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An NHL return in Quinn's future, but with who?

January 6, 2009 05:10 PM | Posted by   Scott Morrison  

He has won Olympic gold, junior gold, under-18 gold ...

About the only thing Pat Quinn hasn't won is silver - the Stanley Cup - though he twice came close.

But on the heels of winning the world junior championship on Monday, Quinn has earned that chance for another try at winning the big prize.

Whether he gets it remains to be seen.

But with the win, Quinn has at least returned his name to the "A" list of potential coaching candidates and that is a significant accomplishment. At age 65, out of the NHL game a few years, he was no longer, fairly or not, considered as a front runner for NHL coaching vacancies.

But that should change now.

Quinn has demonstrated he can be successful with players of all ages and that had previously been a knock on him.

It says here that Quinn would best be a fit with a team that is close, not that a team that is rebuilding. Meaning, it doesn't make sense to airlift him into Ottawa as a coach, with the Senators a team that clearly requires taking a step back to take the next step ahead. And that could take time.

The Senators don't appear to be a quick fix, but rather need significant moves.

Quinn would be a much better fit with a team that has a chance to win this season, but might be underachieving.

At the moment, that team would appear to be the Pittsburgh Penguins if they can't escape their free fall, though we also believe that Michel Therrien, after taking his team to the Stanley Cup final last spring, has earned the patience of management.

Whether he gets it again remains to be seen.

However, that is the type of scenario that would be a good fit for Quinn.

Not sure at the moment, either, whether there is another good fit when you peruse the list of playoff hopefuls. It's doubtful, in other words, that any of the contenders are likely to make a coaching change. Carolina has already done that, but the rest of the positions appear stable, including Edmonton, which has been one of the other rumoured destinations.

Bottom line is Quinn deserves another chance in the NHL, he has proven he still has it, whether it is before this season ends, or next season begins.

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