Joel Quenneville and Ulf Samuelsson go back to their playing days, including their time together with the Hartford Whalers. Now it looks like the two will soon be reunited behind the bench in Chicago.
The Blackhawks will reportedly name Samuelsson their new assistant coach, filling the vacancy left when Mike Kitchen was fired in late April. Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports reported on Tuesday morning that the hiring is expected.
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A source confirmed to CSN several weeks ago that Samuelsson was a candidate for the job. Samuelsson has been an assistant coach for two other NHL teams, including the Phoenix Coyotes (2006-11), where he worked with another former Hartford teammate, Dave Tippett. Samuelsson was head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, the Carolina Hurricanes’ AFL affiliate, last season.
The move would give Quenneville another familiar face behind the bench; Quenneville and Samuelsson were teammates in Hartford from 1985-90.