Pat Quinn
John Brian Patrick Quinn (January 29, 1943-November 23, 2014) was a Canadian professional hockey player, head coach, and NHL executive. He began his NHL career as a defenseman with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968 and would later play for the Vancouver Canucks and the Atlanta Flames. In addition, he coached for several National Hockey League teams, the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers. Twice he reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing on both occasions, first with the Philadelphia Flyers losing in six games to the New York Islanders in 1980 and the Vancouver Canucks losing in 1994 to the New York Rangers.
Quinn found success on the international stage, coaching Team Canada to Olympic Gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World U18 Championships, the 2009 World Junior Championship, and the World Cup championship in 2004.
He was a member of the 1963 Memorial Cup-winning Edmonton Oil Kings while playing junior hockey. He would later win another Memorial Cup as a part-owner of the Vancouver Giants in 2007.
Playing Career
Quinn earned his stripes playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Hamilton Tiger Cubs and Hamilton Kilty B’s. After obtaining his high school diploma, Quinn received a scholarship from Michigan Tech but was denied eligibility to play NCAA hockey because he had previously signed his rights to the Detroit Red Wings. So instead, he elected to play one season in the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL) with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he and future NHL’er Glen Sather would win the 1963 Memorial Cup.
After turning pro in 1963, Quinn played in several leagues; the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) Knoxville Knights, Central Professional Hockey League (CHL) Tulsa Oilers, Memphis Wings, Houston Apollos, and Tulsa Oilers, Western Hockey League (WHL) Seattle Totems.
After beginning the 1968-69 season with the Tulsa Oilers, Quinn made his NHL debut in 1968 when he was called up to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. During the 1968-69 playoffs Quinn made a name for himself when in the Quarterfinals against the Boston Bruins, he made an open-ice hit on Bruins superstar Bobby Orr rendering him unconscious and triggering a bench-clearing brawl.
After two seasons patrolling the Maple Leaf’s blueline Quinn was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. He played two seasons in Vancouver before being left unprotected in the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft, where he was claimed by the Atlanta Flames and became team captain. He finished his NHL playing career in 1977 after suffering an ankle injury.
Executive/Coaching Career
Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn was first introduced to coaching when he accepted the assistant coach position in 1977 under Flyers head coach Fred Shero. The following season he became head coach of the Flyers’ (AHL) affiliate, the Maine Mariners. Later that same season, he would return to the big club, switching roles, with Bob McCammon going to Maine. Quinn enjoyed immediate success as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. He was behind the bench for the Flyers’ record 35 games unbeaten streak and coached them to the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals against the New York Islanders, losing in six games. Quinn won the first of his two Jack Adams Trophies in 1980 for coach of the year. His tenure in Philadelphia came to an end 72 games into his fourth season when the Flyers fired him in 1982.
Los Angeles Kings
Quinn took a hiatus from professional hockey for two years; in that time, he was able to attend law school and eventually completed his degree.
Quinn returned to the NHL for the 1984-85 season, this time, he was the bench boss for the Los Angeles Kings. He stayed in L.A. until the 1986-87 season, where he resigned 42 games into his third season with the club. The resignation was due to Quinn signing a contract to become the President and General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks for the 1987-88 season while still under contract with the Kings. Quinn argued that the Kings missed the deadline on his contract and that they had not made him an offer thus, he felt free to sign with the Canucks. In an unsuccessful bid, the Kings tried to sue the Canucks. NHL President John Ziegler banned Quinn for the remainder of the season and from any coaching in the NHL as punishment for what they felt was a conflict of interest. The ban was to last until the 1990-91 season.
Vancouver Canucks
Although Quinn was banned from coaching, nothing prevented him from becoming an NHL General Manager. The following season 1987-88, he joined the Vancouver Canucks as President and General Manager and immediately molded into a playoff contender. Among the first moves he made was to acquire goaltender Kirk McLean and forward Greg Adams from the New Jersey Devils for center Patrick Sundstrom and the Canucks 1988 fourth-round draft pick. In 1988 Quinn selected second overall Trevor Linden. He followed that up in 1989 by selecting future Canucks superstar Pavel Bure 113th overall in 1989. These selections proved to be excellent moves; Linden became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, while Bure won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and scored 50 goals or more in three separate seasons. Both players had their jerseys retired.
