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http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2010-09-11/quenneville-blackhawks-talking-extension
Joel Quenneville, who last season led the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961, is discussing a contract extension with general manager Stan Bowman, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Quenneville is entering the final year of a contract he signed when he replaced Denis Savard as coach four games into the 2008-09 season.
"It's something that we're certainly talking about," team president John McDonough told the newspaper. "We're in the discussion phase of that. Stan has been handling all of that."
McDonough didn’t mince words about Quenneville, calling the Blackhawks "extremely well-coached." The former Blues and Avalanche coach has a career regular-season winning percentage of .581 and has become a fixture in the postseason.
"What (Quenneville) says all of the time, 'Nobody likes winning more than I do.' He's right about that because he's had a lot of experience," McDonough told the newspaper. "Here's a guy that has 500 and some wins. ... He's really, really driven. There's a measured intensity that you don't see very often. He's great with the media. He really understands the game, he really understands people. We're proud that he's our coach."
Quenneville was widely praised for his line and strategy adjustments en route to his first Cup title. His decision to play underachieving Dustin Byfuglien with top liners Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in the playoffs against Vancouver, San Jose and Philadelphia made a huge impact.
"Joel sends a good message to our players," McDonough told the paper. "I'm sure those players are going to hear that message when they arrive here (for training camp)."
Quenneville recently told the newspaper he was optimistic about the new season, even after the roster-decimating salary-cap moves made by Bowman.
"There's a lot of options as far as looking at the possibilities of who can play with who," Quenneville said. "We have six of our seven defensemen returning from last year, which is kind of a nice place to start."
Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2 ... z0zFZWu4u7