The Chicago Blackhawks have named Mark Eaton interim Head Coach of their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. The news is fomenting outrage online.

Mark Eaton has been with the Chicago Blackhawks organization as Assistant General Manager since 2020. He’s also served a role in player development, but he’s never coached in any capacity in minor league or professional hockey.

This makes the hiring, quite troubling for fans who don’t want to see the prospect pipeline in Rockford hurt as a result of this, questionable hire.

While it took some time for the Blackhawks to announce a new coach in Rockford, is this really where they’re placing their trust?

“Mark brings a wealth of experience in professional hockey to this position and has a great understanding of the game”, said IceHogs General Manager Mark Bernard. “His relationships with all of our prospects, while leading the development team in Chicago, will help make this a seamless transition. We have a tremendous staff here in Rockford that looks forward to helping Mark continue the organization’s success.”

While he has an 11-year tenure in player development in Chicago, this is a little too on the nose for a team that is currently experiencing chaos permeating the NHL lineup.

While there can be a sense that too much status quo is a bad thing, maybe promote him to an assistant first before handing him the Porsche?

With Sorensen assuming the role as “the man” in Chicago in the interim, is this another joke?

Eaton is a seasoned defenseman who played 650 games in the NHL split amongst the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New York Islanders.

The ex-NHL defenseman won the ultimate prize in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, contributing seven points during the Stanley Cup run.

But he’s never seen the back of the bench before.

Will this turn out to be a huge mistake? We’ll find out.