New York crowd tough on Quinn
That loud sigh of relief Thursday night? Had to be the aforementioned David Quinn, the new San Jose coach, whose Sharks flatlined at 0-5-0 before punching into the win column with a 3-2 OT win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The affable Quinn, considered a finalist for the Bruins opening over the summer, was booed by the crowd when his picture was displayed on the big center-ice video board. Broadway can be a tough room to work.
Quinn coached the Rangers for three seasons (2018-21), and though the Blueshirts enjoyed no playoff success under his tutelage, he started them down a path that helped deliver them to the Eastern Conference final last season. The boobirds at MSG have no use, or appreciation, for baby steps.
Meanwhile, the Sharks entered the weekend dead last in the NHL. They were outscored, 19-8, in their five losses, underscoring that they likely lack the scoring pop to compete for a playoff spot in the West.
One of their big dogs, Tomas Hertl (eight years/$65.1 million) carried a meager 1-1—2 line into Saturday’s matinee in New Jersey.
New general manager Mike Grier has some serious roster building ahead of him and must be wondering if it’s better to let it all die on the vine for a chance to land presumptive No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard, a potential generation center, in June’s entry draft.
Loose pucks
Ex-Bruins netminder Dan Vladar, backing up Jacob Markstrom in Calgary, agreed to a two-year extension with the Flames with an average annual payout of $2.2 million. For those who forget, Vladar was wheeled out for a Round 3 pick in the ‘22 draft, one the Bruins swapped to Seattle for two later picks, Cole Spicer and Fred Brunet ,in the same draft. Spicer (No. 117), a leftshot center, had one assist through four games as a freshman at Minnesota Duluth. Brunet (No. 132) is a left-shot defenseman, playing his third year with Rimouski (Quebec Major Junior League). He stood 0-6—6 through six games . . . Ex-Bruin forward Mark Recchi, the Hall of Famer whose last act as a player was hoisting the Cup high with the 2011 Bruins, will be among this year’s Tradition honorees Dec. 7 at TD Garden. The annual event, the Sports Museum’s biggest fund-raiser, also will honor Bill Rodgers, Johnny Damon, Lawyer Milloy, and M.L. Carr. Always one of the great hidden gems on the sports calendar. For ticket info: E-mail
Rachel Locke (rlocke@sportsmuseum.org) . . . Canadiens rookie Arber Xhekaj (pron. JACK-eye), a 6-foot-4inch, 235-pound defenseman, put a beating on Arizona’s Zack Kassian Thursday night. The Bruins, who don’t face the Habs until visiting Montreal Jan. 24, currently don’t have anyone on their roster who could tame Xhekaj, which could make for a very interesting night in Jim Montgomery’s hometown . . . Best wishes for a fast recovery to
Neil Milbert, 83, the gentlemanly exBlackhawks beat man for the Chicago Tribune. Milbert sustained broken ribs and other injuries recently as the victim of a high-speed hit-and-run on I-90 in Chicago . . . Lost in the shuffle: ex-Bruins GM Harry Sinden turned 90 last month. Give-’em-hell-Harry splits his time between here and Florida. By the way, the so-called “Pooh Bear” logo, back again as the featured element in those Reverse Retro sweaters, was originally Sinden’s idea. The design was taken from Sinden’s beloved Bear Lakes Country Club, a two-loop Jack Nicklaus track, in West Palm Beach, Fla. A Pooh Bear redux was just par for the course.