Kyle Davidson
{{Short description|Canadian sports manager (born c.1988)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kyle Davidson
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|7|1}}{{Cite tweet |user=NHLBlackhawks|number=1675137687311863810 |title=HBD Kyle from Chicago 🥳}}
| birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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| education = Laurentian University
(Bachelor's degree)
| occupation = Ice hockey executive
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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.{{cite web | last = Myers | first = Tracey | title = Blackhawks fined $2 million, GM Bowman out after investigation | url = https://www.nhl.com/news/chicago-blackhawks-stan-bowman-out-after-investigation/c-327260382 | publisher = NHL.com}} 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.
Early life
Davidson 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/team/front-office/kyle-davidson |title=KYLE DAVIDSON - GENERAL MANAGER |work=NHL.com |date=January 31, 2024 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }}{{cite news |last=Pope |first=Ben |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2022/9/3/23331673/kyle-davidson-blackhawks-general-manager-feature-quiet-moments |title=Quiet moments rare but valuable for Kyle Davidson as he settles into Blackhawks’ GM role |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=September 3, 2022 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }} He expressed an early interest in hockey. He served as an assistant equipment manager with the Sudbury Junior Wolves of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2006.{{cite news |url=https://media.nhl.com/public/news/15775 |title=#NHLStats: Live Updates – Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 |work=NHL Public Relations |date=February 9, 2022 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }} Davidson graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sports Administration from Laurentian University in 2010.{{cite news |last=Migneault |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/chicago-blackhawks-gm-sudbury-laurentian-1.6379027 |title=Quiet moments rare but valuable for Kyle Davidson as he settles into Blackhawks’ GM role |work=CBC |date=March 9, 2022 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }}
Professional career
=Early positions=
Davidson 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 American Hockey League (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.{{cite news |last=Powers |first=Scott |url=https://theathletic.com/2377772/2021/02/11/chicago-blackhawks-kyle-davidson-nhl/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211026183247/https://theathletic.com/2377772/2021/02/11/chicago-blackhawks-kyle-davidson-nhl/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2021-10-26 |title=From Blackhawks intern to assistant GM, Kyle Davidson’s steady rise continues |work=The Athletic |date=February 11, 2021 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }} 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{{cite web | last = Dempsey | first = Keith | title = Sudbury man hoists Cup with Blackhawks | url = https://www.thesudburystar.com/2013/07/03/sudbury-man-hoists-cup-with-blackhawks | publisher = TheSudburyStar.com}}{{cite web|title=Chicago Blackhawks - 2013 Stanley Cup champions|url=https://records.nhl.com/awards/trophies/winner/stanley-cup?20122013|publisher=Records.NHL.com}} and 2014–15 seasons.{{cite web|title=Sudbury's Davidson lifts Stanley Cup again|url=https://www.thesudburystar.com/2015/07/13/sudburys-davidson-lifts-stanley-cup-again/wcm/b237e9fc-22ff-2ca2-7803-1a97a131c200|publisher=TheSudburyStar.com}}{{cite web|title=Chicago Blackhawks - 2015 Stanley Cup champions|url=https://records.nhl.com/awards/trophies/winner/stanley-cup?season=20142015|publisher=Records.NHL.com}} 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.{{cite news |last=Pope |first=Ben |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2022/2/28/22955617/blackhawks-general-manager-kyle-davidson-big-ideas-challenge |title=As Blackhawks’ permanent general manager, Kyle Davidson’s big ideas will meet a big challenge |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=February 28, 2022 |accessdate=August 12, 2023 }} 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."
