AP Photo/David Zalubowski
The San Jose Sharks appear to have found their replacement for Bob Boughner.
San Jose is “zeroing in” on former New York Rangers bench boss David Quinn as its next head coach, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman. Pittsburgh’s Mike Vellucci and Toronto’s Spencer Carberry were finalists.
The impending hire of Quinn should come as little surprise.
The Sharks hired Mike Grier as general manager this month, and the two share a connection having played college hockey at Boston University. Grier played for the Terriers from 1993-96, while Quinn played for the university from 1984-88.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also speculated that Quinn might be hired as head coach if Grier landed the GM position.
Quinn served as head coach of the BU men’s hockey team from 2013-18, guiding the team to a 105-69-21 record, two Hockey East titles and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a berth in the 2015 title game.
The 55-year-old was hired as head coach of the New York Rangers in 2018 and served in the role through 2021, posting a 96-87-25 record and leading the Blueshirts to the postseason just once in 2020.
Quinn most recently served as head coach for the United States men’s hockey team at the 2022 Winter Olympics after Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan had to pull out of coaching the Games when the NHL decided to not allow players to compete amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Team USA did not make it past the quarterfinals at the Olympics, suffering a 3-2 loss to Slovakia after winning each of its three preliminary-round games against China, Canada and Germany.
If hired, Quinn will replace Boughner, who coached the Sharks from 2019-22. He was fired by San Jose after going 67-85-23 in his three seasons at the helm and failing to lead the team to a postseason appearance.
Quinn was also a candidate for the Boston Bruins head coaching vacancy this summer, but the franchise hired former Dallas Stars bench boss Jim Montgomery instead.
