A New Leader for the Hawks

By Todd McClamroch in News on Nov 28, 2006 5:45PM

The Chicago Blackhawks have seen enough and showed coach Trent Yawney the door after starting the season with just seven wins in twenty games. In his short career behind the boards at the United Center, Yawney had an unimpressive 33-55-15 record. The Blackhawks promoted assistant coach and former player Denis Savard to take the reigns of the team. Savard, a Hall of Famer, spent 17 years on the ice playing in Chicago, Montreal, and Tampa Bay.

The Blackhawks made the switch after returning from a rough road trip where they won just one of five matches. Of their last fifteen games, the team has only three wins.

It is expected that Savard will change the style of the team from its current defensive posture to a more offensive-minded team. He sounded exactly like a head coach when he made this John Maddenesque statement: "Our problem is that we haven't been scoring very much." You can read more quotes from a Savard interview on the Chicago Blackhawks Web site.

Savard stated in a press conference that his goal is to make the playoffs. "Our goal is to get to that 8th spot in the playoffs. We're eight points back and have 60 games to go. We have 16 games in December and it will be a crucial month for us." Blackhawks fans will get their first opportunity to see the Savard Era Blackhawks on Wednesday when they host the Dallas Stars (16-7) at the United Center.