Panthers go fast, coach Quenneville

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SUNRISE, Florida – Dale Tallon and Joel Quenneville are reunited again and the Florida Panthers are ready to allow them to recreate their magic.

Quenneville – who is second on the NHL's winning list – was hired on Monday to coach the Panthers, who started their offseason with a splash. It's also a meeting because Tallon hired Quenneville to coach Chicago in 2008 and eventually saw him win three Stanley Cups in six years.

Tallon was not there for these Chicago titles; he was fired less than a year after delivering Quenneville.

"Fate is a wonderful thing in my life," said Tallon. "It's a blessing for me, it's a blessing, there are many coaching positions, we wanted to do it because he's a popular guy and many teams would like to have him as a coach."

This is a bold move for the Panthers, who plunged into the checkbook to get Quenneville. The Blackhawks owed him $ 6 million for the 2019-2020 season, and it is believed that this agreement keeps him in this salary range. It also represents a radical shift in organizational thinking as five of Florida's six recent coaches were head coaches for the first time.

No Quenneville. With 890 wins, he is only ahead of Scotty Bowman in the history of the NHL. He is one of 11 coaches with three Stanley Cups.

Florida desperately wants to see him win a fourth.

"His record is impeccable," Tallon said. "I think this is going to be a complete punch for the entire organization, on and off the ice.It's a great moment.This is a big step forward for our franchise. . "

Quenneville replaces Bob Boughner, fired Sunday after two seasons. Tallon was not trying to dismiss Boughner and made it clear that he still holds him in high esteem.

But when Tallon read an article suggesting that Quenneville was anxious to train again, the wheels began to spin. Tallon, a rulesman, said he had not directly addressed his friend Quenneville first. He began by going to see the owner of the Panthers, Vincent Viola, to discuss the option and develop a strategy. He then got permission from the Blackhawks to talk to Quenneville, who was sacked by Chicago in November and who was still under contract.

Then the sales pitch started. Sunday late, an agreement was reached. Monday morning, the agreement was announced.

"It does not come very often, opportunities like this," Tallon said. "We had to think about what was best for the franchise in the long run – and it's a fabulous day for our franchise."

Some of the former Quenneville players in Chicago, informed of the possibility of settling in Florida on Sunday, immediately gave him good marks.

"Happy for him, you know, happy for Dale too," said the Chicago star Patrick Kane said. "I know they've sort of started together here, so I'm sure they'll build a good team and win a lot of games."

Moving from Quenneville to Florida makes sense on many levels. He loves golf. He is great in horse racing. He and Tallon stayed close.

There is also a promise on the ice.

Florida has a core of powerful offensive players – Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman all had great years of goals, and Vincent Trocheck has become a true leadership voice in the locker room. Goalkeeper Roberto Luongo, when he comes back, is another clear leader. Florida plans to be aggressive on July 1 to find free agents who will immediately consolidate a porous defense.

Quenneville thinks that making Florida more attractive to free agents.

"I do not want expectations to be, 'Oh, fight for a playoff spot," Tallon said. "I want to be the best, Vinnie has given us this opportunity, he wants to win, I want to win, and now it sends the message to the world: this team is synonymous with business, and we will take care of it."

A year after the dismissal of the Blackhawks in Tallon, Florida made it its general manager in 2010. The Panthers experienced an almost annual evolution during the years when Tallon was a member of the team. They experienced a change of ownership. They went through a power struggle during which Tallon was in charge at the time, and still is. They went through six coaches, 164 players and even five captains during this period.

And none of this has led to success in the playoffs.

Quenneville has already corrected such scenarios. Before Quenneville took over in Chicago, the Blackhawks had not won a playoff series for 11 years. They then won 16 series in the first seven seasons of Quenneville.

Tallon bet Quenneville can do it again.

"Me and Q, we are at the back nine and we want to finish it off," said Tallon. "We want to be comfortable doing it and have fun doing it."

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