PHILADELPHIA — David Quinn stood on the precipice Thursday night of beginning his journey as Rangers head coach, with the final preseason game a sleepy 4-2 win over the Flyers. The regular-season opener was exactly a week away, Oct. 4 when the Blueshirts play host to the Predators.
It was a coincidence Quinn stood in the same building, in the exact spot outside the visitors’ locker room, in front of the same hanging blue curtain with the Rangers logo, where Alain Vigneault made his last-ditch effort to speak his mind and save his job. That was April 7 at Wells Fargo Center, the final game of the season and the final one Vigneault coached before he was officially fired hours later, replaced by Quinn nearly two months later.