The Chicago Blackhawks may have a power struggle brewing in their hockey operations after two straight first-round losses. Head coach Joel Quenneville was “upset and surprised by the move” to fire assistant coach Mike Kitchen, according to Chicago Tribune’s Christopher Hine.
The Hawks announced that Kitchen was “relieved of his duties” on Monday after seven seasons with the organization. The 61-year-old has coached with Quenneville from 1998-2003 in St. Louis and 2010-17 in Chicago, so it seemed apparent from the start that he wasn’t behind the move.
As Hine notes, the firing of Kitchen is “likely to re-ignite conflict” between Quenneville and the front office on how to manage the team.