Joel Quenneville

Joel Norman Quenneville (born September 15, 1958, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada) is the head coach of the Florida Panthers professional team. He is a former defenceman and former head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues.

As a player, Quenneville was drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. He has played for the OHA Windsor Spitfires, AHL New Brunswick Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, AHL Baltimore Skipjacks, Washington Capitals and AHL St. John's Maple Leafs. He has also been a player/assistant coach of St. John's, head coach of the AHL Springfield Indians, and assistant coach of the Quebec Nordiques and Colorado Avalanche. He won the Jack Adams Award with the Blues in the 1999–2000 NHL season.

Quenneville won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Avalanche in 1996. He then moved to the Blues franchise, becoming head coach midway through the next season after Mike Keenan was fired. He led St. Louis to 7 straight playoff berths. In Quenneville's 8th season with the Blues, the team started poorly. Late in the year, St. Louis was in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in a quarter century. As a result, Quenneville was fired.

Quenneville was hired to coach the Avalanche in June 2004, before the 2004–05 NHL lockout resulted in the season's cancellation. In his first year with the Avalanche, he led the team to the playoffs and a first round upset of the Dallas Stars. On March 25, 2007, Quenneville coached his 750th career game. He became one of only seven currently active coaches to reach 750 games as of the 2006–07 season. Quenneville reached his 400th coach win on October 26, 2007, in a 3-2 OT win in Calgary against the Flames. On May 9, 2008, the Avalanche announced that Quenneville was leaving the organization. Quenneville was hired as a pro scout by the Chicago Blackhawks in September 2008.

On October 16, 2008, Quenneville was promoted to Head Coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, replacing former Blackhawk Denis Savard.