The Anaheim Ducks fired head coach Greg Cronin after another miserable season in Southern California. Their young core is getting older, and they need to take advantage of the talent they have. TSN's Darren Dreger and ESPN's John Buccigross have both indicated that Anaheim has their new coach. The Ducks hired Joel Quenneville as their next head coach on Thursday.

“See how the day unfolds, but indications are Joel Quenneville is going to be the next head coach in Anaheim,” Dreger reported in the morning. “Suggestion of an announcement today.”

Buccigross responded to a previous post of his own, indicating the interest on both sides of this agreement.

Quenneville has the second-most wins in NHL history with 969, three Stanley Cups, and two decades of experience. But this hire comes with a load of controversy for the Ducks. Quenneville stepped down from the Panthers' role due to the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks scandal. He was then suspended indefinitely, which has been lifted.

The Ducks released a statement after hiring Qunneville, addressing the allegations from the 2010 Blackhawks scandal.

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“Over the last two weeks, we conducted interviews with many outstanding coaching candidates, while simultaneously conducting a comprehensive review of what took place while Joel was head coach of the Blackhawks in 2010. We spoke with dozens of individuals, including advocates for positive change in hockey and leadership of the NHL, which last July officially cleared Joel to seek employment in the league. Our findings are consistent with Joel’s account that he was not fully aware of the severity of what transpired in 2010. It is clear that Joel deeply regrets not following up with more questions at the time, has demonstrated meaningful personal growth and accountability, and has earned the opportunity to return to coaching.”

You can read the full report of the allegation levied on former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich here. Quenneville is part of the group that was made aware of the allegations, but did not immediately investigate further.

Quenneville has not coached in the NHL since early in the 2021-22 season when he was leading the Panthers. That is when the Blackhawks story broke, and he was suspended shortly after. He is not the first suspended member of the Blackhawks to get another job, as Stan Bowman is the general manager of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Ducks are looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Given his coaching past, Quenneville could be the guy to get this core over the hump. But the Blackhawks story looms over it all as a question they must answer.