BU 2020-21 Season: The Road to … Nowhere?

[Chuck Murray]

I'm not so sure about Quinn losing the Rangers better players. The whole team played HARD in their final game against the Bruins. They could have more easily just rolled over, but they didn't. They certainly didn't play like a team quitting on their coach.

Yes, the final game of the season, which meant diddly-squat to both the Rangers and the B's. Yippee.

Rangers fire David Quinn with eye on experienced replacement (nypost.com)

Quinn was instrumental in the development of the cadre of impressive young blue bloods that features Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Ryan Lindgren, Pavel Buchnevich and Kaapo Kakko. He presided over Alexis Lafreniere’s improvement through his freshman season and over the wrenching transfer in goal from the iconic Henrik Lundqvist to Igor Shesterkin.

But the Rangers too often seemed flat at the start of games and were unable to maintain a level of consistency through this unique season, and were hammered three times within 12 days by the Islanders by an aggregate 13-1 margin when the playoffs were still in sight late in the season.

As well, Quinn was unable to get his marquee players to buy in on the need to adopt a more straight-line approach when opponents such as the Islanders game-planned to take away their time and space.

His pleas for the club to adopt more of a shooting mentality never seemed to get through to the skilled players, who became increasingly stubborn this year in their quest to score picture-perfect goals.

The Rangers are a soft team, that really cannot be questioned looking at their results down the stretch. With the fourth and final playoff slot within reach, the Rangers went an impressive 7-1-0 against the teams behind them - Devils, Sabres and Flyers - yet in games against playoff teams, they went 1-6-0 - with that win the meaningless one over the B's noted above.

There's also a reason why Tom Wilson ran wild against the Rangers on the ice early last week, and it's because he knew he could get away with it against the Rangers, because (once again) they're as soft as a baby's proverbial bottom. I don't care what the Rangers did in the next game to "address the situation", or that they didn't mail it in against the B's in the season finale. It's all just posturing, if you're not putting in the hard work to compete at your best in the games that really mean something. Getting swept and outscored 13-1 by your nearby hated rivals with the season on the line isn't a great sign that your best players are "getting it". And if they're not "getting it" through the coach, who are they supposed to be getting it from, exactly???

It's all too convenient to just blame Dolan for being Dolan. Unless you watched the Islanders' games, and think the Rangers came prepared to compete in any of them ... you can't blame the guy signing the checks for expecting a little more bang for his bucks. It's not all that unlike the Red Wings of the early '90's where they had a boatload of talent, but would get beaten by more physical teams in the playoffs every year (but at least they were making the playoffs) until Scotty Bowman came in and made sure all his guys - Yzerman included - bought into the two way game. The Rangers are wandering down the same path nowadays, and there was regression this season from last season. This is the NHL. Pretty good is not good enough.

 

[ericredaxe]

One has to wonder if part of Quinn is looking back now wondering if he should have followed more in Parker’s footsteps and never made the jump to the NHL? Obviously the dollars of that contract are very hard to ignore, but I’m sure he was getting paid a comfortable salary by BU (anyone have any idea what it was), and probably could have had a 20 year run as head coach before retiring. I’d guess that is what BU was expecting when they hired him.

 

[Harry Cleverly]

Yes, the final game of the season, which meant diddly-squat to both the Rangers and the B's. Yippee.

Quinn's fate was unknown heading into the final game of the season.
If the players wanted him gone, they would have rolled over. They didn't.
They played balls out. What does that tell you?
It should be obvious.

Were the Rangers a soft team because of Quinn. Or because of the players that Gorton/Drury handed him?

 

[J.D.]

I would think Quinn had to have been making around 500k at BU

 

[Bomber]

Drury hired Mike Grier as an advisor. Is Jay Pondolfo next? #1995NCTeamReunion

 

[Split-N]

Drury hired Mike Grier as an advisor. Is Jay Pondolfo next? #1995NCTeamReunion

Chris Drury was named GM of Team USA for the upcoming world championships back in February. Interesting to note that Jack Capuano was named Head Coach just a few weeks ago. Can't tell if Capuano was Drury's choice or imposed by USA Hockey but if the former, maybe a hint at what his thinking might be?

 

[Chuck Murray]

Quinn's fate was unknown heading into the final game of the season.
If the players wanted him gone, they would have rolled over. They didn't.
They played balls out. What does that tell you?
It should be obvious.

Were the Rangers a soft team because of Quinn. Or because of the players that Gorton/Drury handed him?

If you want to look at it that way ... Quinn's fate was up in the air for the final three (3) games of the season, once Gorton/Davidson were fired. Everyone knew that. First game after, they got involved in a faux line brawl with the Caps after they failed to answer the bell in the heat of the moment in the previous game. They lost that game, and the first game to the B's as well. So that's even a 1-2-0 record in three lame duck (NYR) games to close things out.

