The New York Rangers will take on the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, minus a crucial team member.
The club announced Sunday afternoon that head coach Mike Sullivan will be stepping away from the team for personal reasons. Moreover, the precise nature of said personal reasons is unknown.
It also remains unclear how long Sullivan will be away from the club. In the meantime, assistant coaches David Quinn and Joe Sacco will be sharing the main coaching duties.
The announcement comes as a surprise after Sullivan and the Rangers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in the shootout on Saturday night. The win was the Blueshirts’ third in a row and seventh in their last 10.
The hope is that Sullivan won’t be away for long. The club is in the midst of a tight race in the Metro Division. Entering Sunday night’s action, the Rangers are tied with their crosstown rivals, the New York Islanders, with 22 points. The two clubs are five points behind the division-leading New Jersey Devils.
Sunday night’s tilt against the Red Wings will be a crucial one for both clubs as they look to maintain a foothold in their respective divisions.
Rangers in Good Hands with Quinn, Sacco
The New York Rangers have two highly experienced assistant coaches in David Quinn and Joe Sacco.
Quinn was the Blueshirts’ bench boss from 2018 to 2021. He spent three seasons in New York, compiling a 96-87-25 record in 208 games. The Rangers failed to make the playoffs during Quinn’s tenure. However, the Blueshirts played three games during the 2020 play-in round following the COVID-19 stoppage midseason.
Quinn spent two more seasons leading the San Jose Sharks before returning to the Rangers as an assistant this season. The 59-year-old can easily step in and take over the main coaching duties, given his 372 games of NHL head-coaching experience.
As for Joe Sacco, the 56-year-old spent parts of four seasons leading the Colorado Avalanche. His best season came in 2009-10, when he led the Avalanche to a second-place finish. However, the Avs lost in the first round of the playoffs. Sacco was a finalist for the Jack Adams that season.
However, a string of playoff misses led to Sacco’s dismissal from Colorado. He landed an assistant coaching position with the Boston Bruins. The Rangers’ assistant took over as the Bruins’ interim coach last season following Jim Montgomery’s firing in mid-November. Sacco, unfortunately, did not return to Boston as the club hired Marco Sturm to be their head coach this season.
All told, Joe Sacco has a 130-134-30 record in 356 NHL games as a bench boss. His experience should be an asset to Quinn and the rest of the Rangers’ coaching staff.
Blueshirts Looking for Second Win against Red Wings this Season
The Rangers will be facing the Red Wings for the second time this season. New York took their first meeting 4-1 on November 7. Rangers’ star Artemi Panarin had a three-point night, scoring a goal and two assists.
As such, the Blueshirts will be looking to go up 2-0 in the season series on Sunday night. The two teams will meet one final time in April 2026.
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