Denis Savard Got 'Doug Collins'ed

What the Chicago Blackhawks needed from 2006 until today was a head coach that understands the game of hockey. Someone that knows how to work hard, how to be a professional. A man who is respected on and off the ice.

What the Chicago Blackhawks needed from 2006 until today was a man on the bench that knew the names Mikita, Hull, and Esposito. A man who played with Secord and Larmer, and transitioned to Roenick, Chelios and Belfour. The Hawks needed a man who looked 19 year old boys in the eye and could explain to them, from the heart, what the indian head on the front of their sweaters meant to generations of Chicagoans.

Denis Savard was the perfect head coach for the Blackhawks from mid-2006 through four games of 2008-09.

But so soon do we forget that we have seen this routine in Chicago before. We have all fallen for the hero story of Ozzie Guillen on the South Side - the returning son of the organization that earns his own stripes with a young team as they all figure it out together, ending with rings and banners. Ozzie Guillen is not reality, especially not in the National Hockey League.

However, just a little under twenty years ago, another coach was removed from his post in Chicago with a talented, young roster that many felt was on the verge of something special.

Anyone remember Doug Collins?

Many bittersweet memories of the man with the curly hair from the 1980s were rushed back into the minds of Chicago basketball fans during the fiasco of a summer coaching search held by the Bulls. Collins took over a Bulls team that has not been a player in the NBA since... well, ever. But the addition of a shooting guard from North Carolina, accompanied by smooth trades to acquire a young small forward on draft night from Seattle gave the Bulls a core of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Collins taught them the game, and some savvy veterans like Bill Cartwright taught them how to be adults.

But Collins had his limits. He got the Bulls into the postseason, but couldn't break the ceiling. There was an obvious time to move past the teaching phase of the game and into championship-caliber X's and O's.

Enter Phil Jackson. History... made.

So now, in the same building that saw Jordan and Pippen win their second set of championships, with a young team that many feel is on the verge of something special, the Hawks make a bold move to transition their team from teaching to that same level of execution.

While this move has left many fans feeling like the organization just pulled the spin-o-rama on the move's author, the puck has been passed from teacher to coach.

Lost in the shuffle of the Wrigley Field game scheduling and the fan festival this summer were the subtle acquisitions of special adviser Scotty Bowman and new head coach Joel Quenneville as a scout in Denver. Two men respected all over the NHL for their knowledge of the game and their ability to lead talented teams to their highest performances.

Two champions.

And so this afternoon, while General Manager Dale Tallon choked back tears announcing the "organization decision" to move past Savard in a stated effort to get the Stanley Cup back to Chicago, the reality set in: the Hawks have known this day was coming since the final horn against Detroit last spring. The groundwork was very quietly put into place so that a transition could happen when needed.

Tallon said today that the Hawks had a "flat" training camp, even though they won five of eight games in the preseason. How does that lead to a coaching change after four regular season games? The front office saw how good this team could be, even when playing uninspired hockey.

And so now the test is set for Quenneville. We have seen how one teacher was replaced - six championships. Will the Cup come back to Chicago? Only time will tell.