Hawks hire Chicago Cubs' Jeff Greenberg as associate GM originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks have hired Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jeff Greenberg to be an associate GM, the team announced Thursday. The news was first reported by ESPN's Emily Kaplan.
Greenberg, 36, was a finalist for the permanent general manager position that eventually went to Kyle Davidson, who had held the interim title since Oct. 26, 2021 before having it removed on March 1, 2022.
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"Our journey is just beginning as we build a next-generation foundation for this team, and that starts with a focus on modernizing and improving the Hockey Operations infrastructure in our front office," Davidson said in a statement. "We will only get back to being best-in-class on the ice if we are working with best-in-class information and ideas behind the scenes.
"Together, this executive leadership team is looking forward to developing great talent throughout all levels of our organization and adding the tools we need across scouting, analytics, player development, coaching and more to return to competitive hockey."
Greenberg's path is similar to Davidson's. He was hired by the Cubs in 2011 as a baseball operations intern and climbed up the ranks to assistant GM. He has a little bit of a hockey background as well, and his dad Chuck helped Mario Lemieux purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"What I’ve learned about the Blackhawks is they’re serious about using this rebuilding period to not only set this franchise up to be the best in hockey, but the best in all of sports moving forward,” Greenberg said. "There couldn’t be a more exciting time to get in on the ground floor of this journey and pursue every possible solution to put this team back on the path to winning hockey."
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer called Greenberg "simply one of the best teammates I have ever worked with in baseball" and endorsed the Blackhawks' hire.
"He has done so much to the make the Cubs a better organization over the last 10 seasons with his powerful combination of intelligence, work ethic, leadership and integrity," Hoyer said. "He was critically involved in forward-looking decisions as we built the core of a world champion."
"As the Blackhawks look to build their next championship team, Jeff is an ideal hire,” added Hoyer. “While I am sad to lose such a terrific employee and friend, I am thrilled that his future success will continue to benefit the city of Chicago."
The hiring rounds out the top of the Blackhawks' new front-office structure as the organization prepares for a rebuild after Davidson recently brought back longtime NHL executive Norm Maciver, who's also an associate GM that's overseeing the scouting department.
Greenberg officially begins his role on Monday, May 9, where he will oversee the strategic systems and processes that will arm the hockey operations group with the data, tools, and information needed to elevate every facet.
"Jeff will be both an architect and connector of the hockey operations group, ensuring that we’re always at the forefront of professional sports," Davidson. "He reached out to congratulate me after I was named General Manager, and we connected instantly over our parallel paths, shared love for hockey and vision for this sport’s future. I’m excited for our fans to see what he, alongside Norm, can bring as key voices at the table—a table that will continue to grow with other leaders we will add to the team."
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