The hunt for a permanent GM in Chicago is over. The Blackhawks announced Tuesday that they would officially be naming interim GM Kyle Davidson the 10th General Manager in franchise history.
Davidson took over the position on an interim basis last October following Stan Bowman’s resignation in the wake of the Brad Aldrich sexual assault allegations. Only 33 years old, Davidson beat out a wide ranging list of candidates from both within and outside the hockey world. A list which included Peter Chiarelli, Scott Mellanby, Eric Tulsky, and Mathieu Darche amongst others.
Interesting names from other sports who were reportedly amongst those on the shortlist for the position included Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg, and Raptors VP Teresa Resch.
Hailing from Ottawa, ON, Davidson has been with Chicago for the past 11 years after beginning his NHL career as a video analyst under Stan Bowman. Following several years with the organization, a then 29 year old Davidson would be promoted to assistant to the general manager in 2018, before being promoted to assistant GM the following season.
Currently 19-27-8 on the year, Chicago sits on the outside of the playoff picture at the moment. The franchise made it a point to get someone in place ahead of the March 21st NHL trade deadline which could be a pivotal moment for Davidson as the Chicago brass will need to decide whether to be buyers or sellers over the next 3 weeks.
Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz stated “Kyle is one of the final pieces of this new executive team that will lead the Chicago Blackhawks into the next generation. He shares the vision Danny, Jaime and I have to build a consistent winning team on and off the ice. We are committed to winning and winning the right way. Kyle’s fresh lens, integrity, commitment, and knowledge of the game are all characteristics I believe make him the right person to structure the team on the ice. I appreciate the work that Danny, Jaime and the Advisory Committee did to lead this process and Kyle has my full support in his role as General Manager.”
Davidson was quick to point out that there was still a great deal of work that needed to be done in order to win back the trust of the fanbase and media alike following the Kyle Beach investigation. He along with the Blackhawks organization made it a point to re-emphasize their commitment to change in the wake of his hiring.
“Today is another step not just for me, but for my Blackhawks teammates within the organization and Blackhawks fans across the world. I’m committed to building a winning team on and off the ice the right way — improving our internal framework and processes and working closely with a strong team of people to make decisions. I share the vision of the leadership team to create a positive culture throughout the organization and the game of hockey and promise to uphold our values in everything we do,” said Davidson.
“I am thankful for the support of Rocky, Danny and Jaime throughout this process. We all learned a lot and I’m excited to share the work with this leadership team, my colleagues throughout the organization and Blackhawks fans. Leadership has challenged us to ‘reimagine the potential of hockey’ and I look forward to that challenge in building a hockey operations department for the future. It is an honor to serve as General Manager for the Chicago Blackhawks and I promise to be dedicated, transparent and utilize all resources available to me to contribute to this organization.”
The Blackhawks are next in action Thursday, March 3rd as they host the visiting Edmonton Oilers.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner