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Despite what most believe about the front office, the downward spiral of the Chicago Blackhawks actually started back in November of 2007, before winning the Cup, when Rocky Wirtz persuaded John McDonough to slither his way to the Madhouse on Madison and place his weight on the club after surviving 24 years of failure with the Chicago Cubs. It was the beginning of an end. Of course, these two usually are the center of attention when it comes to taking credit for the revival of the franchise but realistically they will be the downfall of a momentous ride started by those who laid the foundation before them.
Lets take a step back for now. After hitting rock bottom for several years in a row (2003-2007) the regular outsider had no reason to believe that the Blackhawks were actually ready to sling their way back to the top. However, with Bob Pulford stepping down from hockey operations, it allowed Dale Tallon to lead a core group of individuals (Rick Dudley, Stan Bowman among others) that were able to turn the culture around into a positive hockey atmosphere. The results did not pay dividends immediately as the Blackhawks collected four straight top 10 draft picks, but by 2007 GM Dale Tallon and his crew had already assembled an arsenal of young talent that created enough momentum to shoot out of that canyon of a hole -- no matter who was standing in the way, they would be carried along for the ride.
In retrospect, there was no rock bottom, the Blackhawks were saved by the trampoline that was known as Dale Tallon. It was too late for any weight to pull the Blackhawks back from what they were destined to accomplish. Of course, John McDonough along with Rocky Wirtz jumped into that hole together expecting to hit rock bottom, but instead happily grabbed on for the ride to the top as the team slammed them in the face with reality before they were able to plummet to the bottom.
In 2007-08, McDonough's first year as President, the Blackhawks fell short of the playoffs, but the process was quickly gaining momentum and there was a hockey fever blanketing over Chicago as they had shown their biggest burst of improvement: 17 points over their previous year.
Hockey was alive again. The expectations for the young up-and-comers sparked the cities interest and although they missed the post-season, there was no question that this group was going to be exciting to watch for several years to come.
The following year improvement was expected. Dale Tallon signed big market players such as Brian Campbell and the team was ready to take the next step; however, it wasn't that simple. Dale was forced to sign Cristobal Huet after having clear intentions of running a tandem of Nikolai Khabibulin and Antti Niemi, the first fiasco John had wiped his hands clean of after dipping them into hockey operations. Then, Denis Savard was fired a mere four games into the season due to a marketing tactic as Joel Quenneville was waiting in the wings after he was hired over the summer as a team scout. Anyone who had an ounce of curiosity knew the writing was on the wall, even Savard himself knew his time was up, it was only a matter of time. But why then? Of course, this was the first mark of the teams incompetence and it was all led by the man on top. The guy who is not a hockey guy, the guy who had only begun to lose respect in the hockey community. Of course, to a marketing expert, the public reaction over firing Denis Savard, a fan favorite, for a previously fired coach fresh off a DUI wouldn't exactly light up the ticket booth before the season started. So he waited, forced Dale Tallon (a long-time friend of Savard) to do his deed, and covered up his own tracks.
Joel Quenneville did a wonderful job guiding the group along for a Conference Finals appearance, bowing out to the defending Stanley Cup Champions: the Detroit Red Wings. While all seemed well on the ice, internally things were not. Rick Dudley decided to jump ship to the Atlanta Thrashers due to the harsh friction and Dale Tallon's frustrations with the "marketing guru" had boiled twice over after repeatedly meddling with hockey operations.
The great divide between the front office left brilliant hockey minds such as Dale Tallon and Rick Dudley in pursuit of hockey cultures while practical accountants such as Stan Bowman (interesting side story about how Stan got his job in the Blackhawks organization, but we will save it for another time) were cultivated into important hockey roles. Eventually, the ultimate mistake was made that may have cost the Blackhawks a modern-era dynasty was the "promotion" of Dale Tallon to Senior Advisor without allowing him to place any further input with the team. At this point, Dale Tallon was kicked off the ledge of his own dream that he launched out of the abyss a few short years ago; the trampoline that launched this team, their safety net, was gone.
McDonough did what he does best, he covered it up by blaming the RFA fiasco on Dale and targeted that as the final straw for his pity promotion and justification for Stan Bowman's rise to General Manager. Of course John couldn't just fire Dale after he brought the team to a Conference Finals appearance along with the fact that he was a fan favorite among the city of Chicago and a respected member of the hockey community/media. After all, the marketing mess would be a mark he would like to avoid in his career after building his public image to mend bridges instead of breaking them. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks they had foolishly broken important bridges in the hockey community that tied the hands of a freshly promoted Stan Bowman.
Former players started to present information that would suggest such was true at the time with Martin Havlat among the center of attention leading up to the implosion of the front office, along with Brian Campbell years later stating he was relieved that he no longer had to "walk on egg shells" after leaving Chicago to re-unite with Tallon in Florida.
The heart of the Chicago Blackhawks was under a serious transplant, and arguably they are still searching for a donor, but regardless their momentum rode on Dale Tallon's trampoline. Nothing was going to stop their ride to the top and eventual Stanley Cup Championship nearly a year after McDonough stomped Dale's fingers off the edge.
