What Detroit Thinks of Jeff Blashill

The Chicago Blackhawks officially named Jeff Blashill their new head coach earlier today. On the surface, this hire doesn’t scream home run. His 204-261-72 record in seven seasons with the Detroit Red Wings doesn’t excite people. However, the more I dug into Blashill’s background and talked to people who’ve covered him, the more I like the move.

Once the Blashill reports started heating up, I reached out to Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, who has covered the Red Wings since 1988 and was there for Blashill’s entire tenure. Why listen to the anonymous know-it-alls on social media when you can go to someone who’s been inside Blashill’s locker room and had access to his entire run?

Blashill and Young Players

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has stated the importance of his next head coach being good with young players. This team went from one of the oldest to start the season to one of the youngest by March. And they have only scratched the surface with the youth movement. Blashill should have no problems working with such a young team.

“Blashill is at heart a teacher,” Duff said. “He was successful at the junior level, winning a USHL Clark Cup with the Indiana Ice and in the AHL, winning a Calder Cup with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Players learn the right way to play the game from him. Just look at how many of his Grand Rapids players are still in the NHL – Gustav Nyquist, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Petr Mrazek, Calle Jarnkrok, Brendan Smith, Luke Glendening, Tomas Tatar. He was Detroit’s coach when Moritz Seider won the Calder Trophy and Lucas Raymond jumped right from the Swedish League directly into the NHL.”

The Pros & Cons of Hiring Blashill

Every NHL head coach has his strengths and his flaws. The hope is that Blashill has learned from his mistakes in Detroit and can turn them into positives in Chicago. I asked Duff what the biggest pros and cons of this hire are.

“The pros are that he’ll give the straight goods to the players,” he said. “He’s honest to a fault. Blashill isn’t a screamer, but he also doesn’t suffer fools. The major con is that six of his seven NHL seasons are losing campaigns. So much of the game today is numbers-driven, and some won’t get beyond that. Perception is a funny animal. Rick Tocchet is viewed as a winner, yet he’s had two playoff appearances in nine seasons as an NHL head coach.”

Blashill Has Earned His Respect

One of the most significant issues the Blackhawks have had ever since firing Joel Quenneville in 2018 is not having a head coach who commands the room. The veterans from the Cup era never respected Jeremy Colliton. While Luke Richardson was one of the toughest players ever to play the game, that never translated to behind the bench. The players liked him, but I don’t think he ever got the full respect of the locker room. Blashill should gain immediate respect, and his staff will be the first real NHL staff the Blackhawks have had in seven years.

“He’s coached in the NHL for 11 seasons and as a head coach for seven of those seasons,” Duff said. “There aren’t many working behind an NHL bench today with more experience. Blashill took over the Red Wings as the club was about to enter the worst possible point in the rebuild, when the franchise was at ground zero. Quality hockey people view Blashill with tremendous respect. Steve Yzerman thinks the world of him. He didn’t want to fire Blashill in Detroit, knowing the bad hand he dealt him, but after seven years, he knew he had no choice but to make a move. Jon Cooper holds Blashill in the highest regard. He couldn’t wait to add him to his staff in Tampa Bay when the opportunity arose. Remember, he’s also the most recent Detroit coach to win a playoff game.”

Duff spoke to Cooper about Blashill during one of their visits to Detroit, and he couldn’t say enough good things about him.

“There’s a reason Blash has made it to the NHL because he’s a hell of a coach,” Cooper said. “I don’t say that just out of friendship, it’s because he is. I’ve watched his teams win everywhere he’s gone, including knocking myself off in the USHL one year. He’s good with the guys, good with the players. You always look to see if the guys are playing hard, and they are. There are some things out of his control, and I’m sure there are some things in his control because you win as a team and lose as a team, but his teams always play hard, and obviously that’s a good sign.”

Lessons Learn Should Translate to Success

So, what will the Blackhawks look like when they take the ice this fall? You can be the most respected head coach in NHL history, but none of that will matter if you don’t have results. This fan base is starving for success, and Davidson needs his team to start showing results in the standings.

“Blashill is all business at the rink, but he’s also equipped with a sense of humor that can help ease the moment in times of pressure,” Duff said of Blashill’s coaching style. “He demands that his teams play the game the right way and won’t accept excuses. He’s more about positive reinforcement. He’d rather show players how to do something better than berate them and bench them for making mistakes. And he seems to be able to find that balance between his job and family life. Too many coaches in all sports allow the position to consume them, and they burn out.”

Related – What the Blackhawks See in Jeff Blashill

Blashill sounds like a guy who is learning from his past errors. Coaches must be ever-evolving if they want to last long in the NHL. What worked three years ago might not work today. Hell, what worked three periods ago might need to be scrapped. Recognizing the need to change is a healthy aspect of any profession.

“Anybody that’s been in a decision-making position understands you’re going to make right and some wrong, and as you make the wrong decisions, if you’re willing to, you can learn from them,” Blashill told Duff.” If you look in the mirror and say, ‘OK, this is an area we could have done better.’ I think life is about experiences, and those experiences help you grow if you allow them to. Over that time, I’ve had an opportunity to grow a ton. I know I’m a better coach today, and I hope I’m a better coach at the end of the year than I am today. That’s what growth is about.”

Blashill isn’t a headline-grabbing name like David Carle or Mike Sullivan, but he certainly sounds like a good fit for this Blackhawks team. Only time will tell, but for Davidson’s sake, let’s hope he is.