(670 The Score) And so coach Jeremy Colliton skates away into hockey oblivion, fired by the Blackhawks after 205 games without ever coaching a full season, reduced to a trivia question by a lost franchise searching for answers.
Ho. Hum.
Let me know when the Hawks make a bold move that truly effects change. This isn't it. This is a good start. The bulk of the work remains.
Consider Colliton the lucky one. At least the consummate 36-year-old professional leaves with his dignity intact, unlike the disgraced men who recently preceded him through the exit door at 1901 W. Madison. Those names left a blemish with Colliton barely leaving a mark, an inconsequential footnote in Hawks history. Colliton had nothing to do with the ugly Brad Aldrich sexual abuse scandal that transformed the Blackhawks into a franchise defined by Jenner and Block more than Kane and Toews. Yet, day after day since the release of the law firm’s independent investigation, in the latest acts of organizational cowardice by the Hawks, the powers-that-be sent Colliton out to speak on behalf of the people in charge who have forgotten what leadership means.
Suffice to say, Colliton showed more competence at the mic than behind the glass. Firing him became as necessary as it was inevitable, made easier once the Hawks stopped being competitive after adding big-name veterans who share responsibility for this disastrous start. The list starts with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury but doesn’t end there. The Hawks had given up an NHL-high 47 goals heading into their game Sunday evening. Only the Arizona Coyotes had a worse record. At times, the hockey has been bad enough to long for the days when Hawks games weren’t televised.
Reports of Colliton’s firing noted the interesting symmetry of the news breaking exactly three years after his hiring yet, more significantly, it also came 10 months after Colliton signed a contract extension through next season. Former president of hockey operations Stan Bowman made that decision, and when Bowman left ignominiously in October, he took any remaining job security for Colliton with him. Before all that, Bowman also complicated the situation with a confusing offseason geared around adding veterans despite Colliton earning a new deal last January based on the organization’s belief in his ability to develop young talent. Bowman wasn’t the first sports executive – and won’t be the last – to desperately let short-term panic outweigh long-term prudence.
Even so, as well as Colliton might have connected with the 11 rookies who made the 2020-'21 season encouraging or how much he contributed to Alex DeBrincat’s breakthrough to stardom, the truth is he struggled in other key areas. He never distinguished himself as communicator or developed a style that was easily identified as his. He exuded a personality many Chicagoans considered too sedate for someone who hadn’t won yet. He assembled a record over four partial seasons that hardly made a convincing argument for him to stay: 87-92-26.
Colliton’s new defensive system, the heavily scrutinized “man-and-a-half” approach, never took hold. Offensively, the Hawks had too much skill and speed to score so inconsistently. Structure lacked and, as one source put it, communication improved but also had nowhere to go but up after he was thrust into a tough situation coaching a team once led by Joel Quenneville. In coaching, you never want to be the guy who follows a legend. You want to be the guy who follows the guy who followed a legend.
On Sunday, Bowman’s replacement – interim general manager Kyle Davidson – introduced Colliton’s replacement – interim coach Derek King – and Davidson and King both did a commendable job of sounding like capable pros. Admittedly, it’s a low bar for a franchise whose standards have been shattered. Davidson announced how different he could be from Bowman, a smart distinction to make immediately. King declared his desire to see Hawks players loosen up and just play hockey, a reasonable goal. Together, perhaps both men can stabilize the situation and improve a product too many fans no longer want to sample. It’s easy to suggest compartmentalizing disgust over the scandal and interest in the hockey but hard to actually do it.
As much as firing Colliton will stop the boos at the United Center, only a fool would think people will start coming back now. The problems go much deeper than who coaches the Hawks. Expect attendance to continue dipping at the UC and the Hawks' profile to keep declining in Chicago. Damage to the brand is incalculable. Irrelevance looms for the first time in the Rocky Wirtz era.
A hockey organization lacks a respected hockey mind to establish a direction and plot a course. That’s why hiring the next permanent coach can wait until after the Wirtzes hire the next permanent president of hockey operations – an announcement that needs to come sooner rather than later. Who's giving Danny Wirtz hockey advice now? Anybody who owns a Stanley Cup ring? Anybody whose character and integrity command instant respect across the NHL?
The Blackhawks have nobody in the organization qualified to identify how to build – or rebuild – a championship team, nobody of that stature. They sit at a critical crossroads that will require making some difficult decisions in the near future. They need to define what rebuilding means and what that method entails. They must evaluate the 2022 NHL Draft to at least consider whether consensus No. 1 prospect Shane Wright is good enough to tank the season, a once-unfathomable thought but no longer taboo in today’s professional sports world. They must have hard conversations about whether trading Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews to contenders for top prospects makes sense at this stage of their respective careers. They require a strong, clear voice to restore order and regain trust. The Hawks need a new president or GM more than they need anything else.
Firing their coach was a big story Saturday but can’t be the biggest personnel move this month for an organization in free-fall.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.