Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill talks about his experience and the road ahead
New Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill is hoping to bring his own experience and hone the skills of the team's young talent to make the proud franchise competitive again.
Blashill, 51, spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before that, he spent seven seasons as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings from 2015 to 2022. This makes him among a select few that can now say he has been coach of two of the NHL's six original franchises.
Blashill recently sat down with CBS Sports Chicago to talk about the task ahead.
RB: "When you were introduced as the 42nd head coach of this proud, historic franchise, you said, 'This job, this team, this moment is the exact job I wanted.' Why did you make that statement?"
JB: "Well, I guess that's the way I feel, and I feel that for a multitude of reasons. One is the people — I think it's really, really important to work with great people, and kind of have a shared vision. There's a number of young players coming at a time where we have a chance to have not only depth in every position, but great, elite players in each position, and so that part excited me. The last thing would just be the experiences that I've had I think have really prepared me for this. I've lived a rebuild in the National Hockey League, so I know, you know, the rebuild and the pain that's been felt here for a couple of years. I know what I'm walking into."
RB: "It's been a rough road the last few years."
JB: "Yeah, and I get that. I understand that. I understand how hard it is. I understand that it's not an easy escape out of it, but that, you know, there's certain pitfalls that we'll kind of navigate as we go through."
RB: "You are now the head coach of not one, but two original six franchises. Not many coaches in the National Hockey League can say that. Being from hockey town, how does the history of this organization resonate with you?"
JB: "Tons, and I certainly know the rivalry between Detroit and Chicago going back to the Norris Division days, and Chris Chelios is a good friend of mine. So I certainly know what a proud franchise this is, and what a passionate, passionate fan base we have. I'm excited to be part of it."
RB: "It's been a decade since the Blackhawks last won a Stanley Cup. Ten years ago, you were also hired as the coach of the Red Wings. Didn't end so great in Detroit, your hometown. As you take over this rebuild, do you feel like it's a perfect fit — because not only the 'Hawks, but you have something to prove as well that you belong as a head coach in the NHL?"
JB: "For sure. It's a perfect fit in the sense that because of the experiences I've gone through that I spoke about, I know what it's going to take to get this program to the top, and I know what it's going to take for us to get there and win. Doesn't mean it's going to be easy, and it doesn't mean, frankly, that we'll execute it. We still have to go out and execute it."
RB: "And it's not going to happen overnight."
JB: "It is not, for sure. Ultimately, we want it to happen as quick as the fan base wants it to happen. How long before we're competitive again, I don't know that answer. But I know that we have young talent. I know that if that talent, one, buys into playing winning hockey, and if we can help that talent develop at a good rate, that we'll be there sooner than later."
RB: "Coming from Tampa Bay, did you put lightning in a bottle?"
JB: "Certainly, what my time in Tampa has helped me is just again, see firsthand, you know, what a championship, at NHL level, what that looks like — and learning from a guy like John Cooper, who is certainly one of the very best coaches in the league."
RB: "Before we let you go, I want to talk to you about your home team — your family. Such a great moment as you were introduced to be the head coach of the Blackhawks. How important is your wife, Erica, and your three kids to your journey and helping you achieve the success and the opportunities you've had?"
JBB "Amazing. When you're a wife or a child of a coach, you live the roller coaster that is coaching, and that includes the hard losses — going through those moments. That includes being released in Detroit. That includes having to move and all those things, and through that whole period of time, they've always encouraged me to keep going — and for that, I am forever grateful for them."
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