David Quinn returns to MSG tonight to coach his first game against the Rangers.

He spoke after Sharks practice on Wednesday and said the following about coming back to NY (Sharks):

• Is it special for you to return to NY, “I’d be lying to you if I said no. Yea, it is, I mean, I had three great years in New York. I loved my time there, I loved the players there. Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way we all wanted it to, but it’ll be pretty cool.”

• On the team being on a good run when Covid hit and then the August play in round, “A lot of things changed, I mean, Covid affects people differently. Some people can proceed with their lives in a regular manner and some people really get affected by it. I think our organization was like any others, I think we had players that were concerned about coming back to play in a bubble. It was crazy, unique circumstances. Things that you can never plan for, there’s no blue book on how to handle coming back from the pandemic and going into a bubble and playing in front of nobody. Just a lot of things that are uncontrollable and things you’ve never experienced. That doesn’t mean that I or we could have done a better job handling those situations. They were really unique times in everybody’s lives. Like I said, the reality of it is that we are human beings and Covid affecting people in our organization in a real way and it definitely took it’s toll on us in the bubble.”
• Do you think that the team could have had nice playoff run if the league hadn’t paused, “I’ve been fortunate to be on teams where you have swagger and you know, if you show up and you do A, B and C, you’re going to be successful and that was one of those teams. We felt that when that pandemic hit we were one of the best teams in the NHL from Jan. 6th on. We had just gone on the road to start a road trip, we beat Dallas 5-2, lost in OT to Colorado on a back-to-back in a tough game and feeling really good about ourselves and two points out of a playoff spot. As my father once said to me, nobody cares (laugh).”
• You got your first win against the Sharks, would it be poetic if your first win with the Sharks came against the Rangers, “I don’t care if we beat the Westchester Rangers, we just want to freaking win.”

He spoke on Thursday and said (Sharks):

• What are your emotions coming back to MSG, “Anytime you come back and coach in a place you used to work is a special time. I really haven’t thought much about it because, obviously, we are getting prepared for tonight, but now that most of the work is done, maybe it will hit me a little bit more leading into the game. Obviously trying to put us in a better position to win night in and out and kind of focusing on that right now, but I’m sure it will hit me more as we get closer to game time.”
• Do you take any pride in seeing how the Rangers are playing, “I’m always following the NHL and, again, when you work somewhere for three years and you’ve got relationships with people you are always following them. Obviously it didn’t end the way we all wanted it to, but I got fond memories there, certainly cheer for the guys that I coached, it’s just human nature to do that. Certainly follow them from afar, but like you said, I’m coaching a team right now and they are my main focus.”
• How have you grown as a coach since leaving the Rangers, “I’ve been asked that a lot, I’m sure a lot of coaches are asked that after they’ve lost their job. I’ve said this before and I think that every year as a coach you try and grow, but I certainly learned a lot my last year in NY. Some of the things I wish I would have done differently and I don’t know if I want to get into specifics about it. Last year was a great opportunity for me to get back to who I’ve been for most of my coaching career and like I said, every year coaches are learning and if you’re not you are in trouble. Regardless of whether you’ve had success or not, you are always trying to become a better coach and I certainly learned a lot of lessons my last year in NY.”
• Were you surprised at the Rangers success last season, “Well, listen, when you start a rebuild, it was clear, when I took the job, what was happening and our organization made no secret about it. When I took the job it was clear from a timeline standpoint that the fourth year was going to be the year we might be able to make big headway due to our cap situation. My last year in New York we had 18.5 million dollars of dead cap money. We just didn’t have the depth, but we were building towards it. I’ve said this a lot, when Covid hit, I felt and we felt as an organization, we felt really good about where we were. We were 2 points out of a playoff spot, we were playing really good hockey. I don’t know how far off we were from what was going on last year up to that point. Obviously, they were able to make some great additions. Chris has done a great job, Gerard has done a heck of a job coaching this group and they continue to move forward. I wasn’t surprised at what they did last year. They’ve got stars everywhere, they’ve got stars in net, they’ve got stars on the blueline, they’ve got stars up front and they’ve been playing together a long time. They’re a legit Stanley Cup…team that can win the whole thing and I’m not surprised by that at all.”