despite career years from several players, the team finished fifth in the Atlantic Division with 86 points, a 10-point drop-off from where they finished last season. The Panthers will now be looking to hire their fourth coach in as many years, and they seem to have a strong idea of what they're looking for in his replacement. In the team's release announcing Boughner's firing, Panthers president of hockey operations & general manager Dale Tallon said he'd be looking for "a transformative, experienced head coach with Stanley Cup pedigree to lead our team going forward." Quenneville fits the bill, and it didn't take long for the two sides to get a deal done. "Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise," said Tallon. "We've seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history and we're thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team. I've worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization. Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup." According to ESPN, the deal with Florida could pay Quenneville more than $6 million annually with bonuses, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. Toronto's Mike Babcock sits in the top spot at roughly $6.25 million per year. This is the second time that Tallon has hired Quenneville to be his head coach. Tallon hired Quenneville to take over for Quenneville to Denis Savard in Chicago in 2008. Quenneville went on to win three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in a six-year span. He was fired by the club in November. Quenneville, 60, is the second-winningest coach in NHL history with a career record of 890-532-214. His latest challenge will be taking over a Florida club that hasn't accomplished much recently despite possessing a talented young core with elite offensive talents like Aleksandr Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Coach Q will be tasked at getting the most out of his group and leading them back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Florida hasn't won a postseason series since 1996, when they were swept in the Stanley Cup Final by the Colorado Avalanche.