Luckily for Bowman, those bruised fingers healed enough for Tallon to pick up the phone and bail Stan out of the Cap crisis that built up, along with Dudley showing his fair share of help as well while the rest of the league stood by and low-balled the Blackhawks. The prime example is Doug Wilson sending Niklas Hjalmarsson an offer sheet and poaching away Antti Niemi as a result of the cap crunch -- something that never would have happened if McDonough gained the respect that the Blackhawks deserve. It was a clear message sent by Doug Wilson, long-time friend of Dale Tallon, that all respect went out the window with Tallon as it did with Savard.
Since then, the front office has nearly turned itself over twice with Kevin Cheveldayoff booking town to Winnipeg along with the recent overturn of Marc Bergevin leaving for Montreal. Let's not forget to mention the revolving door at assistant coach since the departure of John Torchetti, as it is clear that the "great divide" has also made it's way down to the Blackhawks bench, and it may not be over just yet with Joel Quenneville possibly making his exit as well due to the same exact reasons the rest of them have parted ways: they don't see eye to eye with management. Evidence presents itself with Barry Smith joining the Blackhawks on-ice to help the teams struggling power-play during the season. Quenneville did not appreciate the move and confronted management which effectively ended Smith's "coaching" role. Whether or not Quenneville joins Marc Bergevin in Montreal remains to be seen, but if he does it would be yet another person lost from the hockey family. Another piece of the winning culture, the culture that is dwindling away right before every fan's eyes.
The hockey atmosphere could still light up the United Center but behind the curtain is a marketing guy and his accountant running the show. It's a corporate feel now, which is just the way Wirtz wants it because it's all about the money. The problem is, the great divide has trickled all the way down to the product. The players on the ice are feeling the effects now, the same effect that gave Campbell the feeling that he was walking on eggshells instead of enjoying the game, enjoying the company he is playing for, and ultimately having a connection with the front office much like the family that use to be the Blackhawks with Dale Tallon running the show. That connection, that passion, that character is long gone. All of those qualities were the foundation that built the Stanley Cup Championship team, and none of them remain. Not just the people, but the culture.
As long as fans put their butts in his seats, pay for his concessions, and pay to park in his lots, what does it matter? Until his pocket book is effected and John McDonough is fired, the Chicago Blackhawks will show more of the same. At this point, the Blackhawks are in a free fall back into the same pit they were revived from and there is no safety net to catch them. The product on the ice no longer matters as much as the money that lines the owners pockets and maybe it never did. If it did matter, Wirtz would have let his hockey people run the show instead of turning it over to the marketing expert and accountant to cut corners.
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Lets take a step back for now. After hitting rock bottom for several years in a row (2003-2007) the regular outsider had no reason to believe that the Blackhawks were actually ready to sling their way back to the top. However, with Bob Pulford stepping down from hockey operations, it allowed Dale Tallon to lead a core group of individuals (Rick Dudley, Stan Bowman among others) that were able to turn the culture around into a positive hockey atmosphere. The results did not pay dividends immediately as the Blackhawks collected four straight top 10 draft picks, but by 2007 GM Dale Tallon and his crew had already assembled an arsenal of young talent that created enough momentum to shoot out of that canyon of a hole -- no matter who was standing in the way, they would be carried along for the ride.
In retrospect, there was no rock bottom, the Blackhawks were saved by the trampoline that was known as Dale Tallon. It was too late for any weight to pull the Blackhawks back from what they were destined to accomplish. Of course, John McDonough along with Rocky Wirtz jumped into that hole together expecting to hit rock bottom, but instead happily grabbed on for the ride to the top as the team slammed them in the face with reality before they were able to plummet to the bottom.
In 2007-08, McDonough's first year as President, the Blackhawks fell short of the playoffs, but the process was quickly gaining momentum and there was a hockey fever blanketing over Chicago as they had shown their biggest burst of improvement: 17 points over their previous year.
Hockey was alive again. The expectations for the young up-and-comers sparked the cities interest and although they missed the post-season, there was no question that this group was going to be exciting to watch for several years to come.
The following year improvement was expected. Dale Tallon signed big market players such as Brian Campbell and the team was ready to take the next step; however, it wasn't that simple. Dale was forced to sign Cristobal Huet after having clear intentions of running a tandem of Nikolai Khabibulin and Antti Niemi, the first fiasco John had wiped his hands clean of after dipping them into hockey operations. Then, Denis Savard was fired a mere four games into the season due to a marketing tactic as Joel Quenneville was waiting in the wings after he was hired over the summer as a team scout. Anyone who had an ounce of curiosity knew the writing was on the wall, even Savard himself knew his time was up, it was only a matter of time. But why then? Of course, this was the first mark of the teams incompetence and it was all led by the man on top. The guy who is not a hockey guy, the guy who had only begun to lose respect in the hockey community. Of course, to a marketing expert, the public reaction over firing Denis Savard, a fan favorite, for a previously fired coach fresh off a DUI wouldn't exactly light up the ticket booth before the season started. So he waited, forced Dale Tallon (a long-time friend of Savard) to do his deed, and covered up his own tracks.
