Joel Quenneville attempts NHL return

Joel Quenneville is ready to return behind an NHL’s bench. He might be ready, but he’ll need to get commissioner Gary Bettman’s blessing. The only thing stopping him is the fact that the NHL has yet to make a decision on his future after the coach resigned in disgraced from the Florida Panthers after being implicated in the Chicago Blackhawks’ cover up of the Brad Aldrich sex scandal in 2010.

Darren Dreger explained on last night’s Insider Trading on TSN on we don’t know if Quenneville will be approved this season.

“He’s ready but he’s not able to get back in the game,” Dreger said. “He would like to return to an NHL bench sooner rather than later. Now any team with interest or offering a job would have to go through the Florida Panthers first for permission. That seems to be a formality but the big hurdle, of course, is commissioner Gary Bettman.

“Quenneville has to be cleared to return to the NHL by the commissioner’s office – that hasn’t happened yet and there are some who think that it may not happen until next season.”

In May, Bettman has commented that Quenneville had not approached him at that time about reinstatement into the NHL, though now that the former coach is itching to return, an interview with the commissioner could take place sooner rather than later.

Now, Quenneville would have to show he’s changed and would never let what happened in Chicago take place anywhere else in the league.

As for his talent as a head coach on ice, there is no arguing that Q is good. He is the second-winningest coach in NHL history, his 969 victories trailing only the 1,244 amassed by Scotty Bowman.

And an NHL team - especially one struggling - might really want him to take over the reins…