Pat Quinn

John Brian Patrick Quinn (January 29, 1943 – November 23, 2014), a Canadian nicknamed "The Big Irishman," worked in hockey as a player, head coach, and executive. He coached five NHL teams—the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers—and led two of them to the Stanley Cup Final: the Flyers in 1980 and the Canucks in 1994. On the international stage, he guided Team Canada to gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships, and the 2009 World Junior Championship, plus a World Cup victory in 2004.

Before coaching, Quinn played nine NHL seasons as a defenceman for the Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Atlanta Flames. He started in junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings, winning a Memorial Cup with them in 1963, and later claimed another Memorial Cup in 2007 as part-owner of the Vancouver Giants. In 2012, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2016 he was inducted into both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame.

Quinn’s junior career began with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs and Hamilton Kilty B’s in the Ontario Hockey Association. After high school, he accepted a scholarship to Michigan Tech but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because he had already signed his rights to the Detroit Red Wings. Instead, he joined the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Central Alberta Hockey League, helping them win the 1963 Memorial Cup in his only season there, playing alongside future NHL figure Glen Sather.

Turning pro in 1963–64, Quinn spent time in the Eastern, Central, and Western Hockey Leagues. While with the Tulsa Oilers, he was called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1968 for his NHL debut. In his rookie season, he became known for an open-ice hit on Bobby Orr during the 1969 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, which knocked Orr unconscious and sparked a bench-clearing brawl. After two seasons in Toronto, the Vancouver Canucks selected Quinn in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. He played two years there before being taken by the Atlanta Flames in the 1972 Expansion Draft, serving as team captain. An ankle injury forced him to retire early in 1977.

Quinn began coaching as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1977 under Fred Shero, then became head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, the next season. He returned to the Flyers later that year as NHL head coach, replacing Bob McCammon. In his first full season (1979–80), Quinn led the team to a record 35-game unbeaten streak and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New York Islanders in six games. He won the Jack Adams Award for that season but was replaced late in the 1981–82 campaign.

After leaving the Flyers, Quinn briefly stepped away from hockey to attend law school at Widener University. In 1984, he became head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, finishing his degree at the University of San Diego. He returned the Kings to the playoffs after a two-year absence with a 23-point improvement, though they were swept in the first round by the eventual champion Edmonton Oilers. In December 1986, while still under contract with the Kings, Quinn signed to become President and General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks for the 1987–88 season.

He argued that the Kings had missed a contract option deadline, allowing him to negotiate elsewhere. NHL President John Ziegler suspended Quinn for the rest of the season, barred him from taking over Vancouver’s hockey operations until June, and prohibited him from coaching anywhere in the NHL until the 1990–91 season, citing a conflict of interest. The Kings unsuccessfully sued the Canucks for tampering.

Restricted from coaching, Quinn joined the Canucks in 1987–88 as President and General Manager. His first major move came on September 15, 1987, when he acquired goaltender Kirk McLean and forward Greg Adams from the New Jersey Devils for centre Patrik Sundström and a fourth-round pick. In his first two drafts, he selected future captain Trevor Linden second overall in 1988 and Pavel Bure 113th overall in 1989. Linden became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and had his jersey retired, while Bure won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, recorded three 50-goal seasons with Vancouver, and also had his jersey retired.

Bure’s selection was controversial, as Quinn appeared to pick him a year before his eligible draft season. At age 18, Bure could be chosen in the first three rounds, but to be taken later he would have needed at least two seasons (with a minimum of 11 games each) for his elite European club, the Central Red Army.