Rangers coach David Quinn was on Hockey Central at Noon earlier today and said the following:
- On being contacted by the Rangers, "I probably got a phone call 2-3 days after the coaching change and I've had a long relationship with Chris Drury and Jeff Gorton, two guys that I have known for a long time. We've talked a lot of hockey over the years and I've been very fortunate in my career to coach at a lot of different stops and the more we talked the more it felt like a good fit for both sides and I feel very fortunate to be in this position."
- What is your philosophy on hockey, "you want to play a fast game, I don't think a coach has ever said they want to play a slow game. We want to play a fast, puck pursuit, puck possession game built around good structural defense. That is something that, when you look around the league and see how things have gone in the playoffs, it's a track meet but also teams that are responsible defensively. For any team to have success those three things need to be part of the philosophy. Sitting here and saying what we are going to do is one thing but coaching is getting people to do it. Our job as coaches is to get players to do it, not to tell them to do it. That will be the challenge."
- On hiring NCAA coaches, "the game is evolving at the NHL level and I think you are seeing more college players play in the NHL. We have been very fortunate at BU to have a lot of high-end players and the direction the league is going in with the salary cap and the challenge that poses, younger players are coming into the league, probably sooner than they should be, but that is the ramification of having the hard cap in the NHL. I was fortunate, I'm a college coach but I have some pro coaching experience, I was in the AHL for three-years, an assistant in the NHL. I think that may have opened up doors for me than guys that hadn't had that experience. There are a lot of good coaches in college hockey and a lot that goes into it. I'm biased and think college hockey has been overlooked but I am fortunate that in this day and age, people are being more open minded."
- On the rebuild and still wanting to win, "I'm excited. I mentioned this in my press conference, when I left BU in 2009 to become a head coach in the AHL. I had never coached pro hockey before, I had only been a head coach for three-years so there was a not in my stomach when I left BU to become a coach in Lake Erie because of the uncertainty. I'm sure we have all gone through that when we have taken on a new endeavor. There is that knot in your stomach but I don't have that today. I've been fortunate that all the stops along the way have prepared me for this, fortunate I got a familiarity with a lot of the guys on the team. I've coached probably 5-6 of them, have a relationship with 8-10 of them. Certainly having the relationship with Jeff and Chris, everyone being on the same page, the comfort level, it really made it a no-brainer decision for me and I think that is why I have the excitement I have and not maybe the nervousness you would think a first time coach in the NHL would have."
- On leaving pro hockey to return to BU, "Marc has been in Boston and I think has a feel for college hockey and what it means to the city of Boston, being an alum at BU and the great tradition and the opportunity to coach at one of the premiere programs in the country and get high-end players and to be a head coach, made a lot of of sense for me at that time. One of the things I missed in pro hockey was the relationships that you have at the collegiate level, when you coach a guy it's not just a four-year experience, you are friends with them when they move on, lifelong friendships and it was something that I kind of missed in my four-years coaching pro hockey. It was a great opportunity and I think that in coaching you have to be careful in trying to plant your next move. The key is to do the best job in whatever job you have and be totally in on that and whatever happens from that happens. I had no plans to come back to the NHL, I just wanted to do the best job that I could at BU and my plan was to stay there and maybe retire. That was something that I was hoping to do and I think that this profession is very volatile and sometimes opportunities come up that you never anticipate. This was an incredible opportunity I could not pass up."
- Have you spoken with Henrik, "we haven't had a chance to talk yet. I was actually talking with Jeff and Chris today about when I am going to head over to Sweden. That is something that I am going to do and he and I will talk in the next few days for sure."
- On Henrik skating already, "that is what I've heard. I've been in the NY area so I have been out with 4-5 guys to grab lunch or dinner and introduce myself and get to know the team and the players."
- On how much Henrik plays, "that is something we will talk about and monitor. To have one of the best goalies in the world and NHL is a big advantage when you are going through something we are going through, a little bit of a rebuild or reset but that isn't the mindset of the staff or players. We want to win as many games as possible, make the playoffs and see how far we can. Starting with a goalie like Hank certainly makes that a little easier."
- On Henrik likely wanting to play 82, (laughing) "that is why that at his age he is so damn good."
- On the players at BU he is leaving behind, "it's very similar to what the players go through at BU when they leave early. It was probably the hardest thing I've had to do, after I agreed to be coach of the Rangers, was to go back and talk to the team and tell them that I was leaving. It was incredibly emotional, more so for me than the players because at 19 and 20, it's like 'coach is leaving, who is next?' (laughs) That is just the way it is. They understand. Anyone who is in the hockey world understands that leaving BU is not easy for me but this one just checked all the boxes. It's two guys that I have a lot of faith and trust in and two guys that I have great relationships with and like I said, the more we talked, we were all on the same page. It's the New York Rangers. I'm 52, not getting any younger and this wasn't going to come up again."
- On thinking about standing behind the bench for the first time at MSG, "I've been fortunate to coach in the rink twice before but this is going to be a lot different for sure. I remember the first time as head coach, we are going to play Cornell at MSG and then you start making the walk and the chills start and it's 'holy moly this is MSG.' I imagine there will be a level of excitement that I probably haven't had in my coaching career but, as you guys know, once the puck drops it's amazing how you get dialed in to what you are doing and the butterflies leave and you just start coaching or playing or whatever your responsibilities are for that night."
- On Vegas, "The league put them in a position to get good players. The expansion rules changed for them and I don't know if they had six first rounders and seven second rounders or vice versa, they had talent and they had an unbelievable goalie. Gerard did an unbelievable job and they were playing fast and there was clarity and never any indecision with how they were playing. They were all pulling in the same direction. You don't get to the Stanley Cup Final without talent, but did they have the most talent? No but they had enough talent combined with how they played and the goalie to get where they were."
- On players developing, "that is our job as coaches. Everyone is looking for answers outside the locker room but when you look at our roster, if everyone can get 5-10% better you are going to have a big improvement and a much better hockey team. I don't want to go Bill Belichick on you, but if you get dialed in and focused on the moment, get better on a daily basis and create an environment where people want to come to the rink, I think you have a chance."
- Gonna wear a hoodie, (laugh) "no, cut off sleeves maybe."
- Marc Savard said that he is available to be a PP consultant.