Rangers vs. Bruins - Box Score - May 8, 2021 - ESPN

It's a very fair question to ask if Quinn was responsible for the Rangers' softness, as opposed to the front office. But as I've pointed out previously, there was a widening rift in communications between Quinn and his top young talents on how to play the game in the NHL. There were important games down the stretch when the Rangers were no-shows. Your best argument seems to be that some of those guys figured it out in the season finale. That's fool's gold ... and if Drury thought things were salvageable at that point, Quinn would still be there. Obviously he didn't see it that way.

Those of us who are college hockey fans have this tendency to view personnel decisions a little less harshly, which is why the coaches (especially the mediocre ones) tend to stay on a lot longer than their pro bretheren get to stay on. No doubt in my mind, if Quinn had a similar situation at BU, he'd get the benefit of the doubt. In the NHL (and MSG specifically) ... no way.

I don't have an issue with Quinn BTW. But he knew what he was getting into, he took the job, he took the (ample) money, and would likely scoff at those who want to make excuses for him.

 

[Harry Cleverly]

I would think Quinn had to have been making around 500k at BU

More like 700k.

But not a Jack Parker type contract. At one point it allegedly said he had to be the highest paid college hockey coach in the country. So if another coach got a raise ahead of him, he'd automatically get a raise. That was before the Bruins came in for him a second time, and he got the brownstone on Bay State Road.

 

[Chuck Murray]

More like 700k.

But not a Jack Parker type contract. At one point it allegedly said he had to be the highest paid college hockey coach in the country. So if another coach got a raise ahead of him, he'd automatically get a raise. That was before the Bruins came in for him a second time, and he got the brownstone on Bay State Road.

Sweet deal. Always liked Parker, the BU program hasn't been the same without him ...

 

[Rover]

Don't think the Parker situation is comparable. The cheap Bruins probably offered him as cheap a deal as possible and they went through coaches left and right back then. Quinn got 13M guaranteed for 5 years. Had he stayed at BU it would take 20 years to earn as much ignoring the time value of money. Who knows if he would last 20 years. Poor health, decline in support for the program, off ice scandal, etc could get in the way.

Many of us in our careers face a situation where we're asked to step up and out of our comfort zone in exchange for a big increase in compensation. You can wuss out of course, but that's not exactly providing for your family as best that you can. Quinn did the right thing to see if he could cut it at the highest level. I doubt he has very many regrets.

 

[buoldtimer]

Sweet deal. Always liked Parker, the BU program hasn't been the same without him ...

I've been a dedicated follower since before Jack Parker became the HC. Parker coached BU through many great seasons. To this day, I enjoy listening to him discuss his career.

But the Quinn years were good years, also. BU hockey took a big hit when he left for the irresistible Rangers' contract. The BU program hasn't been the same without him.

 

[Friend_of_BU_Hockey]

But the Quinn years were good years, also. BU hockey took a big hit when he left for the irresistible Rangers' contract. The BU program hasn't been the same without him.

Agreed. A few favorable breaks and Quinn's tenure would've been comprised of 1 national championship and 2 other Frozen Four appearances. Expectations were always high b/c of the exceptional high-end talent that he & Albie recruited, but aside from his 1st season, Quinn's BU teams were where I believe many BU fans expected them to be - consistently a Top-10 team nationally.

Quinn was also terrific as a "brand ambassador" for BU Hockey -- articulate, confident, personable, telegenic. As with Coach Parker, I really enjoyed listening/watching Quinn discuss BU Hockey.

My biggest knock on Quinn as a HC is that he relied too much on BU's stars, and wasn't proficient at developing depth/role players on the team where they improved year-over-year.

By all accounts Albie is a very nice guy who is well-liked, but as a head coach, I'm still not sold that he projects the level of confidence that his predecessors did. I know other BU fans have picked up on that and I wonder if his players feel similarly -- re: they really like him but may not respect him as much as a HC should be respected.

 

[Harry Cleverly]

Agreed. A few favorable breaks and Quinn's tenure would've been comprised of 1 national championship and 2 other Frozen Four appearances. Expectations were always high b/c of the exceptional high-end talent that he & Albie recruited, but aside from his 1st season, Quinn's BU teams were where I believe many BU fans expected them to be - consistently a Top-10 team nationally.

Quinn was also terrific as a "brand ambassador" for BU Hockey -- articulate, confident, personable, telegenic. As with Coach Parker, I really enjoyed listening/watching Quinn discuss BU Hockey.

My biggest knock on Quinn as a HC is that he relied too much on BU's stars, and wasn't proficient at developing depth/role players on the team where they improved year-over-year.

By all accounts Albie is a very nice guy who is well-liked, but as a head coach, I'm still not sold that he projects the level of confidence that his predecessors did. I know other BU fans have picked up on that and I wonder if his players feel similarly -- re: they really like him but may not respect him as much as a HC should be respected.

Well said. I agree with all of it, with a couple of additions.

I agree that Quinn's teams relied too much on the high end talent and did not recruit great depth at forward. Ironically, this past season did not have that issue. The depth at forward was fine.

