Quentin Dolan takes over for his father as Rangers president and COO
The New York Rangers have a new boss. MSG executive chairman and CEO James Dolan is handing over day-to-day ownership responsibilities for the Rangers to his son Quentin, who was named president, chief operating officer and alternate governor on Friday.
It’s the first time since assuming control of the Rangers and the NBA champion New York Knicks 27 years ago that the elder Dolan is scaling back his involvement with one of his teams.
The Rangers said the younger Dolan will “assume a key role in the day-to-day ownership responsibilities of the Rangers and its AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.” Chris Drury retains the titles of president and general manager, will report to Quentin Dolan and “continue to manage the hockey operations of the organization and lead all hockey decision making.”
Quentin Dolan, the fourth-oldest of James Dolan’s six sons, will report to his father, who remains in charge of the Knicks.
“I think it’s something I’ve been building towards, and I’ll be working my hardest and probably proving to myself for a while that I’m ready,” the 32-year-old told Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “For me, the ultimate goal is winning a championship. It’s been a goal of mine to really continue my father’s and grandfather’s legacy, and that’s something that I understood about myself and wanted early on. This is a continuation of that and it feels right.”
Quentin Dolan most recently served as senior vice president, Player Performance and Science Leader, an area he will continue to oversee for the Rangers and Knicks. Among his responsibilities was overseeing medical, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental performance and performance data operations for both teams. He received props for his behind-the-scenes work after the Knicks won the NBA championship this spring.
Quentin Dolan ‘honored’ to succeed father in charge of Rangers
Quentin Dolan said he’s looking forward to the challenge of running one of the League’s Original Six teams.
“I’ve always had a tremendous respect and admiration for the New York Rangers organization, it’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I’m honored to have this opportunity to ensure our hockey operations staff, coaches, and players have all the support they need to provide our fans a product they can be proud of. I’m looking forward to immediately getting to work with Chris Drury, (coach) Mike Sullivan, and the entire staff.”
His arrival comes at a pivotal time for the Rangers, who’ve missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past two seasons after winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL regular-season champion in 2023-24. Their Stanley Cup drought is at 32 years and counting, and they’ve won just one NHL title (in 1994) in the past 86 years.
Drury wrote in a letter to fans on Jan. 16 that the Rangers were entering a “retool, not a rebuild.” He’s made numerous changes to the Blueshirts since then, most recently adding sniper Pavel Dorofeyev in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 26. He also remodeled the defense corps with a couple of trades on July 1 — including adding Sean Durzi in a deal that sent veteran center Vincent Trocheck to the Utah Mammoth.
“Letter 2.0” was the second message from the organization since 2018 informing fans that the team was heading in a new direction. Unlike the first, which came under Drury’s predecessor, Jeff Gorton, this one said the plan was not to rebuild but to expect a restructuring “built around our core players and prospects.”
Drury, who succeeded Gorton in 2021, said he’s looking forward to working with his new boss.
“Quentin and I have worked together for several years, and I believe him taking on this role will only make the Rangers organization stronger,” Drury said. “The front office and coaching staff will be working in unison with Quentin in all key areas of our team in an effort to put this franchise in the best position possible to compete for a Stanley Cup.”
