Former Rangers HC Returns as Assistant

When an NHL team fires a head coach, it usually marks the end the relationship between the two parties. There are cases where a team will re-hire a head coach later down the line, but those are few and far between.

Rarer still is when teams bring back former head coaches as assistants. It's almost unheard of in the NHL, but not completely.

On Thursday, the New York Rangers announced the hiring of David Quinn, their head coach from 2018-21, as an assistant on Mike Sullivan's staff. Quinn, 58, spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant under Sullivan as well.

The Cranston, R.I., native led the Rangers to a 96-87-25 record over his three seasons as head coach. Their only playoff appearance of his tenure came in the expanded 2020 postseason, where they were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the qualifying round.

The Rangers fired Quinn on May 12, 2021, just a week after Chris Drury took over as general manager. Several New York players - including Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin - played under him during his time as head coach.

Quinn then spent two years as head coach of the San Jose Sharks from 2022-24, leading them to a 41-98-25 record during a rebuilding period.

Quinn also served as the head coach for Team USA for three major tournaments, including the 2022 Winter Olympics and the World Championships in 2022 and 2023. He was also an assistant under Sullivan at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year.

The Rangers also announced the addition of Joe Sacco and Ty Hennes to Sullivan's staff. Sacco served as the Boston Bruins' interim head coach for much of last season after the firing of Jim Montgomery in November, and spent four years as the Colorado Avalanche's head coach from 2009-13. Hennes spent the last seven years with the Penguins, including the last three as an assistant coach under Sullivan.