04/24/24 01:55:00
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04/24 13:54 CDT Rebuilding Sharks fire coach David Quinn after 2 disappointing
seasons
Rebuilding Sharks fire coach David Quinn after 2 disappointing seasons
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) --- The San Jose Sharks have fired coach David Quinn
after two rough seasons as part of a massive rebuilding project.
General manager Mike Grier announced the decision on Wednesday following a
review of the team's season.
"After going through our end of the season process of internal meetings and
evaluating where our team is at and where we want our group to go, we have made
the difficult decision to make a change at the head coach position," Grier said
in a statement. "David is a good coach and an even better person. I would like
to personally thank him for his hard work over these past two seasons. He and
his staff did an admirable job under some difficult circumstances, and I
sincerely appreciate how they handled the situation."
Grier hired Quinn to replace Bob Boughner shortly after taking over as general
manager in 2022. Quinn spent two seasons in San Jose that were marked with
lackluster play as the team traded away several high-priced stars like Erik
Karlsson, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, part of a major overhaul to
get the franchise back to being a contender.
The Sharks had a 41-98-25 record in Quinn's two seasons for the worst mark in
the NHL in that span. San Jose finished in last place in the league this season
and has a 25.5% chance of earning the No. 1 draft pick and the prize that is
expected to be Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini, who played one
season for the Sharks junior team while living in the Bay Area.
The Sharks were outscored by 147 goals this season, excluding shootouts, for
the 12th-worst mark ever and the worst in 30 years since Ottawa was outscored
by 196 goals in 1993-94 in its second season as an expansion team.
San Jose set a franchise record for fewest goals scored per game (2.18) and had
the fourth-worst mark in team history in goals allowed per game (3.98). The
Sharks allowed at least six goals in a game 18 times, the second-most times
that has happened in a season since the start of 1996-97.
The Sharks have missed the playoffs for a franchise-record five straight
seasons after making the 2019 Western Conference Final and have the worst
record in the NHL in that span. San Jose had been one of the most consistent
teams in the league before this stretch, making the playoffs in 14 of 15
seasons with five trips to the conference final and one trip to the Stanley Cup
Final in 2016 before losing in six games to Pittsburgh.
But the core of that roster was aging, and San Jose struggled the next three
seasons before Grier took over and started a rebuild that has given the team
significant draft capital, with two extra first-round picks the next two
seasons and an extra second-rounder this year.
Grier also announced that head athletic trainer Ray Tufts will not return after
spending more than two decades with the franchise.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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