Pat Quinn a new, well deserved, Hockey Hall of Fame Member
Pat Quinn, Hall of Famer: Longtime coach revered as imposing, inspirational member of hockey family
Lance Hornby, Postmedia Network | November 13, 2016 4:25 PM ET
Hockey was family to Pat Quinn, even estranged relatives like referees, writers, player agents and rival coaches who infuriated him with the trap.
But any beefs were settled as Quinn edged towards retirement. When he was chosen for the Hall of Fame in June, almost two years after his passing at age 71, those he opposed were among the first to endorse his credentials for the builders’ wing. Supervising the Toronto shrine itself was his last service to the sport.
Quinn’s 21 seasons and 1,400 games, while not yielding a Stanley Cup, put the Irishman among the NHL’s top five coaches, a path to him winning the World Cup, the world junior championships and an Olympic gold medal, all proudly under the Canadian flag.
He was a player, a coach and a player’s coach. On the ice, he didn’t shy from controversy — who flattens Bobby Orr right in Boston Garden? Behind the bench, his banter unnerved many an official and opposing player, barking through his omnipresent wad of green spearmint gum.
