The Chicago Blackhawks removed the interim tag and named Kyle Davidson the franchise’s 10th general manager on Tuesday.
Davidson, 33, is in his 12th season with the organization and was named interim GM on Oct. 26 after Stan Bowman stepped down.
The Blackhawks have named Kyle Davidson the 10th General Manager in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/40p8uRTrsS
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 1, 2022
“Today is another step not just for me, but for my Blackhawks teammates within the organization and Blackhawks fans across the world,” said Davidson, the youngest GM in the NHL. “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.”
The promotion caps a meteoric rise for Davidson, who started with the Blackhawks as a team intern in the hockey operations department in 2010. He has worked his way up the front-office organizational ladder, gaining wide-ranging experience in contract negotiations, managing the salary cap, scouting and analytics. He became assistant GM of hockey administration before this season.
“We have a vision here for the future of Blackhawks hockey and today we are a step closer to that coming together,” chief executive officer Danny Wirtz said. “As an organization, we know we have a lot of work to do on and off the ice and Kyle is the leader we trust to oversee our hockey operations.”
The Blackhawks have fallen on hard times in recent years. Chicago entered Tuesday in seventh place in the Central Division with a 19-27-8 record — ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes, who own the worst record in the NHL.
Chicago has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three of the past four seasons. The Blackhawks have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs since 2014-15, when they won the Stanley Cup for the third time in six seasons.
Former GM Bowman resigned in the wake of an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations from 2010 involving former video coach Bradley Aldrich, who allegedly assaulted two players. Reid Schar, a former U.S. attorney, interviewed 139 witnesses during a four-month investigation and found the team had failed to take action following a May 23, 2010, meeting to discuss the allegations of sexual assault.
–Field Level Media