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Chicago Tribune
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Will Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill make the most of his second chance? ‘He's way farther ahead now'
Jeff Blashill didn't make the kind of history he was looking for in Detroit. His seven-year run as a first-time NHL head coach from 2015-22 included presiding over the Red Wings' third-worst finish by points percentage (.275). But Chicago Blackhawks great and TNT analyst Eddie Olczyk believes the second time can be the charm for a lot of coaches. Blashill, hired Thursday as the 42nd head coach in Hawks history, has a chance to join them. Olczyk noted several who 'really did a heck of a job after so-called 'struggling' the first time around and then going in (improved) the second time,' he said. 'Mike Sullivan is a perfect example, going from Boston and then being assistant for almost 10 years and then getting the job (again) finally in Pittsburgh.' The Bruins fired Sullivan in 2006 after two seasons, but a decade later he led the Penguins to Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and '17. 'Craig Berube, no different,' Olczyk continued. 'Second job, he's become one of the top coaches and wins. After being in Philadelphia, he goes and he becomes a Stanley Cup champion in St Louis (in 2019). 'Bruce Cassidy in Washington — rebuild, young team — whatever didn't have the success, went down and was (out as a head coach for) 12 years, and all of a sudden he gets a chance in Boston. … He gets them to a Cup Final (in 2019). And here he is on his next job and he's a Stanley Cup champion (with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023).' Of course, it's not always a comeback story. Over the last 20 years, more coaches (16) have finished with worse records (excluding active coaches) than with improved records (13) in their second-chance campaigns, according to NHL Stats. And the difference in average winning percentage between first (.529) and second (.517) campaigns has been marginal. During Blashill's first go-round — he went 204-261-72 with one playoff appearance — there were the added burdens of a Red Wings team falling out of its prime into a rebuild, missing on high draft picks and changing directions at general manager from Ken Holland to Steve Yzerman. 'I think for Blas, it'll be the confidence of going back in there and having seen this before, whether it's practice, schedule, handling players a certain way in game — you know, adjustments,' Olczyk said. Blashill, 51, also has had the benefit of being an assistant on Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper's staff and learning from his mannerisms on the bench and tendencies as a tactician. 'So he's way farther ahead now than he was when he went in there as a head coach in Detroit the first time,' Olczyk said. 'I just think the experience of having done it, going back and being an assistant and working with somebody like John Cooper will only help his bench skills and the handling of the staff and inside that locker room.' The reality of it is the Hawks could have a second coming of Scotty Bowman in the building and still face an uphill climb. The Hawks are still very young and play in a brutal Central Division that sent five teams to the playoffs. Summer jobs: Chicago Blackhawks' offseason plans, from Connor Bedard's speed to Kevin Korchinski's blade curveBlashill's top priority will come down to how he helps the likes of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov move past promise and develop into difference-makers. Tyler Bertuzzi believes Blashill's suited to that task. The Hawks forward played under Blashill with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins (partial season) and Red Wings (six seasons) and will be reunited with him this fall. 'I had him coming right out of junior. He was my first coach,' Bertuzzi, 30, said. 'He helped me learn a lot from my first year pro all the way up into Detroit … and we've been through a lot together on-ice-wise and just going through the kind of rebuild process in Detroit. … 'I think he's a great coach. I think he's the right guy for this job with the experience he has, the amount of years he's coached and all the different leagues, and I'm looking forward to it.' Both Bertuzzi and Olczyk said Blashill is a likeable person who's easy to talk to. Olczyk said that through their 20-year friendship, Blashill has been fun to be around but also conscientious enough to occasionally check in with him about his fight with colon cancer. 'He's got a quick sense of humor,' Olczyk said. 'I told him because he was a goalie back in the day … he obviously thinks he's the smartest guy in the room.' Chicago Blackhawks unveil plans for a new Hall of Fame as part of their centennial seasonBertuzzi also has kept in touch with Blashill. 'He's a very personal guy,' Bertuzzi said. 'He wants to know how your family's doing, he wants to know all the info he can. And sometimes it's not even talking about hockey, it's just talking about life stuff, so I think that's very important. 'That's what I liked about him the most.' That's not to say Blashill won't hold players accountable or adjust to what his roster needs. 'I think he's very adaptable (to) the type of team that he has and how he wants to play,' Olczyk said. 'He has a great feel for who is playing well in a game.' He added, having talked to several of Blashill's former players, 'he gives them the information' they need before games. 'It's very quick. It's very to the point, and then you have to carry out your responsibility,' Olczyk said. Bertuzzi seconded that assessment. 'Yeah, that's what he's very good at,' he said. 'He's very detailed. He's very structured in his approach to the game. 'In the quick moments on the ice, when he sees something, he needs to shift something or someone needs to start playing better or play a different way, he catches onto that quickly and he's good at making those in-game changes.' While this is a big opportunity for Blashill, 'it's a fresh start for everyone,' Bertuzzi said. 'We're not going to look at last season,' he said of the Hawks' second-to-last-place finish. 'We're moving forward and whoever was going to be behind the bench, it's still a fresh start. 'As a team and as an organization, we need to look ahead and just focus on training camp, then preseason, and then for Game 1, and just forget about what happened (last season) and just move on. 'We need to start getting better and start working.'
Fox Sports
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 Preakness Stakes odds: Sharps ponying up to back Clever Again
"Do you bet horses?" I received that question on Thursday morning from our managing editor, and I was happy to respond with a valiant "Yes." I'm pretty sure he knew I did. I interpreted it more as a question about whether I could write about the Preakness Stakes. After all, Chris "The Bear" Fallica is on vacation. I constantly bet the horses but always lean on my guys. I handicap the handicappers. Kirk Rockwell and Colin Sheehan are fantastic horse players and fellow Chicagoan Eddie Olczyk knows a thing or two about the ponies. Sheehan, who correctly picked Sovereignty at the Kentucky Derby, is backing Journalism this Saturday at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. "Journalism has performed at another level along with Sovereignty and Baeza," Sheehan told FOX Sports. "He was just beaten by a better horse at the Derby. There appears to be enough pace here to set up Journalism for success. "He's the class of the race." Odds to win 2025 Preakness Stakes: 1. Goal Oriented 6/12. Journalism 8/53. American Promise 15/14. Heart of Honor 12/15. Pay Billy 20/16. River Thames 9/27. Sandman 4/18. Clever Again 5/1 9. Gosger 20/1 A huge story surrounding the Preakness is Sovereignty not running. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is giving the Derby winner Saturday off before likely returning him to the fold at the Belmont Stakes. So, Journalism doesn't have to compete against the horses who finished first and third. Fourth-place finisher Final Gambit is skipping, too. There's been a slew of sharp money for Saturday's race on Clever Again, the 8-horse trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Jose Ortiz. Olczyk and Rockwell both love the 8. "I'm taking out the huge favorite!" Rockwell told me. Olczyk, who is an annual staple on NBC's race day coverage, came on my radio show "Bet Sweats" earlier this week to gush over Clever Again. He's sold. "I like the 8," Olczyk said. "This was the target race all along. He was a wire-to-wire winner at the end of March and the horse is bred to be able to sit off if there's a little more speed in the race. And I love the post position on the outside, too. I'm thinking he can get the jump on Journalism. "You'll get every bit of 5/1." So there you have it, actionable thoughts from successful horse handicappers that are all much, much smarter than me when it comes to this stuff. Here's what I'm betting on Saturday: $100 [2] Journalism to win$100 [8] Clever Again to win$30 Five-dollar exacta box with 1-2-3 $10 Exacta 8-2 Good luck, all. Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot. recommended Get more from Horse Racing Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
