Blackhawks hire Jeff Blashill as head coach: Why he's getting another shot
CHICAGO — Jeff Blashill was never given the chance to see a rebuild through with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Chicago Blackhawks now present Blashill a second chance at doing just that.
Blashill, 51, has been hired as the Blackhawks' head coach, a league source said, making him the 42nd head coach in franchise history. He replaces Anders Sörensen, whom the Blackhawks promoted to interim head coach after firing Luke Richardson early last season. Sörensen was considered to be among the Blackhawks' candidates for the permanent opening.
The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Jeff Blashill as head coach, as had been speculated over the past week. Announcement today.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 22, 2025
Blashill wasn't the Blackhawks' first choice — they took a run at David Carle and inquired about Mike Sullivan, as nearly every team with a coaching opening did — but Chicago doesn't feel like it's settling in any way. Blashill checked every box that Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson sought in his head coach.
Advertisement
The Blackhawks like Blashill's development background. He coached in the USHL, NCAA and AHL before settling into the NHL. He was once the hot name in college coaching, as Carle is today. Blashill left Western Michigan University in 2011 at 38 years old to give the NHL a shot. He spent one season as an assistant to Mike Babcock with the Red Wings, then spent three years as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate.
The Blackhawks also like that Blashill has NHL head coaching experience. Since Chicago fired Joel Quenneville in 2018, the franchise hired four consecutive first-time NHL head coaches (Jeremy Colliton, Derek King, Richardson and Sörensen).
Blashill's first NHL head coaching job came when he replaced Babcock in Detroit before the 2015-16 season. His tenure began with a veteran Red Wings team, and he made a playoff appearance in his first season as coach. From there, the Red Wings were dismantled, and Blashill and the organization endured the early stages of a rebuild over the rest of his tenure. He was not retained after the 2021-22 season and finished with 204-261-72 overall record. After his first season, the Red Wings never finished better than fifth in their division. The Red Wings have since hired two other coaches and have yet to make the playoffs again.
Blashil wasn't out of work long after the Red Wings. He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning and head coach Jon Cooper's staff the following season. Cooper, the league's longest-tenured coach, is also one of NHL's most respected coaches, which has likely helped Blashill's reputation, too. Blashill recently finished his third season with the Lightning.
The Blackhawks have to hope that Blashill's time with Cooper and the gap between his first and second NHL head coaching opportunities benefit him. A majority of NHL head coaches have had multiple opportunities in the position. Of the league's current coaches, 19 have been NHL head coaches for two or more teams.
Advertisement
The Blackhawks have some similarities to the Red Wings teams Blashill coached. Outside of being a No. 12 seed in the NHL's bubble playoffs in 2020, the Blackhawks haven't qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2017. They underwent a slight rebuild under previous general manager Stan Bowman, then a much more direct and deep version once Davidson was promoted to the position in the 2021-22 season. The Blackhawks have since finished 27th, 30th, 31st and 31st in the standings. Davidson has aimed to largely build his team through the draft and has made eight first-round selections, five second-round selections and eight third-round selections over the last three drafts. The Blackhawks' NHL roster has begun to reflect those drafts more and more in recent years. Chicago finished this past season with seven of Davidson's draft picks in the NHL lineup.
