Cranston native, David Quinn, has been named head coach of the New York Rangers.
Quinn, 51, joins a heralded fraternity of RI natives, among them John Hynes (Devils), Ron Wilson (Mighty Ducks, Capitals, Sharks, Maple Leafs), Jack Capuano (Islanders), Lou Lamoriello (Devils), and Tim Army (Avalanche) who have risen to the helm of an NHL franchise.
Dave joins the Broadway Blueshirts after serving as Head Coach of Boston University, where he led the Terriers to two Hockey East Tournament Championships and two Hockey East Regular Season Championships.
He began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with Northeastern University in 1994, spending two seasons there before leaving to help build the University of Nebraska-Omaha program over the following six seasons.
Quinn joined his alma mater as an Associate Head Coach under the tutelage of legendary Terrier coach Jack Parker for the 2004-05 season. He’d remain there for five seasons, including an NCAA Championship in 2009.
During his first stint with the Terriers, Quinn helped develop several NHL defensemen, including current Ranger Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt Gilroy, Brian Strait and Eric Gryba.
From there, Dave made the jump to professional hockey, taking over the Head Coaching duties for the Lake Erie Monsters, the Colorado Avalanche’s AHL affiliate in 2009.
He returned to BU for the 2013-14 season, replacing Parker. In his second season, Quinn guided the Terriers to an 18-win improvement over the previous campaign and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
That success led to him being named the 2014-15 Hockey East Coach of the Year, as well as the New England Coach of the Year. In addition, Quinn was the runner-up for the Spencer Penrose Award as the Division 1 Men’s Hockey Coach of the Year. His Terrier teams made it to the NCAA tournament his final three seasons, including back-to-back Regional Finals in 2017 and 2018.
During his time as Head Coach at BU, Quinn coached some of the NHL’s brightest young stars, including Jack Eichel, Charlie McAvoy, Clayton Keller and several others.
Along the way, Dave spent time with the US National Team Development Program, and was named USA Hockey’s Development Coach of the Year in 2002-03 while serving as Head Coach of the United States’ Under-17 squad in the USNTDP.
Internationally, Quinn served as an Assistant Coach for Team USA at the 2003 IIHF World U18 Championship, and later as an Assistant at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2007, 2012 and 2016 World Championship tournaments. He was named the Head Coach for the 2019 World Junior Championship team in April.
His reach and impact in hockey wasn’t just limited to men. He served as an Assistant Coach with the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team at the IIHF World Championships, and earned a silver medal at that tournament in 1999 and 2000.
As a young player, Dave dominated in the RI youth leagues. His stellar prep career at the Kent School in CT saw him picked 13th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1984 NHL Entry draft. He opted for BU.
He earned a spot on the USA National Team in 1986 and captured a bronze medal with them at the 1986 World Junior Championship. After his junior year at BU, he tried out for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. During his tryout, he was diagnosed with Haemophilia B. Due to the disorder, Quinn was forced to retire.
His skill and his love for the game saw him return to the ice with the Binghamton Rangers in 1992 and the Cleveland Lumberjacks in 1993, but would never make it to the NHL…until now!