Power Rankings: Quenneville jumps in needing quick impact

Updated Oct. 20

Duncan Keith looked like he was in an uncomfortable position, not just because a pack of reporters had surrounded his dressing room stall and stuck tape recorders in his face.

Joel Quenneville knows he doesn't have too much time to show major progress. (Getty Images)

It was the inevitable question that was obviously the hard part for the fourth-year Blackhawks defenseman, the one about the impact of last week's coaching change on Chicago that really can't be answered at this point. Chicago stunned everyone in the hockey world by dropping the ax on Denis Savard just four games into the season -- ironically after the team won its first game -- so naturally everyone wanted to know what the difference was with veteran Joel Quenneville behind the bench.

"He's an established coach with a great record, so he gets our respect right away," Keith said after Chicago beat Vancouver on Sunday to give the new coach his first win. "But it's been so quick, so there hasn't been a whole lot of change, maybe a few things here and there, but for the most part his message was to go out there and don't think too much."

That might be the best advice of all for the young Blackhawks, who began the season with extremely high expectations. But in the minds of the organizational powers that be, Chicago seemed headed for disaster under Savard, who was only in his second full season as a head coach.

How quickly Quenneville takes this team to the next level remains to be seen. His first two games saw subtle signs of improvement in the way the team played defense, in particular on special teams. One thing is for sure though, Quenneville understands he doesn't have the luxury of patience in Chicago.

"As coaches, we're in a short-term business," Quenneville said. "We want to win hockey games."

And quickly. Here are this week's rankings:

RANK	TEAM		MOVE (LW)