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Before the New York Rangers’ Sunday night matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, it was announced that Mike Sullivan would not be behind the bench due to personal reasons.
In Sullivan’s place, David Quinn and Joe Sacco split the head coaching duties.
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After the Rangers’ 2-1 loss, Quinn addressed the media and spoke briefly about Sullivan’s absence without providing many details.
“I don’t have an update right now, obviously, from the coaches to the players of the organization, we certainly are thinking about Mike and his family, and never an easy situation,” Quinn said. “Attending family, that’s all I can give you right now.”
Even without Sullivan, the coaching strategy remained relatively the same, just with two head coaches instead of one.
“It’s I guess a little different,” Will Cuylle said of Sullivan’s absence. “At the end of the day, it’s the same game out on the ice. We hope Sully can get back with us soon here. We just got to focus up and try to make sure we are putting the same game that he wants out there on the ice.”
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Throughout the season, Quinn has helped manage the defensemen, while Sacco has assisted Sullivan with the offensive lines.
On Sunday night, they both took those same roles, which helped make for an easy transition.
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“It was very simple for Joe and I because I’ve been managing the D all year, and Joe has been helping Mike with the lines,” Quinn said about what went into the dual head-coaching strategy. “I managed the D and Joe called the line changes. There really wasn’t a lot of change to it. It was a pretty seamless situation for both of us and the players.”
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The Rangers are set to embark on a three-game road trip where they’ll face off against the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Mammoth.
It’s unknown if Sullivan will be joining the team on this road trip.
