Joel Quenneville Keeps Expectations For Blackhawks Tempered
(CBS) Loyal fans of the Blackhawks can hope for their team to win its fourth Stanley Cup championship in seven years and become the first team in nearly two decades to repeat as champions.
But entering the season opener on Wednesday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is keeping his expectations tempered. His aspirations are to win the Central Division and work through the playoffs from there, and he quickly points out the "newness" of the team and how he's looking forward to it coming together.
So, what's realistic to expect from the Blackhawks? Quenneville spoke of this on a Tuesday visit with the Spiegel and Goff Show.
"I don't mind expectations being high," Quenneville said. "I think we should all be challenging one another to push each other to reach higher goals. I feel we're going to be OK. How good? I'm not sure."
Quenneville believes it will be a "great achievement" to make the playoffs in what he considers a stacked Western Conference.
"We want to win our division, which puts us in a good spot (to get into) the playoffs, which is ultimately our goal," Quenneville said.
"But we like group. And how good? That's what we have to prove."
The Blackhawks enter Wednesday with their championship core in place. Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa are set to anchor the top line, alongside second-year forward Teuvo Teravainen. The second line features newcomer Artem Anisimov at center and Kane at right wing, plus rookie Artemi Panarin at left wing.
On defense, the Blackhawks return stars Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson.
However, Quenneville is still working to finalize his lines and defensive pairings, and he even suggested that roster tweaks could be coming.
"We've got to make a decision or two with our lineup, going into tomorrow for cap purposes," Quenneville said.
Final roster decisions will be made before Wednesday's opener with the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks raise their 2015 championship banner before dropping the puck on a new season.
When asked about the Patrick Kane ongoing sexual assault investigation, Quenneville pointed to his previous support of Kane.