Why King Should Not Coach Chicago Next Season

It's true, the Blackhawks' 2021-22 season turned around drastically once Derek King inherited the team on an interim basis following the firing of former head coach Jeremy Colliton. The club has nearly played .500 since then, which is by no means enough to make the playoffs, but is far closer to the direction the team had intended when the season started.

That being said, a recent quote from King should automatically exclude him from the vacant position.

"We try,» King said following a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 1. «We just can't compete with that type of team. We're not there. We don't have the players for it."

Following a previous loss last month, King did not even use the term "we" when speaking on his own team, he said "they". It was after quite the bad loss, and he did not take accountability.


That kind of talk has no business coming from any NHL head coach, or any head coach of a professional sports team in general. It doesn't inspire players to get better or train harder, it inspires giving up. It's unacceptable, especially for a team that still has players to the caliber of Jonanthan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Seth Jones.