Cranston's David Quinn, a first-round NHL Draft pick and former Boston University Terrier, has returned to his alma mater and is the school's first new head coach of the hockey team since 1973.
"It's great to be home. I'm a BU guy through and through," Quinn, 46, told College Hockey News.
Quinn was a Terrier from 1984-1987 and has been most recently working with the Colorado Avalanche organization as an assistant coach.
Outgoing coach Jack Parker announced his retirement two weeks ago and was Quinn's coach back in the day. Quinn also worked for a time as one of Parker's assistant coaches between 2004 and 2009, leading BU to a championship in his final year before heading to the Avalanche organization to work as a head coach in the AHL for Lake Erie.
Quinn was drafted 13th in the 1984 draft by Minnesota.
"David Quinn is the ideal candidate for this job," said Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike Lynch. "His resume is filled with great experience at every level and he is a proven head coach and a consummate professional. He is also a BU man, an important consideration as we deliberated. Jack Parker is in many ways irreplaceable, but I'm absolutely convinced that the future of BU hockey is in great hands."
"I'd like to thank President Brown and Mike Lynch for giving me this incredible opportunity and entrusting me with the BU hockey program," said Quinn. "I surely wouldn't be in this position if it were not for Jack Parker and I'm very lucky to be able to call him my coach, mentor and friend. One of the things that makes this job so unique is that beyond all the success here, the former players have such a loyalty towards the program. I look forward to continuing that and the legacy that Coach Parker leaves behind."
An All-Hockey East and All-New England defenseman at BU and a co-captain during his senior year of 1987-88, Quinn's recruiting efforts were instrumental in helping build BU's 2009 national championship team. During his time as associate head coach, he worked primarily with the team's defensemen, turning the unit into arguably the best in the nation. All six of the defensemen from the 2009 title squad have reached the National Hockey League.
After helping the Terriers reach the pinnacle of college hockey, Quinn left to join the Avalanche organization as the head coach of its American Hockey League affiliate in Cleveland, the Lake Erie Monsters. He compiled a 115-94-7-20 record in three seasons with Lake Erie and guided the Monsters to their first-ever playoff berth in 2010-11. He was named an assistant coach on former BU teammate Joe Sacco's staff at Colorado prior to this season.
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for David and we are thrilled for him," said Avalanche General Manager/Executive Vice President Greg Sherman. "We wish him all the best with this next challenge in his career. We are also pleased he will be able to fulfill his responsibilities here with us for the remainder of this season."
Quinn's coaching career, which began as an assistant at Northeastern University at 1994, has also been highlighted by several successful stints with USA Hockey. Prior to serving as the Terriers' associate head coach, he spent two years as head coach of the Under-17 Team.
Playing against older opponents, the U17 team qualified for the North American Hockey League playoffs for only the third time in program history, finishing with a record above .500 for the first time ever. The squad owned a 10-3 record in international play, including a first-place finish at the Four Nations Cup in Magnitogorsk, Russia, and at the Under-18 Four Nations Vlado Druzilla in Piestany, Slovakia, where the team played up an age group. For his accomplishments, USA Hockey named Quinn as the 2003 USA Hockey Developmental Coach of the Year.
Quinn's coaching career began prematurely, as it was thought he would enjoy an excellent playing career both on the international and professional levels. A member of the U.S. National Junior Team that captured the bronze medal at the 1986 IIHF World Junior Championship, Quinn made himself a strong candidate for the 1988 and 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Teams. In addition, he was the 13th player selected in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft when the Minnesota North Stars made him their first-round selection.
However, his hopes for an Olympic Team berth and a career in the NHL came to an end prior to his senior year at BU when he was diagnosed with a blood disorder called Christmas Disease that ultimately ended his hockey-playing career. After trying to play two seasons of professional hockey, he took the assistant position at Northeastern, where he was responsible for recruiting, off-ice conditioning, scouting and video coordination.
In July 1996, Quinn was named the top assistant coach and head recruiter for the University of Nebraska Omaha. There he helped establish the school's first Division I men's ice hockey program, which began playing during the 1997-98 season.
Quinn then joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. The program, designed to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on U.S. National Teams and to develop their future hockey careers, focuses its efforts on high-caliber participation on the ice and creating well-rounded individuals off the ice.
Quinn served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team at four IIHF World Championships -- two with the men's team (2007, 2012) and two with the women's squad (1999, 2000). He helped the women earn the silver medal at both tournaments and also served as an on-ice assistant at the 2001 U.S. Women's Olympic Trials and as a boys' coach at the 1995 and 1996 USA Hockey Select Festivals. His involvement with the USA Hockey coaching ranks began in 1995, when he served as a member of the coaching staff for the U.S. Women's Select Camp.
A native of Cranston, R.I., Quinn earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from BU in 1989.