Joel Quenneville did a wonderful job guiding the group along for a Conference Finals appearance, bowing out to the defending Stanley Cup Champions: the Detroit Red Wings. While all seemed well on the ice, internally things were not. Rick Dudley decided to jump ship to the Atlanta Thrashers due to the harsh friction and Dale Tallon's frustrations with the "marketing guru" had boiled twice over after repeatedly meddling with hockey operations.
The great divide between the front office left brilliant hockey minds such as Dale Tallon and Rick Dudley in pursuit of hockey cultures while practical accountants such as Stan Bowman (interesting side story about how Stan got his job in the Blackhawks organization, but we will save it for another time) were cultivated into important hockey roles. Eventually, the ultimate mistake was made that may have cost the Blackhawks a modern-era dynasty was the "promotion" of Dale Tallon to Senior Advisor without allowing him to place any further input with the team. At this point, Dale Tallon was kicked off the ledge of his own dream that he launched out of the abyss a few short years ago; the trampoline that launched this team, their safety net, was gone.
McDonough did what he does best, he covered it up by blaming the RFA fiasco on Dale and targeted that as the final straw for his pity promotion and justification for Stan Bowman's rise to General Manager. Of course John couldn't just fire Dale after he brought the team to a Conference Finals appearance along with the fact that he was a fan favorite among the city of Chicago and a respected member of the hockey community/media. After all, the marketing mess would be a mark he would like to avoid in his career after building his public image to mend bridges instead of breaking them. Unfortunately for the Blackhawks they had foolishly broken important bridges in the hockey community that tied the hands of a freshly promoted Stan Bowman.
Former players started to present information that would suggest such was true at the time with Martin Havlat among the center of attention leading up to the implosion of the front office, along with Brian Campbell years later stating he was relieved that he no longer had to "walk on egg shells" after leaving Chicago to re-unite with Tallon in Florida.
The heart of the Chicago Blackhawks was under a serious transplant, and arguably they are still searching for a donor, but regardless their momentum rode on Dale Tallon's trampoline. Nothing was going to stop their ride to the top and eventual Stanley Cup Championship nearly a year after McDonough stomped Dale's fingers off the edge.
Luckily for Bowman, those bruised fingers healed enough for Tallon to pick up the phone and bail Stan out of the Cap crisis that built up, along with Dudley showing his fair share of help as well while the rest of the league stood by and low-balled the Blackhawks. The prime example is Doug Wilson sending Niklas Hjalmarsson an offer sheet and poaching away Antti Niemi as a result of the cap crunch -- something that never would have happened if McDonough gained the respect that the Blackhawks deserve. It was a clear message sent by Doug Wilson, long-time friend of Dale Tallon, that all respect went out the window with Tallon as it did with Savard.
Since then, the front office has nearly turned itself over twice with Kevin Cheveldayoff booking town to Winnipeg along with the recent overturn of Marc Bergevin leaving for Montreal. Let's not forget to mention the revolving door at assistant coach since the departure of John Torchetti, as it is clear that the "great divide" has also made it's way down to the Blackhawks bench, and it may not be over just yet with Joel Quenneville possibly making his exit as well due to the same exact reasons the rest of them have parted ways: they don't see eye to eye with management. Evidence presents itself with Barry Smith joining the Blackhawks on-ice to help the teams struggling power-play during the season. Quenneville did not appreciate the move and confronted management which effectively ended Smith's "coaching" role. Whether or not Quenneville joins Marc Bergevin in Montreal remains to be seen, but if he does it would be yet another person lost from the hockey family. Another piece of the winning culture, the culture that is dwindling away right before every fan's eyes.
The hockey atmosphere could still light up the United Center but behind the curtain is a marketing guy and his accountant running the show. It's a corporate feel now, which is just the way Wirtz wants it because it's all about the money. The problem is, the great divide has trickled all the way down to the product. The players on the ice are feeling the effects now, the same effect that gave Campbell the feeling that he was walking on eggshells instead of enjoying the game, enjoying the company he is playing for, and ultimately having a connection with the front office much like the family that use to be the Blackhawks with Dale Tallon running the show. That connection, that passion, that character is long gone. All of those qualities were the foundation that built the Stanley Cup Championship team, and none of them remain. Not just the people, but the culture.
As long as fans put their butts in his seats, pay for his concessions, and pay to park in his lots, what does it matter? Until his pocket book is effected and John McDonough is fired, the Chicago Blackhawks will show more of the same. At this point, the Blackhawks are in a free fall back into the same pit they were revived from and there is no safety net to catch them. The product on the ice no longer matters as much as the money that lines the owners pockets and maybe it never did. If it did matter, Wirtz would have let his hockey people run the show instead of turning it over to the marketing expert and accountant to cut corners.
Click here to view the article
