Three Cup titles can’t save Quenneville

CHICAGO» Joel Quenneville knew the deal. After three Stanley Cup titles and nine playoff appearances with the Chicago Blackhawks, the longtime coach figured this was a big season for him.

“I only think we’re in the winning business and we better win,” Quenneville said on the first day of training camp. Two months later, it’s over. The Blackhawks fired Quenneville on Tuesday, ending a wildly successful run that returned the franchise to the top of the NHL after years of heartache.

“We want to win,” team president John McDonough said. “We want to rewin. We want our building filled and we want our fans to see an exciting brand of hockey. Sometimes, as painful as it is, you need a fresh start.”

Assistants Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson also were let go. Jeremy Colliton was hired as the 38th head coach in franchise history, and Barry Smith, 66, moved from Chicago’s front office to the bench as an assistant coach.

Quenneville, 60, who played three seasons for the old Colorado Rockies, was the longesttenured head coach in the NHL. He had another year left on a three-year contract extension he signed in 2016 that pays him $6 million per year, second highest in the NHL behind Mike Babcock in Toronto.

The former NHL defenseman has 890 wins in 22 years as a head coach with St. Louis, Colorado (2005-08) and Chicago. The Blackhawks won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015 under Quenneville.