Clean slate: A history of Rangers coaches hired in off-season

Win some lose some

When we examine the history of Rangers coaches who started their tenures in the off-season, there are a few takeaways for historians and fans to talk about when the franchise tries to turn a corner.

Five coaches (Boucher, Geoffrion, Popein, Neilson, Vigneault) took over the club with winning records and continued to succeed in their debut season. Two coaches (Stewart,  Campbell) inherited teams with winning records but produced losing campaigns to start their tenures.

Five bench bosses (Watson, Shero, Brooks, Bergeron, Keenan) managed to turn losing teams into winners their first season. In contrast, nine coaches (Colville, Boucher, Harvey, Muzz Patrick, Talbot, Sator, Low, Trottier, Quinn) took over losing teams and continued the trend with losing seasons of their own.  That’s 10 Rangers coaches who had winning records versus 11 who debuted with losing records.

But does experience matter?  When it comes to veteran coaches like Gallant, it’s worth noting that the Rangers have hired seven experienced coaches to start a season and five had winning records.  That’s better compared to the 14 rookie coaches who have taken over with only five winning seasons among them.

It will be interesting to see how everyone within the organization responds to a new voice behind the bench. To date, The Rangers have had mixed results in these situations. However, Gallant has a boatload of talent on the roster, including reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox and a former first overall pick, Alexis Lafrenière. Together this group can achieve something only a few have before, and that is to win.