Florida Panthers Snag 2nd Winningest Coach In NHL History

SUNRISE, FL – The Florida Panthers have signed Joel Quenneville, the second winningest coach in NHL history. Quenneville takes over as coach of the South Florida franchise on the heels of a disappointing season.

“Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise,” declared President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Dale Tallon. “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."

Tallon, who signed Quenneville in Chicago back in 2008, said his new coach brings passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership. Quenneville was introduced to the South Florida media on Monday afternoon.

"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," Tallon said.

The 60-year-old Quenneville takes over a Panthers team that finished the 2018-19 season with a disappointing tenth-place record of 36 wins, 32 losses and 14 overtime losses.

He had a message for his new team:

"It's Monday, the first probably practice day going into the playoffs," Quenneville said. "I want every one of you guys to remember where you are at right now, and remember the feeling that you have today. Next year, we want to be right now coming off the ice with our skates on and we're preparing for our first round opponent."

Quenneville was unceremoniously fired by the Blackhawks back in November after leading the Chicago franchise since 2008.

The trouble for Quenneville began when Chicago was swept by Nashville in the first round of the 2017 playoffs, after the Blackhawks finished with the best record in the Western Conference. Chicago then missed the playoffs during the 2017-18 season for the first time in a decade.

Before arriving in Chicago Quenneville led the Colorado Avalance from 2005 to 2008 and the St. Louis Blues from 1996 to 2004.

A native of Windsor, Ontario, Quenneville's overall record as a head coach in the NHL stands at 890-532-77-137. His 890 regular season wins as an NHL head coach are the second most in NHL history.

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Quenneville has a 118-97 record in 215 postseason contests as head coach.

Quenneville guided the team that Tallon helped construct in Chicago to Stanley Cup victories in 2010, 2013 and 2015 during his decade with the Blackhawks. He is one of only 11 head coaches in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup on three trips.

In the salary cap era, Quenneville is the only NHL head coach to win the Stanley Cup three times.

He is the recipient of the 1999-2000 Jack Adams Award for the NHL coach that contributed the most to his team's success.

Quenneville has been married to his wife Elizabeth since 1988. They have three children, Anna, Lily and Dylan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.