=Executive role=
In 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. In one of his first moves as general manager, Davidson fired Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton following a dismal 1–9–2 start.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Connor |url=https://thehockeywriters.com/blackhawks-gm-kyle-davidsons-early-moves-proving-successful/ |title=Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson’s Early Moves Proving Successful |work=The Hockey Writers |date=January 22, 2022 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }} The Blackhawks removed the interim tag, and formally named him as their general manager on March 1, 2022.{{cite web |title=RELEASE: Kyle Davidson Named 10th General Manager in Blackhawks History |url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/release-kyle-davidson-named-10th-general-manager-in-blackhawks-history/c-331315156 |website=NHL.com |access-date=March 1, 2022 |date=March 1, 2022}} At 33, he became the youngest active general manager in the NHL at the time.{{cite news |last=Carlson |first=Matt |url=https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/features/happy-birthday-kyle-from-chicago |title=Happy Birthday, "Kyle from Chicago" |work=The Hockey News |date=August 12, 2023 |accessdate=July 1, 2023 }} The team placed seventh in Central Division with a 28–42–12 record to conclude the 2021–22 season, {{cite news |url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/recap-blackhawks-fall-to-sabres-in-overtime-3-2/c-333568162 |title=RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to Sabres in Overtime, 3-2 |work=National Hockey League |date=April 29, 2022 |accessdate=April 29, 2022 }} and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.{{cite web |last1=Myers |first1=Tracey |title=Blackhawks eliminated, miss playoffs for fourth time in five seasons |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/chicago-blackhawks-eliminated-miss-playoffs/c-332685532 |website=NHL.com |access-date=April 6, 2022 |date=April 5, 2022}}
Davidson initiated a full rebuild of the roster due to limited talent in Blackhawks' development pipeline prior to the 2022–23 season.{{cite news |last=Lazerus |first=Mark |title=Lazerus: Blackhawks’ blatant tank-job is bold, possibly prudent — but utterly contemptible|url=https://theathletic.com/3414451/2022/07/11/lazerus-blackhawks-blatant-tank-job/ |website=The Athletic |date=July 11, 2022 |access-date=July 12, 2022}} 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 Mrázek from the Toronto Maple Leafs, using those picks in turn to draft Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Sam Rinzel.{{cite news |last1=Powers |first1=Scott |last2=Lazerus |first2=Mark |title=Dissecting the Blackhawks’ momentous draft day – for better or worse |url=https://theathletic.com/3408484/2022/07/08/blackhawks-draft-debrincat-dach-mrazek-analysis/ |website=The Athletic |date=July 8, 2022 |access-date=July 12, 2022}} 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 KubalÃk to hit unrestricted free agency.{{cite news |title=Blackhawks officially choose not to give qualifying offers to Strome, Kubalik |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/blackhawks-officially-choose-not-to-give-qualifying-offers-to-strome-kubalik/ |website=Sportsnet |date=July 11, 2022 |access-date=July 12, 2022}} The cumulative effect of these transactions meant that the Blackhawks lost five of their seven highest-scoring forwards from the prior season. 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.{{cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Mike |title=Jonathan Toews to play final game for Chicago Blackhawks in season finale |url=https://thehockeynews.com/news/jonathan-toews-to-play-final-game-for-chicago-blackhawks-in-season-finale |magazine=The Hockey News |date=April 13, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2023}} 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. Davidson's plans were rewarded when the team won the draft lottery at season's ending, securing the right to draft Bedard.{{cite news |last1=Civian |first1=Sara |title=Winners and Losers from the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10075331-winners-and-losers-from-the-2023-nhl-draft-lottery |website=The Bleacher Report |date=May 9, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2023}}
Personal life
Davidson and his wife, Angelica, have two daughters. He enjoys fishing and hiking in his spare time.{{cite news |last=Pope |first=Ben |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2023/6/17/23762818/blackhawks-kyle-davidson-daughter-willa-fathers-day-nhl-general-manager-changing-diapers |title=Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson, a first-time father, learning how to negotiate trades while changing diapers |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=June 17, 2023 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }} 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.{{cite news |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/peter-richards-8457799 |title=Peter Richards |work=NHL.com |date=January 31, 2024 |accessdate=January 31, 2024 }}
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.{{cite news |last=Wyshynski |first=Greg |url=https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/37931415/chicago-blackhawks-gm-kyle-davidson-interview-incognito |title=Blackhawks GM gives interview as 'Kyle from Chicago' |work=ESPN |date=June 28, 2023 |accessdate=July 1, 2023 }}{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Phil |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/blackhawks/ct-chicago-blackhawks-funny-moments-20230630-avzuvhrynfeylgqrnbokzgub5i-story.html |title=4 lighter moments for the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL draft, including GM Kyle Davidson’s viral video |work=Chicago Tribune |date=June 30, 2023 |accessdate=July 1, 2023 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/team/kyle-davidson Official Blackhawks Biography]
{{NHL general managers}}
{{Chicago Blackhawks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Kyle}}
Category:Chicago Blackhawks executives
Category:Ice hockey people from Ottawa