Next Possible Rangers Coach

[bobbop]

I’ll take my chances. I’m sure management has thought this through and they are far more equipped to make the decision than I am to speculate.

 

[Richard Banger]

Quinn is a great choice.

For me it was either him or Keefe

 

[Inferno]

Quinn seems fine.. I guess. Still would prefer Keefe.

 

[2014nyr]

If they hire David Quinn, they better get some really knowledgeable assistents. Quinn has the guts and charisma to get his way and influence people, but he certainly doesn't strike me as some kind of hockey mastermind...

OTOH we should have the resources to get that type of assistents. But I really don't want to see any friends and family hirings for the assistent positions.

He should definitely bring some good intel on NCAA players though, would be sweet to see some nice pick-ups of UDFAs.

basically my thoughts exactly. from what i've seen quinn is a tremendous recruiter more than anything. his teams have performed which hopefully reflects his ability to inspire and motivate, but at the college level you can produce results on sheer talent differential which could be a bigger factor than we accounted for - you can't recruit at the nhl level (outside of infrequent FA pitches).

but if he truly is a good motivator/disciplinarian and has the vision and humility to hire assistants that are more prepared from and x's and o's standpoint in todays game and will allow them to build the system it could work. he does seem to have a great repoire with any of the young guys that have passed through his program to the league. guess its either mike sullivan 2.0 or tom renney 2.0, fingers crossed

 

[Irishguy42]

I don't care who we hire as the head coach. As long as I never have to hear the term "good looks" more than like...10 times a season, and we don't play neanderthal hockey, I'm good.

 

[GregSirico]

I’m totally going to give Quinn a fair shake even if he isn’t the guy I wanted.

 

[Irishguy42]

I’m totally going to give Quinn a fair shake even if he isn’t the guy I wanted.

Incorrect.

If it's not Keefe, we riot. Because any hire that isn't Keefe is bad.

Got it?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Based off of what has been thrown out there, Quinn may have been their guy all along.

 

[nyr2k2]

I thought Quinn was a good candidate. Hopefully he works out. I trust the FO. Hate more Boston guys but whatever, I've been saying that forever now.

 

[GregSirico]

Incorrect.

If it's not Keefe, we riot. Because any hire that isn't Keefe is bad.

Got it?

Got it!

 

[GregSirico]

I thought Quinn was a good candidate. Hopefully he works out. I trust the FO. Hate more Boston guys but whatever, I've been saying that forever now.

Feels like we might be becoming Boston 2.0

 

[Irishguy42]

Actually, I've decided against Quinn.

He looks way too much like John Buccigross.

NEXT!

 

[2Leetch_94]

This is a few hours old but haven't seen it posted yet. James Mirtle replying to Friedman's David Quinn tweet saying that Keefe seems to be out of the running.

 

[nyr2k2]

I was never totally comfortable with Keefe. I know a lot of people will take issue with that, but it's just my feeling.

 

[Alluckks]

Been pumpin' the Quinn train for a while, would like him.

I have a literal Word document. I'm going to post the contents in the next post.

 

[Alluckks]

David Quinn is definitely high on the radar, and has been reported as such by multiple sources, including both Brooks and Carp.

After retiring from playing, Quinn began a career as a coach. After serving as an assistant coach for Northeastern University, Quinn joined a fledgling program at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. After helping build the program at Omaha for six years, Quinn left to become a developmental coach for USA Hockey. He then worked as an assistant at his alma mater, Boston University, helping the Terriers to the National Title in 2009.

On June 22, 2009, Quinn was introduced as head coach for the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. It marked a return to Cleveland where he played with the Lumberjacks.

On June 14, 2012, Quinn was named as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL. He had previously coached the Avalanche's minor league affiliate in Lake Erie of the AHL from 2009–2012.

On March 25, 2013, Quinn was named the eleventh head coach of Boston University, replacing Jack Parker.

Quinn has developed great talent through Boston University over the years.

Charlie Coyle
Charlie McAvoy
Kieffer Bellows
Nick Bonino
Colin Wilson
Alex Chiasson
Adam Clendenning
Eric Gryba
Clayton Keller
Dante Fabbro
Brandon Hickey
Jordan Greenway
Brady Tkachuk

So, the interest is certainly warranted.

1. Quinn was a coach for Shattenkirk

Quinn was the associate head coach under Parker for five seasons, ending in 2009 when Bu won the NCAA title behind future Avs Brandon Yip, Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen and current prospect Kieran Millan, a freshman at the time who is currently with the Denver Cutthroats of the Central Hockey League.

--https://www.ncaa.com/news/icehockey-men/article/2018-04-20/college-hockey-boston-universitys-david-quinn-tabbed-head

2a. Gorton wants more leaders in the locker room

Jeff Gorton said that a captain "has to have great leadership ability, the ability to go out on the ice and perform at a level everyone wants to follow."

