Quintal to lead NHL Department of Player Safety

The National Hockey League announced today that Stephane Quintal has been named Senior Vice President of Player Safety.

Quintal had been serving in that role on an interim basis since April 11, 2014, when Brendan Shanahan left his position as Senior Vice President of Player Safety to become the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Following an extensive evaluation process that included interviews with many qualified candidates, it was determined that the goals and objectives of the Department of Player Safety would be served best under Quintal's continued leadership.

"Stephane Quintal has been dedicated to the mission of the Department of Player Safety since its creation for the opening of the 2011-12 season and has demonstrated over the last several months that he is uniquely suited to lead the department going forward," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Brendan Shanahan established and built a highly-functioning and well-run department in his three years at its helm. Among his most important decisions was hiring Stephane Quintal to be part of his supervisory team.

"Tasked with running the department last spring during the most intensely-competitive and closely-scrutinized part of our season – the final regular-season weekend and the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs – Stephane proved that he clearly was up to the challenge. I am confident that he is the right man for the job."

An all-around defenseman during his 16 NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, Quintal was Boston's first-round selection (14th overall) in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. The native of Boucherville, Que., appeared in 1,037 NHL games, scoring 63 goals with 180 assists while compiling 1,320 penalty minutes.