CHICAGO – Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was released from the hospital after being treated for gastrointestinal bleeding brought on by a small ulcer.
He is resting comfortably at home and a full recovery is expected, team physician Dr. Michael Terry said in a statement Saturday. It is not clear when the 52-year-old coach will return. The Blackhawks' next game is Sunday against Pittsburgh. Assistant Mike Haviland has been coaching the team.
Quenneville, who coached the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup championship last season, has missed two games since being hospitalized Wednesday. He began experiencing discomfort Tuesday night at his suburban Chicago home and went to the emergency room.
Quenneville's health presents another obstacle for a team trying to make the playoffs after salary-cap issues forced the Blackhawks to make big changes in the offseason. They kept such top players as Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa but have been unable to sustain any kind of run.
Chicago got a much-needed win over Minnesota on Wednesday after dropping six of eight but fell 4-3 to Columbus two nights later.
Quenneville is 125-66-25 in three seasons with the Blackhawks. He ranks 10th in NHL history with 563 regular-season wins and is one of only two men to coach at least 1,000 games and play 800 in the league.
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