Panthers Introduce Joel Quenneville As Head Coach

The Florida Panthers pulled off something of a coup over the weekend, bringing in 3 time Stanley Cup Champion Joel Quenneville to be their next head coach. Quenneville was with the Chicago Blackhawks for 10 seasons before being fired 15 games into his 11th last November.

Quenneville is also second on the all time list for wins by an NHL head coach. And for the Panthers, bringing a coach of this pedigree did not come cheaply, per George Richards of The Athletic.

#FlaPanthers contract with new coach Joel Quenneville is this according to a source: 5 years, $5.25m per with bonuses that can hit $7m. Philly, apparently, did not get outbid but Q wanted to work with Dale and Barkov. And he likes Gulfstream Park. pic.twitter.com/bjgXdTThbs

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) April 8, 2019

The Panthers won this battle in all likelihood because of the connection between the new coach and Panthers general manager Dale Tallon. And for a franchise that’s made the playoffs 5 times, that connection could mean everything to changing that.

Huge move #FlaPanthers
20 years finishing NHL seasons, 18 playoff appearances https://t.co/srjXwsDNSz

— Steve Goldstein (@goldieonice) April 8, 2019