David Quinn Named New BU Hockey Coach

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston University has found their replacement for Jack Parker.

Just three days after Parker's 40-year run on the BU bench came to an end, the Terriers named David Quinn their new head hockey coach on Tuesday.

"BU is a premiere college hockey program, but for me it was a premier job," Quinn said on Tuesday. "One of the things that makes this a unique program is not only the success we've had on the ice, but if you look around you see all the loyalty that Jack has created from a lot of former players, and we're going to continue to build what Jack has built on and off the ice."

"I wish tomorrow was October 1 for our first practice," Quinn said with a smile on his face.

The 46-year-old Quinn has several ties to Boston University, first as a player and then as a coach. The Cranston, R.I. native was a defenseman for the Terriers from 1984-87, and served as an associate coach under Parker from 2004-09.

Watch: Steve Burton's 1-on-1 with Jack Parker

A first-round pick by the Minnesota North Stars (who selected him 13th overall in 1984), Quinn chose to attend BU before heading to the NHL. He tried out for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, but was diagnosed with a rare disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly and was forced into an early retirement.

From there, Quinn found his way to the bench. He was an assistant coach at Northeastern for a year, and then took the same job for Nebraska-Omaha from 1999-2002. After that job, he returned to BU, and was a member of their staff when they won their last NCAA Title in 2009. He went on to coach Lake Erie in the AHL for three seasons, and this year served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche.

"One of the things that struck me, the last four years coaching pro hockey was how much I missed the college experience," he said Monday. "If it was just about winning and losing, I would have stayed in pro hockey. But I know from my life experiences, when I went through difficult times the most influential people were my coaches – starting with Jack Parker."