- The strong leadership the Rangers want moving forward

2b. Shattenkirk went on to say in the same series of interviews

Kevin Shattenkirk said that he regretted not taking a bigger role in the locker room last season and said that the veterans need to set an example for the young players and create the culture they want to move forward with.

3a. Quinn has previously mentioned how recruiting and working for a University can wear you out - he mentioned this in interviews when he shifted from his time at BU [the first time] to working with the Colorado Avalanche

“After the ’09 year I had been there for five years and college hockey for 14. The recruiting can take a lot out of you and I just didn’t know how much more I could do,” Quinn said. “When the opportunity presented itself to join the Avs (organization) it was an opportunity to really hone my coaching skills. As an assistant coach in college a lot of your responsibility is recruiting. You do coaching as well, but I looked at myself as a recruiter first and foremost, so I really looked at this as an opportunity to really hone my coaching skills, coaching 80 games a year, which is the equivalent of two college seasons.”

3b. This would be Quinn's 2nd go at it coaching in the NHL. Our brass specifically mentioned a coach that would be doing it better their 2nd time around

Gorton wants the coach to be more involved with the players. The Buchnevich comments about AV's failure to communicate definitely rang true.
Gorton also said that the next coach of the Rangers will likely be more "hands on" than Alain Vigneault was.

4a. Ya know who really is hands on? A coach that cycles through new players in 2-4 year cycles and they are all developing - an NCAA coach that handles high profile prospects. Maybe one that has won awards for being so good in a developmental program worldwide.

Additionally, Quinn spent two seasons (2002-04) as a head coach for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. During his tenure at the NTDP, he led the U.S. to first-place finishes at the 2002 Four Nations Tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan; the 2003 Four Nations Cup in Magnitogorsk, Russia; and the 2004 Vlad Dzurilla Four Nations Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia. For his accomplishments, he was recognized as the 2003 USA Hockey Development Coach of the Year.

Head coach of his alma mater since 2014-15, Quinn has led the Terriers to four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), a pair of Hockey East tournament titles, a Beanpot championship and a NCAA national championship game berth.

4b. Put that in conjunction with...

Rangers owner James Dolan described Alain Vigneault as a "great coach for a developed team" but said that the next coach the Rangers hire has to be a "developmental coach, I can't stress that enough."
...
Dolan said the team is open-minded to hiring someone without NHL coaching experience, though he believes the job would be more challenging for an individual who hasn’t served as even an NHL team’s assistant.
“I think having some experience on NHL ice is valuable, but that will be up to Jeff,”

1. Quinn left BU back in 2009 for the Colorado Avalanche position because of 2 things:
Opportunity and tiresome of NCAA

a. Tiresome
When he left BU after the 2009 season for the pros, there was a perception he made the change because he was tired of waiting for Parker to retire. Both Quinn and Parker said that wasn’t the case.

“The recruiting can get tiresome, it’s a tough job,’’ said Quinn. “The way things evolved with Colorado, we had had four Colorado draft picks while I was [associate head coach] so I got to know the organization well. When Joe Sacco got the [head coaching] job in Colorado, he called and offered me a job. It was really a fast process and it was really out of left field. Jack and I had conversations about his future and where I was at. We had just won the national title and I think Jack was feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and I think it added a few more years to what his initial plan was.

“After the year we had, how do you top that? I’m no dummy, I understood the situation. It just really made a lot of sense for me. When you’re an assistant coach in college hockey, so much of it is recruiting. You’re a coach but you’re a recruiter first. I just felt that going to coach pro hockey was going to be an incredible opportunity as a coach to prove myself as a coach. I really enjoyed my time in the American League.’’

b. Opportunity for Advancement

Parker said it was a matter of Quinn taking advantage of an opportunity.
“I think he left BU because he wanted to become a head coach,’’ said Parker. “I don’t think he was sitting around waiting for me to retire. He knew I was going to coach a few more years. He wanted to be a head coach so he took some different routes. He has quite a résumé.’’

Quinn would be gaining a similar advancement in moving to a now Head Coaching job of an NHL team.


2. When Quinn went back to BU he made mention of a time frame...

“The next five years are going to be interesting in college hockey because there have been so many changes. It’s going to be interesting to see which leagues really survive, which leagues thrive, and which leagues struggle. I think [Hockey East] is really in a position to blossom in the next five years.’’

He has been there for 5 years now, and done very well.

He's coached tons of teams like the U.S. National Junior Team.
Quinn to the Rangers definitely didn't seem like a surprising topic for Colby Cohen to address, one of Shattenkirk's better friends and 2009 teammate under David Quinn.

Mike Sullivan came from BU as well.