As with Detroit, there is no guarantee the Blackhawks' rebuild will work. Blashill should have some job security for some time, though. What he and Davidson have in their favor is the patience and support of Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz, who has voiced his confidence in Davidson and his plan multiple times in recent years. While the organization will want some improvement in the standings and development from their young players in the next couple years, Blashill won't likely face much pressure to win early. Most people expect the Blackhawks to still need some time before the playoffs become a realistic expectation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
19 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Sovereignty vs. Journalism in the Belmont gives horse racing a Kentucky Derby rematch
Horse racing is getting a Kentucky Derby rematch in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday to close out the Triple Crown. Derby winner Sovereignty and runner-up Journalism, who won the Preakness two weeks later, headline the field of eight in the Belmont. Add in Baeza, and the top three finishers from the first Saturday in May are involved. 'We're delighted to have the first three horses out of the Derby challenging each other again,' said Michael Banahan of Godolphin, which owns Sovereignty. 'It's a quality race. ... It should set up well, and may the best horse win.' Journalism opened as the 8-5 morning line favorite with Sovereignty the second choice at 4-1. Journalism won the Preakness run without Sovereignty after owners and trainer Bill Mott opted to give their horse extra rest. The intent was to focus on the Belmont rather than chase the chance for Sovereignty to become the sport's 14th Triple Crown champion and first since Justify in 2018. 'We felt that the best thing for him and to have a career through the whole season, and maybe into next year as well, was spacing his races a little bit,' Banahan said. 'Bill Mott, who's trained horses for us for a long time, is very judicious about where he wants to place his horses. And we put a lot of faith in the recommendations that he would give us.' Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism is the only horse running in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. And he is the favorite for a reason. 'Journalism is a very tough horse,' said John Shirreffs, who trains Baeza. 'One thing about Journalism, (if) he runs his race (like in) Kentucky, Pimlico, he's very tough. He's solid. So, it's going to be a very difficult horse to beat.' Shirrefs said Baeza is emerging and developing, hoping the half-brother of last year's Belmont winner, Dornoch, can stride along and get past Sovereignty and Journalism this time. 'Hopefully we get out of the gate well and get a nice pace,' Shirrefs said. 'It's just the how the race unfolds and him not getting into any trouble.' Long shot Heart of Honor is running again after finishing fifth in the Preakness three weeks ago. New to the Triple Crown trail are Hill Road, Uncaged, Crudo and Rodriguez, who was scratched from the Derby with a minor foot bruise that also caused him to miss the Preakness. Banahan expects Rodriguez to go to the lead, as so many of Hall of Fame and two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert's top horses do, and provide the main speed. 'That horse is going to be ready,' Chad Brown, trainer of Hill Road, said of Rodriguez. 'You can be assured of that. And it sure looks like he's by far the fastest horse in the race.' Brown has won the Preakness twice but never the Belmont. After going to Saratoga with his parents while growing up and getting into horse racing as a result, he's hoping to end his drought at his home track. 'We have a very unique time in history where there'll be three Belmont Stakes run total at Saratoga before you'll never see another one again,' Brown said. 'So, to be part of history with that, that would be extra special.' ___ AP horse racing:
Fox News
20 minutes ago
- Fox News
WNBA should investigate Brittney Griner video after probing false claims about Fever fans, governor says
In just the first week of the WNBA season, Caitlin Clark found herself in more wars of words. A day after she and the Indiana Fever slaughtered Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, the WNBA began investigating reports of "hateful comments" toward Reese by Fever fans that were ultimately "not substantiated." When the WNBA announced the claims were not true, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., called on the WNBA to issue an apology to Fever fans and Indiana residents. It is a sentiment Indiana Gov. Mike Braun agreed with during a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I'm one that absolutely has zero tolerance for bigotry and bullying and all the stuff that comes along with that whole discussion. When comments are made that don't make sense … when it's out of line, you need to acknowledge it. So, I agree with Sen. Banks there, and I hope that there's not any of that there," Braun said. Although the WNBA investigated reports of verbal attacks against Reese, the WNBA has not investigated a viral video of Brittney Griner in which many people on social media believe she was calling Clark "trash" and a "f---ing white girl." The video of Griner emerged shortly after Griner fouled out against the Fever on a questionable foul during a game in which Clark and Griner, who play two separate positions, were hardly near each other. Others say Griner was actually calling the referee or the call that was made "trash," adding it was a "f---ing whack call." In any case, the video has been a hot topic online, and the WNBA has not acted. Braun said if the WNBA investigated what were determined to be false claims of hateful speech against Reese, it should look into Griner. "I don't think there's any place for it. I think Caitlin has kind of done things for the league itself where it ought to be embraced. I think, if anything, it's showcased the talent across that league. You ought to be grateful for it, not throwing around comments that might indicate otherwise," Braun said. "Yes, I think if there was some look into what Angel Reese did, I think it would be good to put that to rest as well. And I hope that exits the stage, because it's no good regardless of where it's coming from." Braun admitted he "didn't pay quite as much attention" to women's basketball before Clark got to his state, "but I have a lot recently." "She sells out the Gainbridge arena just like the Pacers do, and her team," Braun said. "And the more I watch the games, they're as competitive, in many cases more so, in terms of the scrap and the talent. We're lucky that Caitlin ended up in the basketball state. She has rekindled a lot of that spirit at both the college and high school levels. Caitlin has been a wonderful addition, and she's in the right state. "Maybe that was destiny." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Washington Post
21 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Hilary Knight eager to introduce PWHL and women's hockey to her new team in Seattle
As Hilary Knight winds down her international career , the four-time Olympian and long-time face of U.S. women's hockey is hardly done making inroads in her sport. Next up for the 35-year-old during a trailblazing career — in which she stood up to USA Hockey in demanding better wages and helped found the PWHL — is introducing the women's game to a new frontier as part of the league's expansion into the Pacific Northwest.