With the addition of Pavel Bure, the Canucks served notice that they were a team on the rise. With the coaching ban lifted on Quinn, he returned to the bench for the remaining 26 games of the 1990-91 season. 1991-92 saw Quinn back behind the bench full time; he would coach the team to playoff births in the next four seasons, losing in the Conference Semifinals three times and losing once in the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games to the New York Rangers in 1994. During this time frame, Quinn won his second career Jack Adams award for coach of the year in 1992.
After losing in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, Quinn relinquished his coaching duties as he committed more to his President and General Manager duties. Still, when the team transitioned to new ownership, Quinn was not well received and was eventually fired in November of 1997 by John McCaw Jr.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Before the 1998-99 NHL season, Pat Quinn was given the head coaching job for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He coached seven consecutive seasons in Toronto, making the playoffs in six of his first seasons and reaching the Conference Finals twice (1999, 2002). While in Toronto under head coach Quinn the Maple Leafs never fell below 90 points and garnered 103 points in 2004, a franchise record and the first time in team history that the Leafs broke the 100 point plateau. Later in 2018, the Leafs would set a new record for most team points in a season with 105.
After the lockout in 2004-05, Pat Quinn returned behind the Maple bench for what proved to be his last season with the team; he would be fired after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in his seven years as bench boss. There was speculation that the firing was due to conflict between general manager John Ferguson Jr and Quinn; those rumors were denied.
Edmonton Oilers
After three years out of the NHL, Quinn returned for what proved to be his final season as an NHL head coach. On May 26, 2009, the Edmonton Oilers named Quinn head coach. Replacing Craig Mac Tavish. Under Quinn, the Oilers finished last in league with a 27-47-8 record. Quinn became so exasperated by his team’s lack of cohesion that he publicly commented that “we have a dumb team.” Quinn left his coaching position in Edmonton to Tom Renney after being given the title of Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations; he left that position after the 2010-11 season.
International Stage
Pat Quinn was heavily involved with Team Canada on the international stage. In 2002 he coached Team Canada to the first gold medal since 1952, when they defeated Team USA 5-2 at Salt Lake City, Utah.
IN 2004 he coached Team Canada to a perfect 6-0 record at the World Cup and defeated Team Finland 3-2 in the Final.
At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, he coached Team Canada in a losing effort. Also, in 2006, he coached Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, where the team lost 3-2 in the final to HC Davos.
In 2008 he coached the Team Canada juniors at the IIHF World U18 Championships, winning the title by an 8-0 count over Team Russia. Quinn was again chosen to coach the Canadian under-20 team for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Canada. Canada went undefeated in the tournament and won their fifth consecutive gold medal, defeating Sweden 5-1 in the final.
Quinn was known as “The Big Irishman.” He is credited with having coined the phrase “upper-body injury” and “lower-body injury.” He first used the terms during the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Quinn later explained that he was trying to couch injuries to his players because he knew that opposition players would target the injured player. It also provided injured players with a measure of privacy over their medical condition.
Quinn, who ironically was a member of the committee that determines who is inducted into the Hockey Hall of fame, was named the committee’s chairman in 2013 and elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016.
Quinn was honored by the City of Hamilton, Ontario, when on June 9, 2005, they renamed the Parkdale Arena the Pat Quinn Parkdale Arena.
On March 17, 2015, at a game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia christened the name of the 700-block of Abbott Street near Rogers Arena “Quinn Way.”
