The Rangers unveiled the 35th head coach in franchise history on Thursday, May 24th at Madison Square Garden. Following a long and tedious interview process, the team has their hand picked choice.
The New York Rangers have continued their hoarding of New England based hockey talent. The Cranston Rhode Island born David Quinn is just the latest in a long list of talent from the northeast. From the jump, it is clear that Quinn was the Rangers guy all along, that there were no other serious candidates.
"We're looking for a new coach with fresh ideas, we interviewed several people and we kept coming back to David" -Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton
— Blue Line Station (@BlueLineStation) May 24, 2018
This song and dance culminated in the news this past weekend of the details for Quinn. The courting process took a five year, $12 million dollar deal. However, that was due to a sense of loyalty. As Quinn spoke about during the presser, being the head coach of Boston University’s hockey program was a dream job.
"The more Jeff and I, the more we talked, I knew this was a perfect fit. I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is the only situation I would have left Boston University for" -The 35th coach in Rangers history David Quinn
— Blue Line Station (@BlueLineStation) May 24, 2018
Even so, the strong connection between Quinn, Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton and Assistant general manager Chris Drury made this happen. The three have all known each other from the same hockey circles for years. As a fellow Boston University alumni, Drury was logically the one pushing for Quinn.
The coach
As the head coach of a rebuilding team, Quinn is stepping right into the firing line for a difficult job. Part of the mythos of New York sports is the underlying expectation of competitiveness. When a team attempts a rebuild, it sours the fanbase quickly. Quinn was asked how he felt about taking over a team that clearly needed a guiding hand to develop.
"It's about coming to the rink every day trying to get better, the wins and losses will fall into place"- Rangers HC David Quinn
— Blue Line Station (@BlueLineStation) May 24, 2018
Multiple questions during the press conference were oriented around Quinn’s mindset for establishing a culture for this team. The big point of emphasis for the head coach was the importance of practice. “We need to come to the rink for practice with a game mindset to get better every single day,” Quinn said.
David Quinn: “if you make 22 mistakes on a Monday and 21 on a Tuesday, you’ve had a good Tuesday”
— Tim Hackett (@thetimhackett) May 24, 2018
I would retroactively like to make this my senior quote and proactively make this my epitaph
On top of that, this is also a team with one of the best goalies in the history of the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist. Quinn revealed that he has yet to speak directly to Lundqvist, but made no qualms about the plan for next season.
"Everyone knows Henrik is one of the best goalies in the world, he's our goalie" - head coach David Quinn
— Blue Line Station (@BlueLineStation) May 24, 2018
Maybe Quinn will not make a point of calling out a hall of fame goaltender for the overall team’s struggles. No matter what, Quinn will be an exciting change of pace for a team that has felt stale for several seasons.
Reaction
On all fronts, it seems like there is genuine palpable excitement surrounding the hire. Partly because Quinn seems like a coach made for the modern NHL, partly because he is not Alain Vigneault.
After watching the press conference I noticed how much David Quinn actually sounds like a hockey coach rather than someone who is more concerned about chewing gum . #NYR
— Michael (@NYRmikey) May 24, 2018
But, generally, there was excitement for a forward thinking coach.
David Quinn looks ready for this job. Very excited to watch the direction this team goes in #NYR
— Josh Liepper (@JLiepper) May 24, 2018
Next: A history of David Quinn's time at Boston University
With less than a month until the NHL entry draft, Quinn has a lot of learning to do. And maybe, the front office is cooking up another big move.