Pierre Gauthier has landed on his feet in Chicago.
Less than four months after being fired as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Gauthier has joined the Blackhawks as the director of player personnel.
In an amusing twist, Chicago found itself with an opening in the front office after assistant general manager Marc Bergevin left the club to become the new GM of the Habs. The director of player personnel role needed to be filled job after Norm Maciver was promoted to assistant general manager earlier this summer.
Gauthier had a tumultuous 2011-12 season in Montreal. Most notably, in December, he fired head coach Jacques Martin and replaced him with unilingual Randy Cunneyworth, a move that rankled the team’s French-speaking fans.
Gauthier also faced criticism for acquiring defenseman Tomas Kaberle from Carolina for Jaroslav Spacek and shipping Michael Cammalleri to Calgary for Rene Bourque.
Say what you will about his work in Montreal, but you can’t question his experience. Gauthier has been GM of three NHL teams -- Ottawa, Anaheim and Montreal.
He’s also made some impressive late-round draft picks, including Sami Salo at No. 239 in 1996 and PA Parenteau at No. 264 in 2001.