While the firing of Denis Savard just four games into the season made little sense to me at the time, it's clear that Joel Quenneville has made this an entirely new team - for the better.

They have a new attitude on the ice, a newly-found sense of purpose.  Their record since Coach Q has taken over?  It's now 5-1-2.  Not too shaby, eh?

Players have admitted to the local media that the practices have been more difficult.  They're being worked harder and Quenneville expects more from them all the time.  That's the kind of coach he is.

His record speaks for itself.  He's a coach of victories, and in the win-hungry sports market of Chicago, that's just what the Hawks need.

Their 1-2-1 start out of the gate under Savard wasn't going to cut it. Enter Coach Q.

Quenneville has never had a losing season as an NHL coach.  In fact, in eight of his last 11 seasons as bench boss - with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche - his team has finished the year either first or second in its respective division.

The Hawks are bound to make that stat nine of 12.  There's little question, the way this team is built, that they'd finish lower than 2nd in the division.

Is first up for grabs?  I'd argue, yes.  The team is just three points back of Detroit (18 to 15) and it has a legitimate chance to keep gaining ground with its next four games at home, starting Sunday vs. Calgary.

Perhaps most exciting of all, Quenneville stresses offense from his backend.  He tells his d-man to shoot the puck as often as they can and to keep it moving on both sides of the ice.

Defensemen Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith alone have compiled 15 points since he's taken over, including five goals.

The Hawks are bound for success with Coach Q at the helm.  In many ways, the team has been reborn with him behind the bench.

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