Michael Duca 9y

Quenneville shrugs off impending wins milestone

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Joel Quenneville is about to become one of just three coaches in NHL history to win 300 games with two different franchises. Quenneville piloted the St. Louis Blues to 307 victories from 1996-2004 and entered Saturday night's game having led the Chicago Blackhawks to 299.

With his typical modesty, Quenneville said that not only was he not thinking about the impending milestone, but he also wasn't even aware there was one to think about.

"I did not know that, but I've been fortunate to be on some nice teams and in some great organizations," said Quenneville, in his seventh season with the Blackhawks." I've had some great players and very good coaches also. I'm very happy to be here in Chicago with a great organization, a wonderful team to work with. We've had some fun here.'

Multiple Stanley Cups -- won with the Blackhawks in 2010 and '13 -- have a way of making people feel they've had some fun.

On a more immediate note, Quenneville was asked before the contest against the San Jose Sharks if he was somewhat disappointed with the play of blueliner Johnny Oduya this year. Oduya is a minus-6 for a team with a very high, positive goal differential, and he is the only defenseman sporting a minus.

Quenneville did not seem concerned and suggested Oduya has had some "good stretches and some ordinary stretches." The coach noted that, despite the recent pairing reassignment, Oduya has played with Michal Rozsival, and that particular defensive duo tends to draw the short straw and is often assigned the opponent's top line.

"The assignments our guys get, night in and night out, they have a lot of responsibility against the other team's top line," Quenneville said. "They start out in their own end a lot. They don't get some of the perks the other pairs get."

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