A new era has arrived for Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. — and it begins with the Rangers.
MSG executive chairman and CEO James Dolan is handing over the day-to-day ownership responsibilities for the Blueshirts to his son Quentin, The Post has learned.
This begins the process of passing the torch to his children, which Dolan has said he’s always hoped to execute.
Indeed, for the first time since assuming control of both the Knicks and the Rangers 27 years ago, Jim Dolan is scaling back his involvement with one of his teams.
It begins with the 32-year-old Quentin Dolan assuming the titles of Rangers president, chief operating officer and alternate governor. Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury will now report to him instead of James Dolan.
The hierarchical change does not impact Drury’s responsibilities in hockey operations. Drury will continue to lead all decision-making for the Rangers and work collaboratively with the fourth-oldest of the six Dolan sons.
“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,” Quentin Dolan told The Post from inside his office at 2 Penn Plaza in his first-ever interview.
“For me, the ultimate goal is winning a championship. It’s been a goal of mine to really continue my father 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.”
A source said Quentin Dolan’s promotion with the Rangers does not change anything for the Knicks. All is status quo for MSG’s NBA championship team, with Jim Dolan remaining in his executive chairman role.
Quentin Dolan’s most notable position was SVP of player performance and science for both the Rangers and Knicks, following various roles at MSG Sports and service on the MSG Sports board of directors since 2021.
His background as an adviser on several sports performance and biotech research and product development projects helped him build the infrastructure and lead the organization’s performance science and player development.
Part of his responsibilities included overseeing medical, strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental performance and performance data operations for both teams.
Prior to becoming SVP, Dolan also served as vice president, strategic adviser to the executive chairman and as investment director. He’s worked progressively closer with his dad over the years.
The elder Dolan’s passion for the job and insatiable work ethic are traits his son says he plans to carry with him into this new opportunity.
“There’s a quote that I’m not sure if he knows that I even know, that the art of management is being able to control an outcome without being present,” Quentin said. “Of course, I will be far more present and operationally involved, but this role is much broader. I continue to work on my management skills and keep that in mind, that ultimately that’s the standard I have to strive for.”
The younger Dolan was heavily involved in the Knicks recently ending their 53-year NBA title drought.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown even gave him a shoutout during a press conference in March for his efforts in piecing together the plan that kept the oft-injured Mitchell Robinson healthy.
And less than 12 hours after landing from a memorable night inside Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, where he was drenched in champagne while holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Dolan was already in a meeting to discuss Rangers strategy.
“That was the thought, you know, how do we get here with this franchise?” he said.
Dolan was at MSG Training Center in Tarrytown with Drury and the rest of the front office for what was a busy first day of free agency for the Rangers on Wednesday. Also peeking in at development camp, Dolan said he enjoyed being around while everything unfolded.
An NYU alum — who got his bachelor’s degree in sports and events management — Dolan already has a working relationship with Drury and Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, which should help ease him into his new responsibilities.
Building relationships has been a priority for Dolan, who recognizes the importance of collaboration while instilling a winning culture.
Asked what he thinks will make him successful in this job, Dolan pointed to how much he cares.
“And I hope that comes through in time,” he said.
Coming off two down seasons with no playoffs, the Rangers are at a pivotal point in team history as their Stanley Cup drought has reached 32 years. Drury has operated under his retooling proclamation, making considerable changes and additions to the team since sending out a formal letter to fans Jan. 16.
It was the second message from the organization since 2018 informing the Blueshirts faithful of a new direction. Unlike the first, which came under Jeff Gorton’s regime, this one assured the plan was not to rebuild but to expect a restructuring “built around our core players and prospects.”
Dolan recognizes his increase in authority and reach over the franchise, but he knows exactly how he’ll approach the position.
“Same way I’ve been approaching it from the moment I got in the company, which is honestly keeping my head down, working the hardest, and for me, I have an extremely high bar for when I am working the hardest, and I’m tough on myself,” he said. “So I trust that I will continue to be hard on myself because that’s all I know how to do.”
In some ways, Dolan said he thinks he will be different from his father as he steps into this next chapter of his career.
The Rangers will be the first team to see how.
“The bigger the challenge, the better I get out of myself,” Dolan said. “I run toward those things. This is what I’m looking for.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
