October 20, 2008 Tallon could face similar exit With Denis Savard no longer behind the
Blackhawks' bench, TFP Columnist Paul Ladewski explains that Chicago
GM Dale Tallon could be next on the chopping block.
[Chicago, IL] -- Strange how this
head coach thing works in pro sports, isn't it?
One night you're behind a bench, and a spotlight shines in your face
for a good reason. Someone calls out your name. Thousands of people
turn nutso. You smile then wave to them. The house rocks.
Then three days later, you realize that it wasn't hello that
Blackhawks head coach Dennis Savard said that evening. It was
farewell.
Four games into the regular season, the front office informed Savard
that his services were required no longer. So long. Buh-bye. See ya.
Just like that, only hours after the Blackhawks had finally showed a
pulse in a 4-1 victory against the Phoenix Coyotes at home, 23-plus
seasons with the franchise were reduced to a tidy news release.
Imagine what would have happened to Savard if he hadn't been one of
the most popular figures in franchise history.
Smile, Dale Tallon, you may be next.
Tallon has been the Blackhawks general manager since June, 2005, and
in that span, the team hasn't had a sniff of the playoffs. True, he
didn't exactly inherit the nucleus of the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens
when he took over three years ago.
The team has taken baby steps
since then, but even with a more accomplished head coach in Joel
Quenneville at the controls, there's a lot of work to be done still.
As one general manager told me the other night, "Even if Brian
Campbell meets expectations, there are issues on defense."
There also is a lack of proven role players to complement Martin
Havlat, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp on the forward lines, not to
mention that this team may be in the worst physical condition of any
in the league.
No problem is more urgent than the one that Tallon created last
summer, when he signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a four-year,
$22.5-million deal. The plan was to dump veteran Nikolai Khabibulin
and what was left of his four-year, $27-contract, but when no taker
could be found, the team was stuck with $12.4-million worth of
netminders. Or nearly 20 percent of the salary cap maximum.
The smart money says that, in order for Tallon to save his job, the
Blackhawks will not only will have to make the playoffs for the first
time in 11 seasons, but it will have to be competitive when it gets
there.
"I can handle it," Tallon assured everyone. "That's why we're in this
business. Like (president) John (McDonough) said, 'This is the big
boys table, the Big Boys Club, and we're here to win."
The most qualified person in the organization to take over the hockey
operations is senior adviser Scotty Bowman, who has forgotten more
about the game than most general managers remember. At 75 years of
age, however, he doesn't want to be part of the daily grind again. But
what about his Stan Bowman, his son? Stan is in his eighth season with
the team and second as assistant general manager. Who better to groom
him for the job than his father and the best hockey mind ever?
The dismissal of Savard hardly qualifies as a shocker to those who
follow the team on a regular basis. Lest we forget, the previous
regime hired him to put fannies in the seats more than anything. If
team management was convinced that Savard was the guy, then it would
have extended his contract months ago. Instead, he started the new
season as a lame duck coach, and play of his team reflected as much in
the preseason.
More than one team official called the dismissal an "organizational
decision." It was more like an organization of one person, because
Scotty Bowman had his fingerprints all over it. For the record, Bowman
joined the organization as a senior adviser in late July, but he had
been a regular at the United Center since late last season. And, no,
he wasn't there to visit his son and sample the pregame buffet,
either. While Tallon called it "a tough decision" for him personally,
it's safe to say that Bowman had no such problems.
There
had been doubts about Savard the head coach before then. See, what
made the guy so likeable as a person made him so iffy behind the
bench. He was too nice. I mean, when was the last time you saw a head
coach choke up in front of the media after his team snapped out of a
bad streak one night. While Savard took great pride in his work as a
mentor of young players, he was unable to light a fire under many of
the more experienced ones. That was apparent last season, when kids
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews took over the wheel while a number of
veterans sat back and enjoyed the ride.
If there was a surprise about the dismissal, then it was that it took
place after four games, only hours after the team had played its most
complete game of the young season.
"It's never really the right decision when do to do it and when not to
do it, but we felt sooner was better than later," Tallon said.
But if the move was inevitable as it seemed to be, then why not make
it before the start of preseason camp, when the Quenneville could
install his system?
Still, while the move won't score many points with the nostalgia
freaks, Blackhawks fans should be encouraged by it just the same. It
wasn't long ago when 1-2-1 start would have been a cause for team
management to stand pat for the rest of the season. That the new
regime would make an unpopular move for the sake of long-term success
is a definite step forward.
Whether or not Quenneville can lead franchise to its first Stanley Cup
in four decades remains to be seen, but the chances are better than
they were a few days ago. Under Savard, defense was optional too
often. There wasn't much accountability and attention to detail. It
may take awhile, but expect the Blackhawks to become a more
disciplined and defense-minded bunch eventually. Quenneville also has
the kind of mean streak that will have his players on notice. Trust
me, if they know what's good for them, they won't get on his bad side.
As for Tallon, it might be wise for him to stay out of the spotlight
before he gets burned.
Based in
Chicago,
Paul
Ladewski is
a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, covering the NHL.
There
had been doubts about Savard the head coach before then. See, what
made the guy so likeable as a person made him so iffy behind the
bench. He was too nice. I mean, when was the last time you saw a head
coach choke up in front of the media after his team snapped out of a
bad streak one night. While Savard took great pride in his work as a
mentor of young players, he was unable to light a fire under many of
the more experienced ones. That was apparent last season, when kids
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews took over the wheel while a number of
veterans sat back and enjoyed the ride.