John Davidson discusses secret to Mika Zibanejad’s success and more in new interview

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John Davidson will appear on MSG Network tonight for a candid conversation. On a new remote episode of MSG 150 at Home, which airs Monday through Friday at 7PM, JD will be joined by Bill Pidto and Steve Valiquette. They’ll discuss a number of topics from staying focused on the job during these stressful times to his thoughts on players like Mika Zibanejad.

Here are some exclusive quotes from the interview that you can catch tonight on MSG.

On staying in touch with players

“We do a lot of different things, its multi-faceted. It has to do with the players and their programs and where they are now. Our training staff is in touch with all our guys all over the world every day. They do virtual training sessions. They do a little bit of everything to ensure everyone is good, including their well-being.”

John Davidson and Jeff Gorton at draft (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

On staying in touch with coaches and scouts

“Regarding our management, we’re in touch with our scouting and coaching staff daily. We have a lot of Zoom calls to go over things as if the draft would be happening tomorrow so we’re prepared to go into it.”

His thoughts on the team and his first year back in New York

“I had a chance to fulfill a dream and come back to New York. I’m very impressed with a lot of the things that are in place here with Jeff Gorton and Chris Drury. They’ve done a marvelous job. The coaching staff is solid. And the players have the understanding on what its’s going to take to become an elite athlete. The biggest example would be Mika Zibanejad, how he’s changed his career by caring more about a lot of different things. He’s a great guy. And to see him have success, it’s special. And also to see the young guys coming up. And there’s going to be a lot more young guys coming. It’s a pretty good time to be a Rangers fan.”

On the positive direction of the franchise

“It’s hard to win in this league.  You build a foundation and take it a step at a time. You have to make good moves. It’s hard to make great moves every time you make a move. But your batting percentages have to be pretty good. And I think there’s been a lot of good things happening here in that direction.”

By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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