Upheaval with Rangers continues as coach fired
The New York Rangers’ managerial shakeup is complete.
New general manager Chris Drury fired coach David Quinn and three assistant coaches Wednesday after they missed the playoffs with one of the NHL’s up-and-coming teams. The move is the first major one from Drury, who took over last week after the team fired popular president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton to start the front-office overhaul.
In a brief statement issued by the team, Drury thanked Quinn and the others and said the Rangers will begin a search for a new head coach immediately.
In three years, Quinn posted 9687-25 record in rebuilding the Rangers with a much younger team that included No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere this past season. The roster also includes talented forwards Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Kaapo Kakko and standout defenseman Adam Fox.
Assistant coaches Jacques Martin, David Oliver, Greg Brown were also fired. Goaltending coach Benoit Allaire was retained.
Quinn, who was hired by the Rangers after a stint at Boston University, is the fourth NHL coach fired this season, joining Claude Julien of Montreal, Ralph Krueger of Buffalo and Geoff Ward of Calgary. Contracts were also not renewed for John Tortorella of Columbus and Rick Tocchet of Arizona.
Tennis SERENA UPSET IN 1,000TH TOUR-LEVEL MATCH >>
Serena Williams’ 1,000th tour-level match ended in defeat as she marked her return to action with a 7-6 (6), 7-5 loss to Nadia Podoroska in the second round of the Italian Open.
The eighth-seeded Williams, who hadn’t played since the Australian Open, came from a break down twice in the opening set and saved the first three set points she faced in the tiebreaker before Podoroska converted her fourth. The Argentine went on to win in 1 hour, 58 minutes.
“It’s tough to have a first match on
clay. It was definitely kind of good to go the distance and to try to be out there, but clearly I can do legions better,” said Williams, who has won the Italian Open four times. “Maybe I do need a few more matches, so I’m going to try to figure that out with my coach and my team and see what we would like to do . ... I have been training for months, but it feels definitely different on clay to make that last adjustment.”
Williams, 39, was hardly the day’s only upset victim.
No. 2 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan also fell in straight sets to American Jessica Pegula, 7-6 (2), 6-2, while Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic sent No. 4 Sofia Kenin packing with a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Russia’s Vera Zvonareva outlasted No. 11 seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. American Coco Gauff eliminated 17th-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.
Men’s college basketball TOP-FIVE RECRUIT TO PLAY FOR FATHER AT MILWAUKEE >>
Patrick Baldwin Jr., one of the nation’s top recruits in his class, says he will play college basketball for his father at Milwaukee. The 6-foot-9 forward is rated as the nation’s No. 4 senior prospect according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. An ankle injury caused him to miss most of his senior season at Hamilton High in Sussex, Wisconsin.
Baldwin chose the Horizon League program over Duke and Georgetown. His decision is a huge victory for his father, who has posted a 47-70 record in four seasons as Milwaukee’s coach.
Soccer PORTO TO BE CONFIRMED AS VENUE FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL >>
Porto is set to be confirmed as host of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City after Portuguese authorities approved the return of supporters to stadiums.
UEFA is planning to announce by the end of the week that the 50,000-capacity Estádio do Dragão will be used for the May 29 showpiece.
WNBA SPARKS STAR OGWUMIKE ADDS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER TO RESUME >>
Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike is already one of the busiest athletes in professional sports but the multifaceted basketball player and radio host added another accomplishment during the offseason.
Ogwumike is the executive producer of “144,” a documentary that chronicles the 2020 WNBA season inside a bubble in Bradenton, Florida. The documentary will premiere on ESPN tonight, a day before the start of the WNBA’s 25th season.
Women’s golf STANFORD CRUISES TO REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, REACHES NCAA TOURNAMENT >>
Behind a school-record 28-under 824 and a dominant 30-stroke victory, Stanford won the Stanford Regional to advance to the NCAA championships. The Cardinal advances to its 29th NCAA championship all-time and its 11th straight. Freshman Rachel Heck earned individual medalist honors, her fifth victory of the season. Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arizona and USC were the other five qualifying teams.
The NCAA championships will be played at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. from May 21-26.
San Jose State sophomore Kajsa Arwefjäll finished tied for fifth at 3-under 210 and earned one of the three individual spots to the NCAAs.