New York Rangers: David Quinn is a breath of fresh air

Following two seasons of stagnation, the New York Rangers are finally headed in the right direction. Through just two preseason games, it is clear David Quinn was the man for the job.

The air New York city no longer smells like a combination of hot garbage and bodily fluids. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but the New York Rangers have a coach that meets its players needs. Young players need to be nudged along and put in the right position to succeed for their development to progress.

It was clear that the team’s former coach, Alain Vigneault, had worn out his welcome. The players on last year’s team did not understand his decisions or feel they were learning. The Rangers were a team that had changed under Vigneault and he allowed it to pass him by. At the end of last season, the players were clearly just going through the motions and running out the clock on the season.

The contrast between the two coaches could not be more obvious after just a few days of training camp. By the time of Sunday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Quinn was on the verge of losing his voice. Both Quinn and the Rangers players themselves have emphasized the importance of communication, so obviously, the coach practices what he preaches.

The Rangers will likely not be a good team this season, but they will make progress as a franchise. Quinn has established a team identity in less than a week, something that Vigneault failed to do after his first season.

Bark and bite

One of the biggest complaints about the Rangers under Vigneault was there habit of turning the other cheek to on ice aggression. Whenever a player in a blue sweater was mashed against the boards or sucker punched, the rest of his teammates would skate away and avoid a penalty. While Vigneault may have thought he was coaching discipline, he was making his team easy to play against.

After New Jersey Devils forward Eric Gryba hit Ranger center Boo Nieves in the head with his helmet, Quinn was irritated. Aside from the questionable nature of the hit, no Ranger reacted on the ice.

"“It happened so fast, I don’t know if guys saw it, and we responded by winning the game, obviously, but there are other ways you can respond,” the coach said when asked about the absence of retaliation. “It’s been discussed [with the team].”"

This is a far cry from the Western Conference style of hockey Vigneault preached. But Quinn’s message did not fall on deaf ears like some of the former coach’s pontifications.

The team definitely got the message as there was a noticeable feistiness to its game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Both Brendan Smith and Matt Beleskey showed a level of grit that has been foreign to the organization for so long.

Grit does not necessarily mean fighting, but it does mean responding when physically challenged. Both are players coming off less than stellar 2017-2018 campaigns and this aggressiveness could very well be the difference between making the team or spending the season in the AHL.

There is no coasting or days without lessons under Quinn.

"“There’s a work aspect to this camp where everyone is held accountable,” Hayes said following Tuesday’s session. “Things that maybe should have been addressed and weren’t, maybe taken for granted, they’re being addressed now."

If nothing else, the Rangers are going to be a difficult team to play against.

Thankfully, there is not any chewing gum in sight and there have not been any good looks in the last week.