Why Mike Sullivan brought David Quinn back to Rangers on his staff

For a handful of Rangers, there’s been some déjà vu this training camp. 

David Quinn is back in New York, this time as an assistant coach under head coach Mike Sullivan.

It’s been just over four years since Quinn was ousted from his post behind the Rangers bench, where he experienced his first NHL head coaching opportunity from 2018-2021. 

After Quinn joined Sullivan’s staff in Pittsburgh last season, the new Blueshirts coach asked his former Boston University teammate to serve on his staff in New York as well. 

“I think Quinnie is a real good coach,” Sullivan said earlier in training camp. “And that was one of the reasons I asked him to join me in Pittsburgh. We’ve obviously known each other for a long time. We’ve talked hockey for a lot of years together. He’s a student of the game, and I think he’s a real good hockey coach. I watched what he did with our team in Pittsburgh last year with the responsibilities that we gave him. Did a great job with our power play. He did a terrific job with our defensemen, up and down the lineup, whether it be the veteran players or some of the younger kids. 

“He’s a good teacher. He brings great energy. He loves hockey. I just think he’s a good coach. I really like our staff. I think there’s a chemistry that’s so important amongst the coaching staff. Just like a group of players. I like the group that we’ve assembled. I think everyone, they get along pretty well. We have some laughs, but when it’s time to work, we go to work. They’re a fun group to be a part of.” 

Mike Sullivan speaks to the media on Sept. 17, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Quinn and Sullivan overlapped at BU for two seasons from 1986-1988, with assistant Joe Sacco arriving for the 1987-88 season.

The now 59-year-old Quinn also served as co-captain of the Terriers that campaign. 

In addition to joining Sullivan’s Penguins staff, Quinn was also named an assistant under Sullivan for Team USA at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February and for the 2026 Olympics in Milan this coming February. 

Managing the power play and defense in Pittsburgh, Quinn did rather well with his responsibilities.

Working with a Penguins power play that finished 22nd in the NHL in 2023-24, Quinn had Pittsburgh ranked No. 6 last season with a 25.8 percentage. 

Quinn will continue to run the power play and defense in New York, while Sacco is in charge of the penalty kill and forward group.

Ty Hennes is expected to “wear a lot of hats,” including skill and player development, tracking statistics and iPad responsibilities on the bench. 

Several Rangers enjoyed career seasons at the time under Quinn, who was dismissed one week after general manager Jeff Gorton and president John Davidson were let go as part of a major housecleaning in 2021. 

David Quinn was the Rangers’ head coach from 2018-2021. NHLI via Getty Images

Artemi Panarin’s 95 points in 2019-20 were a career high at the time. He also finished third in Hart Trophy voting that season. 

Mika Zibanejad’s 41 goals in 2019-20 are still a career mark for him, while ex-Ranger Ryan Strome’s 59 points that season represent his most productive campaign yet. 

Defenseman Adam Fox also won the Norris Trophy in his second season under Quinn in 2020-21. 

The BU blood may run thick, but Sullivan said it was only part of his reasoning for assembling the staff that he did. 

“These guys are where they are because they’ve earned it,” he said. “I look at Joe Sacco and the track that he’s taken to get to where he’s at. He’s been a head coach twice in the league. He’s been an assistant coach for a number of years on some really good staffs in Boston. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Finals. He brings a wealth of experience and he’s another guy that’s a student of the game, also. Ty Hennes is a guy that has been with me for 10 years in Pittsburgh, and I’ve watched his evolution as a coach. I just have so much respect for what he brings to our team. 

“I just like the energy around the group. They’re enthusiastic guys. They love what they do, and I think that that’s contagious.”