Death
John Brian Patrick Quinn passed away on November 23, 2014, at Vancouver General Hospital after a lengthy battle with Illness.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1958–59 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | OHA | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1959–60 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | OHA | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1960–61 | Hamilton Kilty B’s | MetJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961–62 | Hamilton Kilty B’s | MetJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1961–62 | Hamilton Tiger Cubs | OHA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1962–63 | Edmonton Oil Kings | CAHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1962–63 | Edmonton Oil Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 49 |
| 1963–64 | Knoxville Knights | EHL | 72 | 6 | 31 | 37 | 217 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 34 |
| 1964–65 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 70 | 3 | 32 | 35 | 202 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965–66 | Memphis Wings | CHL | 67 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 135 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1966–67 | Seattle Totems | WHL | 35 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 49 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1966–67 | Houston Apollos | CHL | 15 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1967–68 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 51 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 178 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 19 |
| 1968–69 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 17 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 95 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 1969–70 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969–70 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 59 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1970–71 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 76 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 149 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1971–72 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 57 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1972–73 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 78 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1973–74 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 77 | 5 | 27 | 32 | 94 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1974–75 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 80 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 156 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1975–76 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 80 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 134 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1976–77 | Atlanta Flames | NHL | 59 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NHL totals | 606 | 18 | 113 | 131 | 950 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post-season | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | W | L | Win % | Result | ||
| PHI | 1978–79 | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | — | (95) | 2nd in Patrick | 3 | 5 | .375 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
| PHI | 1979–80 | 80 | 48 | 12 | 20 | — | 116 | 1st in Patrick | 13 | 6 | .684 | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| PHI | 1980–81 | 80 | 41 | 24 | 15 | — | 97 | 2nd in Patrick | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in Quarterfinals |
| PHI | 1981–82 | 72 | 34 | 29 | 9 | — | (87) | (fired) | — | — | — | — |
| PHI total | 262 | 141 53.8% | 73 27.9% | 48 18.3% | — | .630 | 22 | 17 | .564 | 3 playoff appearances | ||
| LA | 1984–85 | 80 | 34 | 32 | 14 | — | 82 | 4th in Smythe | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost in Smythe Semifinals |
| LA | 1985–86 | 80 | 23 | 49 | 8 | — | 54 | 5th in Smythe | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| LA | 1986–87 | 42 | 18 | 20 | 4 | — | (70) | (resigned) | — | — | — | — |
| LA total | 202 | 75 37.1% | 101 50.0% | 26 12.9% | .436 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 1 playoff appearance | |||
| VAN | 1990–91 | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | — | 22 | 4th in Smythe | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| VAN | 1991–92 | 80 | 42 | 26 | 12 | — | 96 | 1st in Smythe | 6 | 7 | .462 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| VAN | 1992–93 | 84 | 46 | 29 | 9 | — | 101 | 1st in Smythe | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| VAN | 1993–94 | 84 | 41 | 40 | 3 | — | 85 | 2nd Pacific | 15 | 9 | .625 | Lost in Stanley Cup Finals |
| VAN | 1995–96 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | (79) | 3rd in Pacific | 2 | 4 | .333 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| VAN total | 280 | 141 50.4% | 111 39.6% | 28 10.0% | .554 | 31 | 30 | .508 | 5 playoff appearances | |||
| TOR | 1998–99 | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | — | 97 | 2nd in Northeast | 9 | 8 | .529 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| TOR | 1999–2000 | 82 | 45 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 100 | 1st in Northeast | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| TOR | 2000–01 | 82 | 37 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 90 | 3rd in Northeast | 7 | 4 | .636 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| TOR | 2001–02 | 82 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 100 | 2nd in Northeast | 10 | 10 | .500 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| TOR | 2002–03 | 82 | 44 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 98 | 2nd in Northeast | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in Conference Quarterfinals |
| TOR | 2003–04 | 82 | 45 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 103 | 2nd in Northeast | 6 | 7 | .462 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| TOR | 2005–06 | 82 | 41 | 33 | — | 8 | 90 | 4th in Northeast | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| TOR total | 574 | 300 52.3% | 196 34.1% | 52 9.1% | 26 4.5% | .591 | 41 | 39 | .513 | 6 playoff appearances | ||
| EDM | 2009–10 | 82 | 27 | 47 | — | 8 | 62 | 5th in Northwest | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| EDM total | 82 | 27 32.9% | 47 57.3% | — | 8 9.7% | .378 | — | — | — | 0 playoff appearances | ||
| Total | 1,400 | 684 48.8% | 528 37.7% | 154 11.7% | 34 2.4% | .555 | 94 | 89 | .514 | 15 playoff appearances |
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