“It just makes sense,” said former B.U. standout defenseman Colby Cohen, hero of the 2009 national championship game the Terriers won when Quinn was an assistant under the legendary Jack Parker and Kevin Shattenkirk, another Ranger and Cohen’s best friend, patrolled their blue line.

“I think [Quinn] would be a great fit,” said the admittedly biased Cohen. “He’s such a smart guy that he’ll understand how to deal with players making millions of dollars. But players will respect him and buy into his ways.”
Cohen’s comparison for Quinn was another B.U. product, Mike Sullivan, a former Rangers assistant under John Tortorella who went on to win the past two Stanley Cups with the Penguins, and is vying for a third this spring. What that means is that Quinn is a disciplinarian and every player is held accountable.

“There were times when I wanted to kill Quinny and he wanted to kill me as a player,” Cohen said. “But he pretty much taught me how to play defense.”

The question is how good the fit might be. Cohen spoke glowingly about Quinn’s “swagger,” which is needed when taking such a high-profile job. There are going to be a lot of young, inexperienced players on the Rangers next season, and general manager Jeff Gorton is going to have to figure out what type of person he wants to lead them.

- https://nypost.com/2018/04/15/champion-ncaa-coach-could-be-outside-the-box-rangers-pick/

Quinn suffered from an unfortunate disease that cut his career short - never able to play a game. He did attempt a comeback though in 1991. Guess who he signed with?

NHL Still Interested

Bonuses included reported interest from the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. He ended up signing a tryout contract with the New York Rangers and finished the 1991-92 season with Binghamton (AHL).

Rangers recently hired out of BU as well. Steve Greeley back in August of 2015. Greeley was working alongside Quinn when he was hired by Gorton. One of the first things Gorton did was hire someone that he worked with a decade prior, and someone that was currently at BU to be director of player personnel - and he did so damn well that he is now assistant GM for Buffalo.

Nine years later, Greeley is on the go again – this time to a front office job with the New York Rangers. He was hired last week as assistant director of player personnel by another man who once ran with an opportunity extended by O’Connell – new Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, who moved out of a media relations job and into the Bruins scouting department in 1994 when O’Connell was a first-year assistant to B’s president/GM Harry Sinden. Upon succeeding Sinden as GM in 2000, O’Connell made Gorton, a Bridgewater State graduate, his assistant.

“Yeah, the hockey community is pretty tight,” said Greeley, who is about to venture into pretty much every area of it in his new position.

- Scituate native Steve Greeley takes on new challenge with New York Rangers

Greeley was obviously liked by Gorton.

Greeley spoke very highly of Quinn when he was going to BU in 2014

“Quinny came to BU as associate head coach the year after I graduated (Quinn worked with Parker from 2005 through the Terriers’ 2009 NCAA Championship), so we were never at the school together,” Greeley said. “But BU has a great alumni network, so we became friends and built a relationship around hockey. He was a guy who’d call me to talk about players, or I’d call him. There was kind of a mutual respect on the hockey side of things.”

That mutual respect grew last season when Quinn, idled by the NHL lockout, and Greeley found themselves at many of the same AHL games.

“One of the things we both knew is that we saw players the same way,” Greeley said. “You’re going to disagree at times – it’s a subjective job – but more often than not we were agreeing on a lot of players.”
That like-mindedness led to Quinn’s job offer, even though Greeley’s only previous coaching experience was a year as an assistant (2005-06) at Thayer Academy, where he played before attending BU. And it didn’t take very long to accept Quinn’s offer, even though he’d been off the ice and the bench for seven years.

“I wasn’t too concerned,” Greeley said. “I knew I was stepping in with a guy who had a lot of experience in David Quinn, and our assistant coach, Buddy Powers, has a boatload of experience.

It is a tight knit community - you bet these guys stay in touch and look out for their own.

 

[Irishguy42]

 

[Tawnos]

I hate the "I told you so" crap but here it goes: I've been tellin' y'all on Quinn for well over a month.

I have a literal Word document. I'm going to post the contents in the next post.

Please don’t be that guy. Bad form.

 

[QJL]

Wow sounds like this is our guy.

 

[Polar Bear]

It's happening!

 

[KingWantsCup]

I’d be lying is I said I wouldn’t be a little disappointed if Keefe wasn’t our next coach. I don’t know much about Quinn, but I trust Gorton and know he wouldn’t hire anyone just because they’re a “rah rah” rallying type. Quinn must be being viewed as the complete package by Rangers brass.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

The Bobfather and Friedman saying it pretty much means it’s happening

All we need is Brooks now

 

[Alluckks]

Please don’t be that guy. Bad form.

Changed it up

 

[Irishguy42]

Seems pretty straightforward to me. Likely won't get done until Gorts gets back to the US.

 

[silverfish]

Really all in on this fresh blood thing, eh... I guess we'll see how this goes.

Anyone watch a lot of BU? Rundown of this guy's system?