Madferret
6-21-05, 6:18 PM
Tallon takes over Hawks; fires Sutter
Sports Ticker
CHICAGO (Ticker) - The Chicago Blackhawks found their new general manager, and it didn't take long for him to make his presence felt.
The Blackhawks named Dale Tallon general manager on Tuesday, and his first act was to fire coach Brian Sutte. Tallon becomes the eighth general manager in team history and the first since Mike Smith was fired in October 2003. Senior vice president Bob Pulford had been serving as the club's general manager, with Tallon working as his assistant since November 2003.
"Dale has shown over the past 19 months that he is an extremely hard worker," Pulford said. "He has proven to not only myself but to the Blackhawks organization that he is ready to take over as the team's general manager."
"I am truly humbled today knowing that I am one of only eight people to have ever held the position of general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks," Tallon said. "I feel very comfortable with the challenges that lie ahead and I feel that I am prepared to meet those challenges head on."
Apparently, the first challenge was to find a new coach for a club that went 20-43-11-8 in 2003-04, and has surpassed 80 points just once in the past seven seasons. "I have been looking forward to this for a long, long time," said Tallon about his appointment. "I plan to surround myself with quality people who have the same goal in mind, namely bringing a Stanley Cup back to Chicago."
Despite the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, Sutter will not return for a fourth season with the club. Sutter, who ranked fourth among active coaches with 451 wins, was 91-103-24-14 in his three seasons with Chicago.
"I have thought about this for the last six weeks or so, and I have decided not to renew to Brian Sutter's contract as coach," Tallon said. "This is not about the past. It's about the future and I want to start with a fresh sheet of ice and clean slate as we move into the future. "I talked to Brian and he totally understood the direction I wanted to go in. He is a great man who I have a lot of respect for."
Sutter, who became the Blackhawks' 34th coach in May 2001, was the second of the six hockey-playing Sutter brothers to coach the club, joining Darryl, who ran the team from 1992-95. Trent Yawney, the coach of Chicago's American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia, is considered the top candidate to succeed Sutter. "We have a short list of candidates but Trent Yawney is the leading candidate," Tallon said. "We will interview some other candidates and make a decision on our new coach in a few weeks."
Yawney led Norfolk to a 43-30-1-6 record and a third-place finish in the AHL's East Division. "This is an exciting opportunity for me, Dale talked with me last night and asked if I would be interested," Yawney said. "For me the opportunity to coach an Original Six team would be a badge of honor."
Tallon, who served as the Blackhawks' director of player personnel from 1998-2002, had been an analyst on the team's television broadcasts before being appointed the assistant GM.
A first-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 1970, Tallon played 10 years in the NHL, spending four campaigns with the Blackhawks from 1974-78.
Sh!tty deal. This is the Hawks breakout/back year and he deserved to coach, he's developed them and the system they'll play.
Sports Ticker
CHICAGO (Ticker) - The Chicago Blackhawks found their new general manager, and it didn't take long for him to make his presence felt.
The Blackhawks named Dale Tallon general manager on Tuesday, and his first act was to fire coach Brian Sutte. Tallon becomes the eighth general manager in team history and the first since Mike Smith was fired in October 2003. Senior vice president Bob Pulford had been serving as the club's general manager, with Tallon working as his assistant since November 2003.
"Dale has shown over the past 19 months that he is an extremely hard worker," Pulford said. "He has proven to not only myself but to the Blackhawks organization that he is ready to take over as the team's general manager."
"I am truly humbled today knowing that I am one of only eight people to have ever held the position of general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks," Tallon said. "I feel very comfortable with the challenges that lie ahead and I feel that I am prepared to meet those challenges head on."
Apparently, the first challenge was to find a new coach for a club that went 20-43-11-8 in 2003-04, and has surpassed 80 points just once in the past seven seasons. "I have been looking forward to this for a long, long time," said Tallon about his appointment. "I plan to surround myself with quality people who have the same goal in mind, namely bringing a Stanley Cup back to Chicago."
Despite the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, Sutter will not return for a fourth season with the club. Sutter, who ranked fourth among active coaches with 451 wins, was 91-103-24-14 in his three seasons with Chicago.
"I have thought about this for the last six weeks or so, and I have decided not to renew to Brian Sutter's contract as coach," Tallon said. "This is not about the past. It's about the future and I want to start with a fresh sheet of ice and clean slate as we move into the future. "I talked to Brian and he totally understood the direction I wanted to go in. He is a great man who I have a lot of respect for."
Sutter, who became the Blackhawks' 34th coach in May 2001, was the second of the six hockey-playing Sutter brothers to coach the club, joining Darryl, who ran the team from 1992-95. Trent Yawney, the coach of Chicago's American Hockey League affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia, is considered the top candidate to succeed Sutter. "We have a short list of candidates but Trent Yawney is the leading candidate," Tallon said. "We will interview some other candidates and make a decision on our new coach in a few weeks."
Yawney led Norfolk to a 43-30-1-6 record and a third-place finish in the AHL's East Division. "This is an exciting opportunity for me, Dale talked with me last night and asked if I would be interested," Yawney said. "For me the opportunity to coach an Original Six team would be a badge of honor."
Tallon, who served as the Blackhawks' director of player personnel from 1998-2002, had been an analyst on the team's television broadcasts before being appointed the assistant GM.
A first-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 1970, Tallon played 10 years in the NHL, spending four campaigns with the Blackhawks from 1974-78.
Sh!tty deal. This is the Hawks breakout/back year and he deserved to coach, he's developed them and the system they'll play.