BU were slow out-of-the-gate at the start of games under Quinn, and apparently so were the Rangers. I would have like more fire out of Quinn and his staff. He didn't need to be a dragon like Parker. That is obviously not his personality. But more fire in spots would have been most welcome.

Your description of Quinn is spot on -- "terrific as a "brand ambassador" for BU Hockey -- articulate, confident, personable, telegenic." He is someone that you'd want to be the face of the program.

Where Quinn was not, and could not be Parker, Albie is not and can not be Quinn.

I remember when Albie got the head job, he joked that his suits wouldn't quite fit him like "GQ" Quinn's did. That's fine. No one complained about Parker's plaid jackets long after they had gone out of style. Albie still needs to show that he can have the commanding presence that we have come to expect out of a HEAD coach. And that he and his staff need to show they can make in-game adjustments when shots on goal have dried up. The recruiting and game-planning is not an issue, IMO.

So maybe Albie should wear a Jack Kelley fedora, a Jack Parker red plaid jacket or go all out and get a Quinn Armani suit. Or just stick with his own style of a warmup top and baseball cap, and just step up his leadership game.

 

[buoldtimer]

I see that Will McDonough, a soon to be 16 year old, from Duxbury, MA attended the recent NTDP evaluation camp. He plays for Boston Advantage. Does anyone know if he's the grandson of the late Will McDonough of The Boston Globe?

 

[ericredaxe]

The season ticket email came out.... not sure if this is new info but we will have 2 home games against BC. Alaska and ASU will both be coming to town for a pair of games.

 

[DLG]

The season ticket email came out.... not sure if this is new info but we will have 2 home games against BC. Alaska and ASU will both be coming to town for a pair of games.

Sounds like another disaster of out of conference schedule- who is responsible for that- I think both the coach and AD

 

[Scarlet]

Sounds like another disaster of out of conference schedule- who is responsible for that- I think both the coach and AD

Why do you say that? I don't know if Alaska (either school) has ever come to Boston. Better than Sacred Heart (no offense intended). They're also going to Northern Michigan in October.

 

[DLG]

Why do you say that? I don't know if Alaska (either school) has ever come to Boston. Better than Sacred Heart (no offense intended). They're also going to Northern Michigan in October.

Alaska is on the verge of folding the program- No NCHC school in last 5 years. expect to see LIU next
Why do we need two games against these teams- They are in Boston area- does no one else want to play them
Understand when we go there need two games to justify trip

 

[Sean Pickett]

Why do you say that? I don't know if Alaska (either school) has ever come to Boston. Better than Sacred Heart (no offense intended). They're also going to Northern Michigan in October.

As I recall UAA played in the NCAA first round at BC in 1991 and made a New England trip in 1991-92 when they played at UNH, MC and UML. As for Alaska (Fairbanks), they made several New England trips before joining the CCHA: 1986-87 when they went played at Maine and Norwich, as well as the Yale Hockey Classic; 1987-88 when they played at Norwich, NU (I was at that game) and MC; 1990-91 when they played at the RPI Tournament, MC and PC; and 1991-92 when they played at Army and Maine.

Alaska is on the verge of folding the program- No NCHC school in last 5 years. expect to see LIU next
Why do we need two games against these teams- They are in Boston area- does no one else want to play them
Understand when we go there need two games to justify trip

I'm not sure where you heard that Alaska was on the verge of folding, but that's not what I understand. If either Alaska program is close to folding it appears to be Alaska Anchorage, although there is an effort underway to save the program that the new NHL Seattle Kracken are supporting. Alaska (Fairbanks) on the other hand is forging ahead as an independent. Furthermore, despite the budget cuts forced on the University of Alaska system by the governor in 2019, Alaska (Fairbanks) increased spending on hockey by 9.3% over the previous season. So, they seem committed to keeping hockey.

As far as Alaska coming to BU I support it as it helps Alaska and I get to seem them again after 23 seasons. You may not want to see them play, but I do. I care less about seeing ASU as BU just hosted them two seasons ago. I suspect that at least one of those series is two replace the previous planned series with UAH. I also wouldn't mind seeing LIU, although I would only want a single game. And as for BU's OOC I don't need or want to just see NCHC teams season after season. There are other teams I would enjoy seeing come to Agganis, like MTU, OSU, PSU, BSU, LSSU, AFA and RIT.

Sean

 

[buoldtimer]

As I recall UAA played in the NCAA first round at BC in 1991 and made a New England trip in 1991-92 when they played at UNH, MC and UML. As for Alaska (Fairbanks), they made several England trips before joining the CCHA: 1986-87 when they went played at Maine and Norwich, as well as the Yale Hockey Classic; 1987-88 when they played at Norwich, NU (I was at that game) and MC; 1990-91 when they played at the RPI Tournament, MC and PC; and 1991-92 when they played at Army and Maine.

And beat BC in that series.