New York Rangers head coach David Quinn has appeared to hit his breaking point with the inconsistent effort of his players.
New York Rangers head coach David Quinn has seen enough of the inconsistent play of his players. They have been passing up great scoring opportunities, failing to score on the power play with any consistency and are taking an abundance of lazy, unnecessary penalties.
Following the team’s 7-5 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Rangers head coach expressed his displeasure with his team’s effort.
Furious David Quinn after this one. Fuming. "You're going to lose hockey games. But you better want to battle somebody. It's just ridiculous. Three games where we feel good about our effort and our compete, and then we come out here and do that? It's a freaking joke." #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) January 14, 2019
The final score of the Columbus game does not tell the true story of how flat the Rangers played in the game. The Blueshirts were outshot 19-7 in the first period and 40-27 for the game. The power play was 0-for-3 and for the third consecutive game, failed to score with a two-man advantage.
The Rangers took five penalties in the game though they were able to kill all five off Sunday night. Add the six penalties the team took Saturday in Brooklyn and that’s more than a period of hockey with a man sitting in the box.
The team’s lackluster play Sunday cannot and should not be blamed on a young rebuilding team. That excuse is getting stale here in New York. The team now has to start accepting responsibility for its poor play. One win in the last five games will infuriate many different people, now it seems to have taken David Quinn to his boiling point.
More Quinn: "That’s a team that competes hard on pucks and test your mettle. We failed miserably tonight. Miserably. Our lack of determination in our one-on-one battles, fishing for pucks; you do that in this league, that’s what happens — you get your asses handed to you." #NYR
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) January 14, 2019
The Rangers have been trying the patience of their head coach. You can see it on his face in recent games. Communication has been the word of the season for the coaching staff. When players are having difficulties on the ice with plays drawn up or when mistakes are made, Quinn and his staff have continued to help the team work through these problems.
It seems like communicating through the media is the next button Quinn has decided to push. Perhaps he is trying to get the players to listen to him or maybe he is voicing his concern of how dire things are becoming as the season slips away.
Maybe he is trying to achieve what former coach Herb Brooks did when he was behind the Rangers bench. He had a knack for knowing how to get the boys upset enough to form a bond to take the coach on as a team. Maybe “us versus him” is a strategy that can teach the team how to act like a team more than how to play like a team. You need the first one if you ever want to achieve the latter.
Winning isn’t the only way to learn how to play this game. The season doesn’t just conclude once a team is no longer playing for a playoff spot. Pride is what carry’s a team through its toughest times, and the Rangers are nearing that moment.
Quinn has made some pretty good moves behind the scenes, let’s hope he knows what he is doing now.
