There have been rumors that new Montreal Canadiens general manager -- and former Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM -- Marc Bergevin would love to make Blackhawks head coach Joel Quennville his new lead man in Montreal, but Hawks GM Stan Bowman told reporters that he expects Coach Q back in Chicago for the 2012-13 season, according to Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Bowman said "I don't talk about rumors. I haven't and I don't want to start now," but he did respond in the affirmative when asked if he anticipated that Quennville will continue with the Hawks under his contract that runs through the 2013-14 season.
There have been persistent rumors that Coach Q and Hawks upper-management don't see eye-to-eye, which at least partially stems from talk that he was unhappy that director of player development Barry Smith got involved in an on-ice role during practices this season. Smith's role on-ice later ended during the playoffs.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Coach Q situation is that he guided the team to a Stanley Cup victory in 2010, so it's hard to think the Hawks would let him walk out the door without a fight.
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