In the aftermath of David Quinn being ousted as Sharks head coach, San Jose forward Nico Sturm is pushing back against the notion that his former bench boss lost the locker room.
Speaking to Sheng Peng and Keegan McNally on the “San Jose Hockey Now Podcast,” Sturm disputed the claim that Quinn lost the Shark’s locker room amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
“No, I can definitely put a stop to that thought,” Sturm said. “Again, one of the good things I can say about this year and last year is that everybody was always great. I think if you have a season as bad as we had, there's a very good chance the wheels totally come off and that things go completely south.
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“That's actually one of the things we did a really good job of, and Quinn did a great job of holding everyone accountable, every day come to the rink and work, and work on details even if the end result scoreboard-wise wasn't there.”
Sturm praised Quinn for keeping things together and keeping the team focused even when it became clear early in the season that San Jose was headed straight to the bottom of the standings.
“Again, I have to give him credit because it's very hard to do when your season effectively is over in the middle of November,” Strum explained. “And you still have to coach this time all the way until the middle of April, so it's very easy to just fold it up and say 'All right, we're just going to let the boys do whatever they want,' but he held us accountable; guys worked hard in practice regardless of how the games went.
“There was never a point where I would say it was the coaching staff versus the team. Everybody tried, coaches and players.”
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks were one of the worst teams in the NHL during Quinn’s tenure, with the team finishing with the worst record in the league during the 2023-2024 season. Many pointed out that the young and inexperienced team would struggle to match up against more experienced squads, but San Jose’s top brass decided a coaching change was necessary.
With the team expected to select Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NHL draft, Quinn did not fit into the long-term plan for the franchise. The Sharks still are on the hunt for a new head coach.