The San Jose Sharks announced that they have fired head coach David Quinn after two seasons with the organization. Quinn posted a 48-91-25 record with San Jose, including a league-worst 19-54-9 this season.
Quinn’s Unique Coaching Journey
Unlike many NHL head coaches who are lifers in the league, Quinn took a more circuitous route. After medical issues limited him to two professional seasons as a player, both in the minor leagues, he began his coaching career as an assistant with a few different college programs and had a stint with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP).
He landed his first head coaching position with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) and then finally got a taste of NHL coaching as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2012-13 season. He decided to return to the college ranks as the head coach of Boston University, where he spent five seasons and led the Terriers to a national title game appearance. He parlayed his success there into three seasons as the head coach of the New York Rangers. After a year away from the NHL, during which he served as head coach of the United States national team during the 2022 Olympics, he began his stint with the Sharks, which ended today.
In the process of announcing the dismissal, general manager Mike Grier still had praise for Quinn:
“David is a good coach and an even better person,” Grier said. “I would like to personally thank him for his hard work over these past two seasons. He and his staff did an admirable job under some difficult circumstances, and I sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation.”
Next Sharks Coach Will Have Their Work Cut Out
The Sharks are still in the process of overhauling their roster and likely have several seasons to go before contending again. They have a number of exciting prospects and the best odds at this year’s draft lottery but will probably have a few more years of struggle before those players and picks make a major impact in the NHL.
Whoever is hired to coach the Sharks will need to understand that journey. They will likely do a lot of losing in their first couple of seasons as San Jose’s head coach, but if they know what they are signing up for and work with the front office to remain patient, they will have an opportunity to reap tremendous rewards in due time.
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