The Chicago Blackhawks are no stranger to a coaching change.
Just this past season the Blackhawks fired their head coach, Luke Richardson, after starting the year 8-16-2. His previous two seasons behind the bench saw the Hawks sit in last place in their division and near the bottom of the standings.
Blackhawks fans watched on Friday as the Dallas Stars, a divisional rival, fired their head coach Pete DeBoer after *checks notes* three trips to the Western Conference Finals in three seasons.
DeBoer spent the past three seasons in Dallas, during which the Stars were 149-68-29. Dallas has been one of the best teams in the league the past few seasons, but have unfortunately run into juggernauts in the Conference Final the past three years, with back to back losses to Edmonton and a loss to Vegas in 2023.
It seemed like the writing was on the wall for DeBoer's exit after his abysmal decision making at the start of Game 5 when he pulled goaltender Jake Oettinger after giving up two goals on his first two shots faced.
What happened next? Jeff Skinner would give Edmonton a 3-0 lead a little under a minute after Oettinger was pulled and Casey DeSmith entered the game. The Stars would go on to lose Game 5 6-3, ending the series.
Pulling Oettinger was a bad decision, especially the way it went down happening at the end of a time out. What made things worse was the way DeBoer explained his decision and threw his starting goaltender under the bus.
"“I didn’t blame it all on Jake, but you know, the reality is if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton, and we gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game.""
DeBoer after the series loss to Edmonton
Watching the video on X truly made me believe I was getting duped by an A.I., but watching DeBoer and the Stars handling of that situation does offer a learning point for the Blackhawks entering next season.
There cannot be anymore excuses for the Blackhawks next season.
After losing yet another Conference Final, Pete DeBoer was frustrated. He took it out on his goaltender and the result was DeBoer being let go from his third team in six years.
This past season there were plenty of excuses for the Hawks, from the Seth Jones controversy and trade, to injuries, a coaching change and so much more. Some nights, it was a question of which Hawks team fans were going to watch—the one that could score and contend against some of the top teams in the league—or the one that is going to get blown out 6-2 in a Winter Classic in Chicago.
While the Blackhawks may not win the Stanley Cup next season—or even make the playoffs—there cannot be any more excuses for not giving 100 percent night in and night out.
