Stan Bowman Was Terrible and Ruined The Chicago Blackhawks

PUBLICATION

Jim
August 6, 2023 (7:45 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Blackhawks, in their 97-year history, have had ten GM's. Well, the worst one of them all has to be Stan Bowman. Bowman is a disgrace to Fredric McLaughlin, Tommy Ivan, and Mark Keenan, who helped build the franchise to where it is today.

Sure, Bowman was here when the Hawks won three Stanley Cup's. But he shouldn't be given half the credit for that. When Bill Wirtz died in 2007, his son, Rocky Wirtz, took full control of the team and came in and had a plan. He pulled in Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, two players who will soon have their numbers lifted to the rafters of the United Center. Rocky made Chicago a hockey city for the first time since nineties.

But Bowman just had to tear it all apart.

On July 14, 2009, Stan Bowman was hired as the 9th Blackhawks General Manager in Blackhawks history, after Wirtz brought in all the young talent. Dave Tallon was there during the time, but he didn't do very much for Chicago. He was the manager when the Hawks won three Cup's and had eight playoff appearances. However, this is when his reputation changed.

In 2017, Stan Bowman traded 24-year-old superstar, Artemi Panarin. Panarin had 151 points in 182 games in his first two seasons in the NHL. You don't trade somebody like that. Afterwards, on the exact same day, he traded arguably one of the best defenseman's in Blackhawks history, Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hjalmarsson was here for all three Stanley Cup's and played a big role in all three. When Joel Quenneville heard about it, he apparently stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Not even a year later, on December 6th, 2018, he was fired. Bowman then brought in Jeremy Colliton, one of the worst coaches in Hawks history. Get the memo?

But we aren't finished. In 2021, Stan Bowman stepped down as GM for a sexual assault investigation. The city of Chicago was thrilled, and so was everyone else.

The reign of terror is over, and Kyle Davidson is doing a really nice job trying to build what Bowman tore down.