Chicago Blackhawks: 5 Worst Coaching Records in Franchise History

The Chicago Blackhawks have employed 37 head coaches over the team's 85 seasons. The average coaching tenure is a shade over two seasons. Current head coach Joel Quenneville is the franchise leader with a .640 points percentage as he begins his fourth season with the organization.

Quenneville's on top...who's on the bottom?

A good number of coaches who were wildly successful with other teams struggled with the Blackhawks. What follows are the five Blackhawks coaches with at least two years on the job with the worst records over the course of their tenure with the Blackhawks.

Within the numbers are some interesting stories.

1. Ebbie Goodfellow (1950-1952, .282 Points Percentage over 2 Seasons)

Goodfellow piloted the 'Hawks to a pair of last-place finishes, compiling a record of 30-91-19 over that span. He did, however, serve as player-coach for the Red Wings on their 1943 Stanley Cup team.

He is one of the last men to have their name engraved on the cup as a player and coach before the NHL stopped including player-coaches.

Goodfellow was a standout forward who switched sides and became a Hall of Fame defenseman for Detroit. He won the Hart Trophy in 1940.

2. Tommy Ivan (1956-58, .354 Points Percentage over 2 Seasons)

Ivan had an impeccable record with Detroit throughout the seven seasons prior to taking over for the 'Hawks. He led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups and six straight first-place finishes in the regular season. In 1954, he began the task of rebuilding the Blackhawks.

Under Ivan's leadership as general manager, he coached Chicago for 103 games starting in the 1956-57 season. Ivan won just 26 games over the next year-and-a-half. After laying the ground work for the resurgent 'Hawks teams of the 1960s, he handed the coaching duties to Rudy Pilous and was content to GM Chicago for a quarter century.

3. Sid Abel (1952-54, .357 Points Percentage over 2 Seasons)

Yet another former Red Wing (which makes sense since during this time, the 'Hawks were essentially being run as Detroit's farm team), Abel was at the tail end of a Hall of Fame career as a player when he took over as player-coach.

Abel made the playoffs his first season, then saw the Blackhawks finish 12-51-7 in his second season. To this day, the 1953-54 team was the worst of a lot of bad 1950's Chicago teams. Abel would later coach the Red Wings for a dozen seasons.

4. Johnny Gottselig (1944-48, .385 Points Percentage over 4 Seasons)

No player won more Stanley Cups as a member of the Blackhawks than Gottselig, who was a member of the 1934 and 1938 champions.

Gottselig took over as coach upon retiring as a player, making the playoffs once but sporting a 62-105-20 mark with the Blackhawks before giving way to Charlie Conachar. Gottselig stayed in the organization as Director of Public Relations and was with the organization when they captured the 1961 Stanley Cup.

Interestingly enough, Gottselig also helped form and managed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League for five seasons.

5. Trent Yawney (2005-07, .393 Points Percentage over 2 Seasons)

Yawney, who played 12 years in the NHL, took over the post-lockout 'Hawks but failed to guide them to the playoffs. A quarter of the way through the 2006-07 season, he was replaced by Denis Savard.

Yawney played a part in the 'Hawks drafting Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in successive years, so we won't be too harsh on the guy.

After all, Quenneville has Yawney to partially thank for his success with the Blackhawks.