New GM in Chicago promises "reformation"

The news has been slow out of Chicago over the past few days. Since a brief introduction to the EHE general managers late last week, Blackhawks brass has been noticeably quiet regarding the hire of new GM Thomas Gidlow.

Gidlow did send a text reply to a Chicago Tribune reporter when asked about the silence. He said "building a true reformation takes time, but we hope to have more at our press conference, which will be held at some point. I promise."

Gidlow, 33, who's been away from the game for the past five years, was a shock hire in every sense of the word - but oddly fitting given the surroundings that brought his hiring to bear. Not one to be known for staying quiet (for long), most would have thought that something more tangible - even a leak from a team source - would have come out by now.

But we do have a few confirmed notes of interest after finally getting a response to several phone calls:

-- There will be a press conference tomorrow, but we don't know precisely when. The betting money is some point after 2pm EDT, so stay tuned.

-- Gidlow will be at the conference alone, though he will publicly comment on the Vegas Golden Knights situation (no comment from anyone in the Chicago organization has out come to date, including the former GM).

-- It is expected that Gidlow will announce head coach Gerald Gallant will be retained for the 2017-18 EHE season.

Speculation after Chicago's abysmal 31-47-4 record last season was that Gallant would be on the chopping block. But with a new GM in place, that speculation may be unfounded.

Aside from the 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain' theatrics of the past week, many feel this is a vital moment in the history of the Chicago Blackhawks. No team in EHE history has made quite the blunder that Chicago did, and it will be highly interesting to see how the club emerges from this darkness. Hiring Gidlow, who last GM'd in 2012 and showed no interest in returning to the game until now, may be seen as a stop-gap move born of desperation.

Whatever happens, I'd tune in to tomorrow's press conference. Gidlow may not want the entirety of it to focus on the recent past and the Vegas Golden Knights. But there's no doubt it's coming. How he weathers this storm will go a long way toward reassuring the Blackhawk faithful that this past season - as abhorrent as it truly was - was only an aberration.

Chip Whitley, Blackhawks Beat Reporter
Chicago Tribune