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Chicago Blackhawks unveil true reasoning behind drastic coaching change
Photo credit: NHL
The Chicago Blackhawks made a drastic decision on December 5th to fire head coach Luke Richardson after a poor start to the regular season, GM Kyle Davidson hired Anders Sorensen and named Mark Eaton their AHL head coach.
Anders Sorensen was named the Chicago Blackhawks head coach in December, and it was a big step from AHL to NHL hockey.
Sorensen posted a 117-89-7 record through 4 seasons in the American Hockey League with the IceHogs, but who ended up replacing Sorensen in Rockford?
Kyle Davidson promoted the assistant development manager, Mark Eaton, to a head coaching position.
The longtime development manager had zero hockey coaching experience ever, and Davidson's decision struck many as controversial, putting the trust of the organizations youth into the hands of a newcomer.
Kyle Davidson reveals why he trusted Mark Eaton
According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, Davidson revealed in an independent interview that he trusted that Eaton would develop their youth properly.
«To have someone that was so intimately involved and intimately understanding of the day-to-day in Rockford, that was something that was important to make sure there was some continuity for those players, because we did feel like they were on such a good track,»
Davidson said.«Mark being a highly capable person and really smart, and he didn't have any coaching experience going into that spot, but I had no doubt that he would be able to handle it and be able to make that transition seamless and continue the positive strides that our players have made there this year.»
Eaton has admitted that he has had troubles adjusting to his new coaching role, often relying on his assistant coaches to help him find his ways.
«Part of me feels bad, like they've had to teach me some things because in development you're dealing more with the individuals and the kind of the habits within their game and what they need to do individually to be successful,»
Eaton said.Eaton has a long playing career history after entering the NHL undrafted, playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.
The IceHogs currently hold a 27-27-6 record in the Central Division and have 10 games remaining in the AHL regular season.
For now, we can all put our trust into Kyle Davidson's strategy moving forward.
| POLL | ||
MARS 26 | 723 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks unveil true reasoning behind drastic coaching change Do you trust GM Kyle Davidson to lead the Blackhawks back to their winning ways? | ||
| Yes | 175 | 24.2 % |
| No | 548 | 75.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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