ANAHEIM, Calif. – Joel Quenneville’s 1,000th career win as an NHL head coach was so dramatic that he almost had to be reminded of the milestone when the clock finally hit zero. anaheim ducks‘ 6-5 comeback win.
As Quenneville stood at center ice for post-game photo moments with his wife, his daughter and his entire team on Wednesday night, he allowed himself to walk off the hockey field to appreciate the history.
“I wasn’t prioritizing the numbers,” Quenneville said after joining Scotty Bowman in the most exclusive hockey coaching club. “I just wanted to play well tonight and find a way to win. That was the motivation, and it turned out to be very special.”
His Ducks rallied to defeat two-time defending conference champion Edmonton in their return from the Olympic break, overcoming a two-goal deficit and a one-goal lead during the third period of their four-game sweep.
cutter gauthier scored the winner with 1:14 to play, and Anaheim earned its NHL-leading eighth multigoal comeback win during its first year under Quenneville, whose players gathered on the bench to call for their coach after the whistle.
“It was an important game for us in a lot of ways,” said Quenneville, whose Ducks finished second in the Stanley Cup playoff race for the first time since 2018. Win like tonight.”
Quenneville, 67, received some nice bottles of wine and cigars as gifts after the game, but he planned to celebrate with just a beer.
It took a long time for another member of the 1,000-win club to join Bowman, who earned his 1,000th. detroit red wings On February 8, 1997 – exactly a month after Quenneville coached his first game st louis blues.
Quenneville accomplished this feat in the 1,825th game of his career along with three Stanley Cup championships. chicago blackhawks. Bowman finished his career in 2002 with 1,244 wins in 2,141 regular season games, as well as nine Stanley Cup titles as a coach.
“When I look at his company he’s from a different league,” Quenneville said of Bowman, who was a senior advisor on hockey operations to his son, general manager Stan Bowman, during the Blackhawks’ successful run under Quenneville.
“I think he’s the only one up there with the number he’s at,” Quenneville said. “I had Scotty and Stan together in Chicago. We had some great wins, and he got a lot of Cups. He’s been very successful in the game. … I’m happy to get a chance back in the game and be with a team like we’ve got right now.”
Quenneville has made a successful return to the NHL this season in Anaheim after a four-year absence from the league following his resignation. Florida Panthers in late 2021 over his inaction during the Blackhawks’ sexual abuse scandal 11 years ago.
Quenneville’s NHL ban was lifted in July 2024, and the Ducks hired him a year later to take over a struggling franchise that had made no playoff appearances in seven consecutive seasons. Anaheim (31-23-3) has made a run at the Western Conference playoffs in its first season under Quenneville, who has led his teams to the playoffs in 20 of the 22 NHL seasons he has finished behind a bench.
Asked if there were times when he wondered if he would have a chance to reach 1,000 wins, Quenneville responded: “It’s something I don’t think about. I think my motivation, my goal was always that once you win a Cup, you can’t wait to do it again. That’s always been the reason why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
After playing 13 NHL seasons as a strong defenceman, with the strong mustache he has been recognized for throughout his adult life, Quenneville has been an NHL head coach for parts of 26 seasons, and has won at every stop.
He led the Blues to seven consecutive playoff appearances before his dismissal. Despite coaching two playoff teams, Quenneville only lasted three seasons at Colorado.
He replaced Denis Savard behind the Blackhawks’ bench in 2008 and led the Original Six franchise to eight consecutive playoff appearances and three championships – including the 2010 Stanley Cup, ending the NHL’s longest active drought at 59 seasons.
Quenneville joined the Panthers in April 2019, but his third season in Florida ended when the NHL banned him, along with Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac, “as a result of their inadequate response when informed of allegations of assault by the club’s video coach on Blackhawks player Kyle Beach in 2010,” the league said.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman determined that Quenneville had shown remorse for his inaction on allegations that surfaced during Chicago’s playoff run to the Stanley Cup title. Quenneville said he also worked with advocacy groups to study appropriate ways to lead in such situations.
During his four years away from the bench, Quenneville remained focused on the NHL, watching games on television every night from his home in Florida and keeping in touch with his countless friends in the game. Those friends included Pat Verbeek, his former teammate on the Hartford Whalers and general manager of the Ducks.
Verbeek fired Greg Cronin and convinced owner Henry Samueli to hire Quenneville. The move has worked on the ice so far, with the Ducks dramatically improving their record and a talented young core gaining another year of experience.
Bowman and Quenneville could be joined by two more experienced coaches in the 1,000-win club in the next few seasons.
Paul Morris, who has won the last two Stanley Cup titles with the Panthers, has 945 career wins with five teams. Lindy Ruff earned her 933rd career win on Wednesday night buffalo saber‘2-1 win over New Jersey.
