Flyers Coaching Candidate: David Quinn
There have been a lot of names tied to the Flyers as a head coach this offseason so far. One of the candidates the Flyers have interviewed is David Quinn. Quinn is not as sexy a name as Barry Trotz or John Tortorella. He doesn’t have the flashy, Broad Street vibe that a Rick Tocchet would have . He’s not as fancy as Claude Julien or Bruce Cassidy. But should he be overlooked? What is it about Quinn that could be appealing to the Orange and Black?
Well, he was a promising high school standout playing defense. He went to Kent School in Connecticut and was drafted 13th overall in 1984 by the Minnesota North Stars. Instead of turning pro right away, he attended Boston Univ. to get some seasoning.
It was there in college that he was diagnosed with Haemophilia B; a blood clotting disorder. He spent time, and a lot of money, getting treatments. He tried out for the 1992 US Olympic Team, but failed to make the cut. He garnered attention from the NY Rangers, who assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton, NY. After one season, he signed with the Cleveland Lumberjacks with the IHL before retiring in 1993. He spent two seasons in minor league hockey as a pro.
After retiring, he returned to the college ranks. He was an assistant coach at Northwester, Nebraska-Omaha, and Boston University. He was at BU in 2009 when they won the NCAA Frozen Four tournament.
He left the NCAA and became the head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. He spent three seasons there before being named an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche; the parent club of the Monsters. After one season, he returned to BU to be their head coach in 2013.
In 2018, Quinn was hired to become the head coach of the Rangers, replacing Alain Vigneault (interesting). Vigneault had been previously hired to replace Tortorella (also interesting). He spent three years on Broadway and only made the playoffs in 2020; although technically that was the playoff qualifying bubble. The Rangers were swept by the Hurricanes. Following the 2020-21 season, Quinn was let go.
He was also the head coach for the 2022 Team USA, which did not get into the medal round nor have any NHL stars on it.
Why He Should Be The Flyers Next Coach
The Flyers gave him an interview. He is young at only 55 years old. He clearly has a passion for the game seen from his work coaching in the minors, NCAA, and Team USA. He has seen international talent at different competitions and therefore may be a little more exposed to some things that other NHL coaches might not see. Perhaps he knows of some hidden foreign gem that could be the next top player here in the NHL.
Why He Shouldn’t Be The Flyers Next Coach
It’s one thing to coach and be successful in the minors and in the NCAA. Dave Hakstol was an amazing collegiate coach, but didn’t seem to be able to muster much magic in the NHL. Do we want to go down that road again? Likewise, the Rangers have been IMMENSELY better after jettisoning him. I want a coach where the team does well with them, not better without them.
Final Verdict
Unless he had some WOW! interview, he should be overlooked. I might be interested in him as a bench coach or assistant coach, but we don’t need him in Philly. There are far better candidates out there that we should focus our efforts on.