from Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune,

Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman promised change after the first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Predators. The first part of that change came Monday, and it cut close to head coach Joel Quenneville.

The Hawks fired assistant coach and longtime Quenneville aide Mike Kitchen after seven seasons with the team in a move that threatens to re-open old wounds between Quenneville and the Hawks' front office....

The Hawks news release did not include a statement from Quenneville, who was close with Kitchen since the two were teammates in the NHL with Colorado and New Jersey from 1979-83. Multiple sources said Quenneville and Kitchen are "best friends."

Multiple league sources told the Tribune the decision to fire Kitchen did not originate with Quenneville and that Quenneville was upset and surprised by the move. Kitchen's firing is likely to re-ignite conflict between Quenneville and Bowman and the rest of the front office, conflict over coaching and personnel that existed before the Hawks won Cups in 2013 and 2015, two championships that helped maintain peace in the organization.

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