Tony DeAngelo came into this season presumably fighting for his Rangers career. The supremely talented defenseman had to conquer his attitude and off-ice issues to be a legitimate contributor on this club. David Quinn was the coach hired to do just that – coach and train his players not just to be better players, but to be better NHLers and professionals. For DeAngelo, growth off the ice was more important than growth on the ice.
Luckily for the Blueshirts, he did just that. After spending a good chunk of the first half of the season as a healthy scratch, DeAngelo finally stuck in the lineup and eventually skated in 61 games for the Blueshirts.