Kyle Davidson (born July 1, 1988) is a Canadian sports executive who currently serves as the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) since October 26, 2021.[3] He initially joined the Blackhawks in 2010 as an intern and worked his way through the organization in different roles before finally becoming the team's general manager in 2021.
Kyle Davidson | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1988[1][2] |
| Education | Laurentian University (Bachelor's degree) |
| Occupation | Ice hockey executive |
Early life
editDavidson was raised in Sudbury, Ontario. He was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart defect that required him to undergo two open-heart surgeries as an infant.[4][5] He expressed an early interest in hockey.[6] He served as an assistant equipment manager with the Sudbury Junior Wolves of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2006.[7] Davidson graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sports Administration from Laurentian University in 2010.[8]
Professional career
editEarly positions
editDavidson interned for the Ottawa Senators in their supporter relations department in 2009, while also volunteering for the Sudbury Wolves as a scout. He also worked as an intern for the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks in sales. Davidson's role with the IceHogs landed him an internship with the Blackhawks as a video analyst in 2010.[6] Between 2012 and 2018, he worked for the ice hockey organization's administration and held various positions, participating in two Stanley Cup wins in the 2012–13[9][10] and 2014–15 seasons.[11][12] In 2018, he was appointed assistant to general manager Stan Bowman. His responsibilities as an assistant general manager included scouting, salary-cap management, contract negotiations, and analytics.[2] Davidson would later reflect on his many roles and responsibilities stating, "I really wanted to be versatile. I didn't want to be able to be called for just one aspect. From an early standpoint, I just wanted to be useful. But moving forward and as I grew into my role and grew in the department, I wanted to be able to offer opinions in those different areas. Whether it be speaking on players in meetings, suggestions on roster construction, I wanted to be able to be a legitimate contributor."[6]
Executive role
editIn 2021, Davidson was promoted to assistant general manager, and he took over on an interim basis after Stan Bowman stepped down from his positions with the Blackhawks in October.[3] In one of his first moves as general manager, Davidson fired Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton following a dismal 1–9–2 start.[13] The Blackhawks removed the interim tag, and formally named him as their general manager on March 1, 2022.[14] At 33, he became the youngest active general manager in the NHL at the time.[2][15] The team placed seventh in Central Division with a 28–42–12 record to conclude the 2021–22 NHL season, [16] and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.[17]
Davidson initiated a full rebuild of the roster due to limited talent in Blackhawks' development pipeline prior to the 2022–23 NHL season.[18] He traded away or declined to retain much of the franchise's existing young talent. Davidson dealt Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators and Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens in deals based primarily on the acquisition of first-round picks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and acquired a third first-rounder in agreeing to take goaltender Petr Mrazek from the Toronto Maple Leafs, using those picks in turn to draft Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Sam Rinzel.[19] He had also traded Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for two first-round picks in subsequent draft years. After the draft, he allowed Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik to hit unrestricted free agency.[20] The cumulative effect of these transactions meant that the Blackhawks lost five of their seven highest-scoring forwards from the prior season.[19] The Blackhawks finished third-last in the league in the 2022–23 season, in the process trading away Patrick Kane and opting not to re-sign Jonathan Toews, the two remaining stars of the previous era.[21] A critic dubbed Davidson's moves as a "blatant tank-job" that was aimed to improve their lottery odds for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and possibly draft generational prospect Connor Bedard.[18] Davidson's plans were rewarded when the team won the draft lottery at season's ending, securing the right to draft Bedard.[22]
Personal life
editDavidson and his wife, Angelica, have one daughter. He enjoys fishing and hiking in his spare time.[23] Davidson's uncle, Peter Richards, played professional hockey for eight seasons across various minor league teams, including the Hamilton Steelhawks, Sudbury Wolves, Knoxville Cherokees, and Brantford Smoke.[5][24]
Davidson was randomly selected to appear in an interview for Penalty Box Radio before the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was believed to be an ordinary fan. Davidson downplayed his role as an NHL general manager and simply identified himself as "Kyle from Chicago", causing the video to go viral.[25][26]
References
edit- ^ @NHLBlackhawks (July 1, 2023). "HBD Kyle from Chicago 🥳" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c Pope, Ben (February 28, 2022). "As Blackhawks' permanent general manager, Kyle Davidson's big ideas will meet a big challenge". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Myers, Tracey. "Blackhawks fined $2 million, GM Bowman out after investigation". NHL.com.
- ^ "KYLE DAVIDSON - GENERAL MANAGER". NHL.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Pope, Ben (September 3, 2022). "Quiet moments rare but valuable for Kyle Davidson as he settles into Blackhawks' GM role". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Powers, Scott (February 11, 2021). "From Blackhawks intern to assistant GM, Kyle Davidson's steady rise continues". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "#NHLStats: Live Updates – Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022". NHL Public Relations. February 9, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Migneault, Jonathan (March 9, 2022). "Quiet moments rare but valuable for Kyle Davidson as he settles into Blackhawks' GM role". CBC. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Dempsey, Keith. "Sudbury man hoists Cup with Blackhawks". TheSudburyStar.com.
- ^ "Chicago Blackhawks - 2013 Stanley Cup champions". Records.NHL.com.
- ^ "Sudbury's Davidson lifts Stanley Cup again". TheSudburyStar.com.
- ^ "Chicago Blackhawks - 2015 Stanley Cup champions". Records.NHL.com.
- ^ Smith, Connor (January 22, 2022). "Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson's Early Moves Proving Successful". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "RELEASE: Kyle Davidson Named 10th General Manager in Blackhawks History". NHL.com. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ Carlson, Matt (August 12, 2023). "Happy Birthday, "Kyle from Chicago"". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ "RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to Sabres in Overtime, 3-2". National Hockey League. April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Myers, Tracey (April 5, 2022). "Blackhawks eliminated, miss playoffs for fourth time in five seasons". NHL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Lazerus, Mark (July 11, 2022). "Lazerus: Blackhawks' blatant tank-job is bold, possibly prudent — but utterly contemptible". The Athletic. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Powers, Scott; Lazerus, Mark (July 8, 2022). "Dissecting the Blackhawks' momentous draft day – for better or worse". The Athletic. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Blackhawks officially choose not to give qualifying offers to Strome, Kubalik". Sportsnet. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Stephens, Mike (April 13, 2023). "Jonathan Toews to play final game for Chicago Blackhawks in season finale". The Hockey News. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Civian, Sara (May 9, 2023). "Winners and Losers from the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery". The Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Pope, Ben (June 17, 2023). "Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, a first-time father, learning how to negotiate trades while changing diapers". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "Peter Richards". NHL.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Wyshynski, Greg (June 28, 2023). "Blackhawks GM gives interview as 'Kyle from Chicago'". ESPN. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Phil (June 30, 2023). "4 lighter moments for the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL draft, including GM Kyle Davidson's viral video". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 1, 2023.