Winds of change have blown through Chicago but don't think John McDonough is satisfied with the Blackhawks just yet.
CHICAGO -- Change has enveloped the Chicago Blackhawks organization since John McDonough cleaned out his north end office and came over from the Chicago Cubs. There have been new fans, new broadcasts, new expectations, new goals and a new coach.
Dale Tallon can only hope that the restoration project stops at the door to his general manager’s office.
Despite the job Tallon has done in four seasons as Hawks GM, rumours persist that he and McDonough don’t see eye to eye.
"No, it’s not true," McDonough said this week, as the playoff returned to Chicago for the first Round 2 in 13 springs. His take on why the smoke of Tallon’s dismissal continues to waft over the NHL landscape?
"Any time that somebody new comes in to run an organization, and you’re getting to know people’s styles -- and their styles are different than yours -- that’s probably going (perceived) that there is friction between the president and the general manager," McDonough said.
"Dale is more of a laid back, casual, get-it-done (guy), but in a different style. Mine is more aggressive. It’s everyday aggressive. So, we’re learning more about each other.
"I have great respect for Dale. He is the architect of this team. He has a year remaining on his contact. So, he will be here."
For more than that year? Perhaps.
But sit down with the silver-haired, take-charge Hawks president for a half an hour, and the one distinct quality that he emanates is that you either do things his way, or you do them somewhere else, for another boss.
He is hyper-assertive. Tallon is mega-relaxed.
This was what Denis Savard, an iconic Blackhawk, said after he was fired just four games into this season:
"A lot of expectations have been put on the line. They’ve made a commitment to the fans. They’re going for the best coach they feel was available.
"This is no fun. What can I say?"
No fun for Savard, or perhaps down the road for Tallon. But it has been loads of fun for Chicago and the dormant community that were once known as the loudest, beer-drinking-est fans in the National Hockey League.
And if there is the odd casualty along the way, who is going to hold that against McDonough?
What do they say? If you want to make an omelet, you’ve got to break some eggs.
"We’re not going to accept anything less than excellence. And that dreaded E-word … expectations? There are going to be expectations," McDonough said. "There are going to be expectations on me (too). But if I hire someone, give them the responsibilities, I expect them to be great at their job. I’m not real patient. I have a tendency to call people on things. Because to me, once is a trend."
If he sounds like a tough guy to work for, then you’re starting to get an accurate picture of a guy who walked into one of the most neglected franchises in NHL history, and has been walking around with a steel brush and a bottle of CLR ever since he took the job on Nov. 20, 2007.
You couldn’t find the smallest detail inside this franchise that hadn’t eroded under (Dollar) Bill Wirtz’ tight-fisted lack of vision. From the league’s worst media guide to games not being on TV and everything in between.
"Looking at these things, sometimes I had to exhale, and really try to absorb what I was seeing," McDonough said. "There are some things that are obvious: This is Chicago, Illinois, one of the premier cities in the world. We’re an Original Six franchise -- we have to act like it.
"From the planes we charter, to the hotels we stay at, to the way we treat our employees."
They’ve travelled miles along that road in a short time here in Chicago, but McDonough, ever the taskmaster, is dismissive of the progress.
"I’m not impressed with this," he said. "What our fans wanted to see was a different approach. They wanted to see a different playbook. They wanted to see the Blackhawks get out of the grudge business.
"They were looking for profound change."
Bring Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita and the other lifelong Blackhawks back into the fold. Get the games on TV. Make the goal to win the Cup. Bring back Pat Foley, the fans’ favourite play-by-play man.
But as the crowds went from 11,000 to 14,000 last season, McDonough started to see his front office become satisfied. Remember, this guy came from the Cubs, a team that hasn’t won a World Series in 100 years, but has played at close to capacity since 1984.
"There are 8,000 empty seats, and it was like, ‘Wow, we’re making progress.’ I was really soured on it. I was devastated. What are we happy about? We’re a long, long ways (away). This isn’t progress," he said.
He sent a message through the newspapers to his front office: They wiped the smiles off their faces and rolled up their sleeves.
"We didn’t make the playoffs in 07-08, and our season ticket base went from 3,400 to 14,000," he said. "Now we have a waiting list in excess of 3,400."
It’s working for McDonough here in Chicago. Whether Tallon will be a year from now.
He’d better learn to see eye to eye with the boss.
