In this Wednesday edition of Hawks Headlines, we take a look at a milestone that Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville achieved on Tuesday night, the 10th anniversary of the passing of a Chicago legend, and a Hawks player whose stories about military exercises have left his teammates in awe.
-“I’m privileged for coaching some great players in all the spots I’ve been at and some great teams, which helped me be where I am today. I’m thankful, appreciative.” Joel Quenneville got a bit reflective in this interview with Dan Rosen, on the eve of hitting a big time coaching milestone. [NHL.com]
-That milestone was winning his 685th game as a head coach, which put him in fourth place on the all-time list. He is now only behind Blackhawks advisor Scotty Bowman (1244 wins), Al Arbour (782 wins), and former Hawks coach Dick Irvin (692 wins). [CSN Chicago]
-“Ten years ago, the Blackhawks family was rocked by the death of Keith Magnuson. Energetic, feisty, and a little bit gullible, Magnuson served as player, coach, and unofficial ambassador until the day he passed.” Hard to believe it’s already been a decade since we lost Keith Magnuson. [Daily Herald]
-After an incredibly grueling chunk of their schedule, the Blackhawks have emerged as the top team in the NHL, and according to Eric Single, the team is thrilled with where they are. [ESPN Chicago]
-“On the day Blackhawks rookie goalie Antti Raanta got everybody killed, deep in the woods of the Finnish town of Sakyla, near the shore of Lake Pyhajarvi, he had two rifles and a massive rocket launcher strapped to his back as he desperately clung to a motorcyclist driving upwards of 60 mph on dirt roads while trying to follow a GSP signal.” It sounds like a Call of Duty game, but Raanta was actually relating incidents from his time in training with the Finnish army. [Chicago Sun-Times]
-Kent Simpson allowed a goal on the very first shot he took as an NHL goaltender, which obviously isn’t how he dreamed his day would go. [Chicago Tribune]
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-Finally, the Rockford IceHogs went out into the Rockford community to brighten the holidays of children in need. [IceHogs.com]
