Banished 3-Time Cup Champion Coach Could Be On Verge On Reinstatement

The NHL coaching carousel is about to ramp up into high gear. According to a report, three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach Joel Quenneville—banished from the NHL over eighteen months ago—could be about to return. 

Sources say NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will meet with veteran coach Joel Quenneville as soon as the season ends to review his status.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 19, 2023

NHL Insider Darren Dreger reports that commissioner Gary Bettman will be meeting with Quenneville as soon as the season ends "to review his status." 

Dreger had suggested earlier this month that Quenneville's return to the NHL this offseason was a "strong possibility." 

The second-winningest coach in NHL history, Quenneville resigned from the Florida Panthers early in the 2021-22 season and was forced out of the league by Bettman for his role in the Kyle Beach/Brad Aldrich sexual abuse case. Bettman announced at the time that Quenneville would have to get his blessing to return to work in the NHL. 

Quenneville led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015, and is second only to Scotty Bowman in career coaching victories, with 969. 

His name has already been linked to a few of the current head coach openings around the league, but his reinstatement would certainly ramp up those rumors.

Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports