New York Rangers News: Alain Vigneault Officially Named Head Coach
The New York Rangers have officially introduced Alain Vigneault as the 35th head coach in franchise history. Here's a little breakdown on the press conference.
After several weeks of rumors, waiting, and anticipation, the New York Rangers have officially introduced Alain Vigneault as the 35th head coach in franchise history. Vigneault met with the New York media for the first time this morning, as the New York Rangers held an official press conference to introduce their new head coach. Below you can find some of the quotes from today's press conference.
Glen Sather's thoughts on Alain Vigneault's new tenure with the New York Rangers:
"He's worked in a lot of the big markets in the NHL, and he knows the type of system we like to have here. He loves the offensive game, which a lot of us do in today's game. I like his style of play, and how his players reacted to him over the years. I think we're going to have a lot of fun together."
Alain Vigneault on why he decided to come to New York:
"When I was thinking about the opportunity to coach the New York Rangers, one of the original six teams in this great city, there's not a chance that I could pass that up. Honored and privledged I feel at this moment. I'm coming here to win, and there's no doubt in my mind that this organization is committed to winning the Stanley Cup. It's real clear to me that there is no better place to win the Stanley Cup, than in New York. I'm really excited about this challenge and opportunity."
Vigneault on how his style differs from John Tortorella:
"To give you a simple answer, I like my teams to play the right way. If you've got room to make a play, make a play. If you've got time and space to carry the puck, just carry the puck. I really believe in playing the right way both offensively and defensively. I believe that your top skilled players have to be given a little bit more lattitude. They have to understand the game. They also have to be given that opportunity to make something out of nothing. That's what I intend to do here in New York."
Vigneault on the strengths of the current roster, and how he can use them:
"We have one of the best goaltenders in the world. I like the fact that we have a solid base to get two solid offensive lines, and we have great balance on defense. I don't want to project what it's going to look like, but we've got good balance and offensive skill."
"Next week is the draft, and than there's free agency, so during that time I'll be reaching out to a couple of them. Glen and I are going to sit down in the next couple of days, and come up with a possible list of names that we feel could help our organization. I was able to meet with some of the staff at the pratice facility, and I spent a lot of time with Jim [Schoenfeld] yesterday. I'm going to share my thoughts and opinions on where we should be going, and come to an agreement."
"Those are two teams that I know fairly well. I think we are in the category of teams that are real close to competing for the Stanley Cup. Both the Blackhawks and Bruins are two teams, in my opinion, that play the right way. They can defend, and they can attack. I don't know the Rangers as well right now, having not played against the Eastern Conference. I feel like we're one of those teams that can compete for the Stanley Cup.
