Penguins hire former Sharks head coach as an assistant
Mike Sullivan flashes a smile about as often as he divulges the identity of his starting goaltender the day before a game.
That’s to say each is rare. But there are exceptions. Like on the occasions Sullivan is asked about his friend, David Quinn.
Such was the case on Feb. 14 when the San Jose Sharks, then coached by Quinn, came to town.
“(Quinn) is a real hard-working hockey guy,” a beaming Sullivan said. “He’s come up through the ranks the hard way. He’s honed his craft at so many different levels. He’s learned through every experience that he’s gone through. He brings a certain humility to his job every day that makes him the coach that he is. He brings a certain combination of personal skills – his ability to connect with players and communicate with players that I think is a strength of his – with just the tactical aspect of the game. He’s a student of the game.
He works extremely hard at it.”
Approximately four months later, Quinn is now working for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Wednesday, the team announced Quinn was added to Sullivan’s staff as an assistant coach.
He replaces former associate coach Todd Reirden who was fired on May 3. Per a release from the team, Quinn will be taking on Reirden’s former duties of overseeing the defensemen.
There was no mention of who may be in charge of the beleaguered power play. The futility of that special teams unit was the leading factor in Reirden’s dismissal. During the 2023-24 regular season, the Penguins finished 30th in the NHL with a conversion rate of 15.3%.
The Sharks, in the midst of a complete rebuilding project, fired Quinn on April 24 after the team limped to a league-worst 19-54-9 record.
That mark earned the Sharks the top overall selection in this month’s NHL Draft.
Quinn spent two seasons with the Sharks, posting a 22-44-16 record including the 2022-23 campaign. Current Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson played for Quinn that season, becoming the first defenseman in three decades to reach the century mark in offense, posting 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 points.
Before joining the Sharks, Quinn previously served as head coach of the New York Rangers between 2018 and 2021, compiling a 96-87-25 record with that franchise.
A native of Cranston, R.I., Quinn, 57, formerly served as head coach of Boston University, his and Sullivan’s alma mater.
Teammates with Sullivan for parts of two seasons at Boston University, Quinn was a first-round pick (No. 14 overall) of the Minnesota North Stars in 1984 but was unable to fulfill his considerable potential as a player due to a blood clotting disorder that sidelined him for his entire senior season (1987-88).
After for the American Hockey League (AHL) Binghamton Rangers and the International Hockey League’s (IHL) Cleveland Lumberjacks, Quinn retired as a player in 1993 and embarked on a coaching career that saw him make stops at the NCAA level with Northeastern, Nebraska- Omaha and Boston University. In the professional ranks, Quinn has served as head coach of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche. Internationally, Quinn has served as head coach for the United States in Olympic and World Championship tournaments.
