Blackhawks Need To Move On Firing Colliton and Bowman

By Randy Holndoner: @bhawkschatter

The Jeremy Colliton era has been mediocre at best.  In every one of his years, the team has always been at the bottom of the league for shots on goal against per game, and goals against.

For a coach, that played defense his entire career, how can his team be so bad at defense?  How can that even be possible?  And he is now in his fourth year as head coach of this team.

The Chicago Blackhawks, in the off-season, made some big moves to try and make them a competitive threat in the NHL.  The additions of Jake McCabe, Seth Jones, Tyler Johnson, and reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Marc-Andre Fleury, should have done so.

With the return of a healthy Jonathan Toews, this team should be flying with new life and energy.

Instead, they are the laughing stock of the NHL, sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference after 5 games with an embarrassing 0-4-1 record.

How can this be?  The power play unit is ranked 10th, at a healthy 27.8%.  And of all things that needed help, the penalty kill unit is ranked second in the league at 92.9%!  Alas, these units are called special team units for a reason.  They don't consume the majority of a 60 minute hockey game.  That is played 5-on-5.

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks are horrible when it comes to 5-on-5 play.  Just in the first five games of the season, while playing 5-on-5 hockey, they have given up 17 goals (3.40 goals allowed per game).  Of the 32 teams in the league, only 8 have a worse .GAA, but for the entire game!  And the Blackhawks in the same time have scored 3 goals (1.67 Goals For per game).

With the firepower this team has, and the upgrade of talent this team has, they are vastly under-performing to their potential.  This is a talented team run by someone who needs to go.  He has literally improved nothing on this team while he has been here the last four years.  And even though moves have been made to bolster this roster, Stan Bowman needs to go as well.  

Bowman, somehow impressed with Colliton's magic show, was fooled into a 2-year extension, back in January, 2021.  Shame on you, Stan.  And shame on Rocky Wirtz, who removed, then President, John McDonough, which was only part of the problem, when both he and Bowman should have been axed.

The last two head coach firings (Denis Savard, 2009, and Joel Quenneville, 2018), were done within the first 15 games of a season.  How long will fans have to wait till something is done by management to show they are serious about winning.

The Blackhawks have not gotten passed the first round of the playoffs since their last Stanley Cup Championship back in 2015.  The have also missed the playoffs four of the last five seasons.

They are wasting good talent, and if they don't get someone in here to coach these guys, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Toews will all be looking at free agency when all three of their contracts are up after next season.

Stop the bleeding, get us a new GM and Head Coach, and LET'S GO HAWKS!!!