Blackhawks Extend GM Stan Bowman's Contract

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 11, 2013 4:20PM

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has been busy this offseason locking in the players he feels are integral for sustained success. As the Hawks open training camp Wednesday the team announced they extended Bowman’s contract through the 2017-18 season.

Bowman enters his 13th season with the Blackhawks with near-Teflon status, having rebuilt the team between its 2010 Stanley Cup championship and this year’s title. Bowman had to make tough decisions letting popular players like Dustin Byfuglien, Antti Niemi and Kris Versteeg go via trades or free agency because the team was at the salary cap—decisions for which he was roundly criticized when they happened.

Since Bowman took over as GM for Dale Tallon in the 2009-10 season he’s resigned a core of players including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Bryan Bickell, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Corey Crawford. Bowman drafted key players Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad, who were vital contributors to the Hawks 2013 Stanley Cup team.