Florida Panthers quickly hire coach Joel Quenneville as coach

April 8 (UPI) -- The Florida Panthers have hired Joel Quenneville as coach, one day after firing Bob Boughner.

Florida announced the hiring Monday and had a news conference planned for noon.

"Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise," Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Dale Tallon said in a news release.

"We've seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history and we're thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team. I've worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization. Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."

The Chicago Blackhawks fired Quenneville in November after he spent 11 seasons leading the franchise. Quenneville's run with the Blackhawks included a 452-249 record, with 96 shootout/overtime losses and three Stanley Cup victories.

Quenneville coached the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche before landing in Chicago. Boughner owned a 79-62-22 record in 163 games as Panthers coach.

The Panthers haven't made the playoffs since the 2015-2016 season, under coach Gerard Gallant. Florida fired Gallant in 2016. He went on to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup finals during the 2017-2018 season.