NY Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan introduced in Tarrytown
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan is introduced during a press conference at the MSG Training Center in Tarrytown, New York, May 8, 2025.
A familiar face will be back on the Rangers’ bench for the 2025-26 season.
No, we’re not talking about Mike Sullivan, who spent 2009-13 as New York’s assistant coach before being hired as the 38th bench boss in franchise history in early May. That’s old news.
The twist is that former Blueshirts head coach David Quinn will be joining Sullivan’s staff as an assistant, according to a league source who spoke to lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network, on the condition of anonymity. The same source said that Joe Sacco and Ty Hennes will fill out the coaching staff, confirming a report from Sportsnet.
The news broke June 5, one day after Dan Muse was announced as the Pittsburgh Penguins new head coach. Multiple sources believe the Rangers were interested in retaining Muse as an assistant after he served in that role under since-fired coach Peter Laviolette last season.
Quinn spent the 2024-25 campaign as an assistant on Sullivan’s staff in Pittsburgh and for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. They were also teammates at Boston University in 1986-87, so there’s an established rapport between the two that clearly influenced the hire. But it’s a fascinating choice because of Quinn’s history in New York.
The 58-year-old coached the Rangers for three seasons from 2018-21, the bulk of the team’s rebuild era. He accumulated a 96-87-25 record with one brief postseason appearance (0-3) when the NHL expanded the playoff field following the COVID-19 pause in 2020.
There are a handful of holdovers from that period, with Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad, in particular, having career years under Quinn. One source indicated that he’s maintained affable relationships with multiple players, with the powers-that-be hopeful he can help revive them following a disappointing 2024-25 season.
The Rangers missed the playoffs in Quinn’s final season, prompting the firing of former team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton in May 2021. Chris Drury was promoted to assume both roles, with one of his first acts letting Quinn go.
If there were any ill feelings about the way it all went down, they’re being swept under the rug for the sake of this reunion.
The Rangers have run through three coaches since then, with Gerard Gallant and Laviolette each fizzling out after two seasons and Sullivan the latest to get a crack at it. Meanwhile, Quinn spent two losing seasons as head coach of the San Jose Sharks before being fired in 2024 and joining Sullivan with the Penguins.
Sacco has NHL head coaching experience, as well, most notably a four-year stint with the Colorado Avalanche from 2009-13. The 56-year-old spent the past 11 seasons as an assistant with the Boston Bruins before taking over as interim head coach after Jim Montgomery was fired on Nov. 19, 2024. He, too, is a BU alum.
Hennes will be the youngest of the bunch and only non-BU hire, having spent his schooling years at rival Boston College. The 45-year-old was an assistant under Sullivan the past years in Pittsburgh and spent the previous four seasons as the Pens’ skating and skills development coach.
Exact duties for each coach will be discussed during internal meetings this summer, according to a source. Logic would suggest that Quinn, a former defenseman, will handle the defense, while Sacco, a former right wing, will work with the forwards. It’s also worth noting that Quinn coached a Penguins’ power play that ranked sixth in the league last season, but those assignments are all to be determined.
The only certainty is that the holdovers from Laviolette’s staff − goalie coach Jeff Malcolm and skills coach Christian Hmura − will continue in those roles.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.