There seems to be two trendy hiring practices in the NHL. When it comes to coaches, you look at who’s hot in the AHL. If you want to tap the next GM, just look at whoever is sitting next to Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman.
The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc quotes sources who say that Marc Bergevin (pictured on the left) will go from Bowman’s assistant GM to the new general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Blackhawks’ front office has been picked apart in recent years. The Winnipeg Jets hired former assistant Kevin Cheveldayoff in 2011. Rick Dudley preceded Cheveldayoff when the Jets were the Atlanta Thrashers and most recently served as one of Brian Burke’s many high-profile assistants in Toronto. Dale Tallon set the table for Bowman in Chicago but now he’s building something promising with the Florida Panthers.
Bergevin was an NHL defenseman for 20 years, playing 1,191 regular season games and 80 postseason contests. After that, he moved on to the Blackhawks’ front office, where he bounced around from scouting and assistant coaching positions before working his way up to assistant GM. The 2011-12 campaign was his seventh season in the front office, according to his bio. I hear he’s an “epic prankster” as well, but I’m not sure how relevant that is to his job as GM.
(Oh yeah, he’s also a Montreal native, so speaking French isn’t an issue - if his last name didn’t give it away already.)
So, what are you thoughts? Was this a good hire? Do you think the Blackhawks are getting tired of seeing their front office harvested year after year? Do tell.
UPDATE (9:00 a.m. ET): It’s official, Bergevin is Montreal’s man. Pierre McGuire was the runner-up for the position.