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Greg Cronin Breaks Silence on Ducks' Joel Quenneville Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Levine | Last updated May 12, 2025 2:26 PM ET

Greg Cronin helped the Anaheim Ducks jump in the standings with a 21-point improvement this past season. But instead of him staying on to continue coaching, Anaheim decided that it was time to let him go.

While Cronin did oversee the improvement of the Ducks this season, he wasn't the main reason for the success. Oftentimes, Cronin had questionable line choices, and some players didn't enjoy his style.

Anaheim has now brought in former Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville to replace Cronin. While Cronin was surprised at first to be let go, he now understands why the organization would make the move.

Cronin spoke about the situation, offering his thoughts on the hire.

“‘That makes sense now,’ I thought,” Cronin recalled to The Athletic over the weekend. “He’s an unbelievable Hall of Fame coach.”

The Ducks were the first NHL head coaching job for Cronin, and he did decently for a first-timer. Cronin spent two seasons with the Ducks, missing the postseason both years.

“I’m grateful,” Cronin said. “I loved working here. For me to be able to coach the young kids here, I’m so grateful and proud of what they did. They’ve got a bright future.”

Anaheim is now set up to potentially be a problem in the Western Conference if the young core continues to grow. Quenneville will have a lot of work to do in helping this team, but Cronin set the foundation for the future.

Cronin said that he heard from the new Ducks coach as well.

“He just wanted to tell me that he’s grateful for the opportunity and thankful for what we did as a staff here to develop these guys and get them ready for the next chapter in their career,” Cronin said. “He just said, ‘Hey, I want to thank you.’ He was very gracious about it. He said he was grateful about the opportunity because these players were all about to take off. And they are.”

The Ducks will be looking to get back to the postseason next year, and if they do, Quenneville can thank Cronin for setting them up for success.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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