Quenneville, who was hired by the Ducks last May, quickly turned around a team that finished 12th out of 16 teams in the Western Conference last season.
“Playoff hockey is what we’re all about and this is why we play the game,” Quenneville said. “The best part of winning the Cup is trying to win the Cup, so that starts when they drop the puck on the first game.”
Ducks forward Troy Terry said Quenneville’s playoff experience brings a sense of calm to the team, especially for those without any postseason experience, like himself.
“He’s won a lot of hockey games, a lot of playoff hockey games,” Terry said. “He’s won Cups, and just to see his excitement (at practice) today. Like, you can tell. It’s like Christmas to him, just being able to game plan for one team and just the whole playoff format and the atmosphere. And just seeing him excited, it just shows you how this is what you really play hockey for.”
Quenneville has never had to plan for Edmonton heading into a playoff game, and particularly center Connor McDavid, who led the NHL with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) this season.
He’s looking forward to that, too.
“The vibe’s going to be high and electric in Edmonton,” Quenneville said. “I haven’t been a part of that in this type of an era, so it’ll be fun.”