Chicago Blackhawks hire Jeff
Blashill as head coach, hoping for a turnaround
[May 23, 2025]
By JAY COHEN
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks hired Jeff Blashill on
Thursday, giving him a second chance to prove himself as a head
coach in the NHL.
Blashill, a 51-year-old Michigan native, coached the Detroit Red
Wings for seven seasons. He was let go after the team went 32-40-10
during the 2021-22 season.
While Blashill had an underwhelming stay with Detroit, finishing
with a 204-261-72 record, he has a player development background
that likely was appealing for the rebuilding Blackhawks. He has
coached in the AHL and USHL, along with the college ranks.
Blashill, a former college goaltender for Ferris State, spent the
last three seasons as an assistant to Jon Cooper with the Tampa Bay
Lightning.
“He’s thrived when in a position to develop young players and has
shown he’s capable of blending that into overall team success, a
vision and philosophy we share for where we are today and where we
see our team in the future," general manager Kyle Davidson said in a
release. "We couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come under
Jeff’s direction.”
The previous four coaches for Chicago — Anders Sorensen, Luke
Richardson, Derek King and Jeremy Colliton — had never been a head
coach in the NHL when they got the job with the Blackhawks.
Chicago went 25-46-11 this year, finishing last in the Central
Division and No. 31 in the NHL for the second straight season.
Davidson fired Richardson in December, and Sorensen was promoted
from the minors to serve as the team’s interim coach for the rest of
the season.
Sorensen was a candidate for the full-time job, but he is expected
to remain with the franchise in some capacity.
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Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill watches during the third
period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Chicago
Blackhawks, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya,
File)
“We love Anders,” Davidson said at the team’s
end-of-season media availability in April. “He’s been part of the
organization for some time. He’s a great hockey mind, he’s a great
person and those are the type of people we want in our
organization.”
Blashill inherits a team with the makings of what looks like a good
young nucleus, led by Connor Bedard. It has two first-round
selections in each of the next two drafts, to go along with
salary-cap flexibility for free agency.
Artyom Levshunov, Colton Dach, Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore and Ryan
Greene each made their NHL debut this year, ramping up hope for the
future.
But the Blackhawks averaged just 2.73 goals this season and allowed
3.56 goals per game, 31st in the NHL behind only San Jose. The team
has made just one postseason appearance since 2017, and that was the
expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Blashill steps into his new job amid preparations for the
franchise’s centennial 2025-26 season.
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