The New York Rangers continue to clear house, announcing Wednesday that coach David Quinn and most of his staff have been fired a week after general manager Jeff Gorton and president John Davidson left the team.
The Rangers missed the playoffs in a tight East Division. According to the New York Post, the Rangers want to hire an experienced coach with reaching the playoffs the primary target. Quinn compiled a 96-87-25 record in his three years at the helm in New York.
OFFICIAL: #NYR President and General Manager Chris Drury has announced that Rangers Head Coach David Quinn and Assistant Coaches David Oliver, Jacques Martin and Greg Brown have been relieved of their coaching duties.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 12, 2021
Assistant coaches David Oliver, Jacques Martin and Greg Brown were also let go by the Rangers. Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire was retained. Skills coach Mark Ciaccio will also remain, according to USA TODAY. Allaire has been with the team since 2004 and has now outlasted five head coaches in New York.
The slew of changes for the Rangers began May 5 after Gorton and Davidson departed. A day earlier, New York released a strongly worded statement that called for the firing of George Parros, the head of the NHL’s department of player safety, for not suspending Capitals winger Tom Wilson for his role in a scrum that left Artemi Panarin injured.
The Rangers said in a statement that Gorton and Davidson’s dismissals were based on the team’s performance.
“In order for the team to succeed in the manner our fans deserve, there needs to be a change in leadership,” the statement read.
New York has several pieces that could help turn the team into a playoff contender. Quinn, Davidson and Gorton, however — the ones who played a major role in putting together those pieces — won’t be a part of any playoff runs in the future.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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