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| David Quinn holding the 2015 Beanpot Trophy |
Quinn, 51 years old, was with the Boston University Terriers for five years before accepting the Rangers job. At BU Quinn replaced the legendary Jack Parker in 2013, and he had a 105-68-21 record, which included four trips to the NCAA tournament and a national title game appearance in 2015. His BU team lost to Providence in that NCAA title game.
Surprisingly Quinn's BU team won just one Beanpot Trophy (2015) in his five seasons. And his team lost in the Beanpot finals the last three years (2016-18). The Beanpot tournament (BU, BC, Harvard, and Northeastern) is a big deal in the Boston area and one win in five years is not very good. Other than that he does have an impressive coaching resume.
| Coaching career (Head Coach unless noted) | |
|---|---|
| 1994–1996 | Northeastern (assistant) |
| 1996–2002 | Nebraska–Omaha (assistant) |
| 1999–2000 | Team USA (assistant) |
| 2002–2004 | Team USA U17 |
| 2003 | Team USA U18 (assistant) |
| 2004–2009 | Boston University (assistant) |
| 2009–2012 | Lake Erie Monsters |
| 2012 | Team USA (assistant) |
| 2012–2013 | Colorado Avalanche (assistant) |
| 2013–2018 | Boston University |
| 2016 | Team USA (assistant) |
The Rangers going for a rebuilding college coach instead of an NHL retread is considered by most observers to be a smart move given the type of players the Rangers are stockpiling. The Rangers have 13 players from the college game competing for a Blueshirt job: Kevin Shattenkirk (who was coached by Quinn at B.U.), Chris Kreider (B.C.), Kevin Hayes (B.C.), Brady Skjei (Minnesota), Jimmy Vesey (Harvard), Neal Pionk (UMD), Brendan Smith (Wisconsin), Rob O’Gara (Yale), John Gilmour (Providence), Steven Kampfer (Michigan), Boo Nieves (Michigan), Vinni Lettieri (Minnesota); and Ryan Lindgren (Minnesota).
MSG analyst Steve Valiquette said that "the NY Rangers could have potentially 10 collegiate graduates in their lineup next year. This is David Quinn's wheelhouse."
Quinn reportedly signed a 5 year deal for $12 million ($2.4M per year), which was bumped up from a 4 year $8 million initial package, in order to pry him out of Boston University.
All of the commentary from Steve Valiquette regarding Quinn's coaching prowess was of course very positive. Quinn played as a defenseman, and he brings a defense first mentality, which apparently means that we should not expect to see Rangers defensemen dropping to one knee and screening the goaltender.
When asked, Quinn said he still expects Lundqvist to be the Rangers goalie. Quinn said in reply to a Stan Fischler question, that his favorite hockey team while growing up in Cranston, RI, was the Boston Bruins and that Ray Bork, the Bruins Hall of Fame defenseman, was his favorite player. The Rangers were his second "favorite" team.
The Rangers have a busy schedule coming up and Quinn will quickly go to work, getting his assistants lined up, and then getting a roster put together with Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury.
Quinn's mission will be to develop young players and win at the same time. MSG Network tweeted: "David Quinn is being counted on to hit the ground running." We wish him all the best.
Key dates coming up:
- NHL Combine: June 1-2
- NHL Draft: June 22-23
- Prospects Camp: June 25
- NHL Free Agency: July 1
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