With the announcement of Joel Quenneville's hiring as the team's newest head coach earlier this morning, the organization has officially entered a brand-new era under the watchful eye - and legendary mustache - of one of most successful bench bosses the NHL has ever seen.
The league's longest-tenured head coach prior to cutting ties with Chicago back in November, Quenneville currently stands as the the second-winningest coach in NHL history, compiling an astounding 890 wins over parts of 22 seasons split between St. Louis, Colorado and the Blackhawks.
A proven winner, Quenneville led the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
"Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise," Panthers President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dale Tallon said in a release. "We've seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history and we're thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team."
In 2008, Tallon was the one who hired Quenneville in Chicago, thus ushering in one of hockey's most-recent dynasties. And although Tallon, who was hired by Florida in 2010, wasn't a part of the Blackhawks during their Cup runs, he has been credited with building the core of that group.
In fact, if you take a closer look at the 2009-10 section of the Stanley Cup, you'll find Tallon and Quenneville's names etched into the silver, side by side - a feat they'll now attempt to recreate.
"I've worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization," Tallon said. "Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."
Quenneville will be introduced during a press conference at noon from BB&T Center. If you'd like to tune in to the event, a livestream will be available on the team's Facebook page HERE.
Additionally, following along with @FlaPanthers and @JamesonCoop on Twitter throughout the entire day for updates on the hiring, including reactions from players, notes, videos and articles.
