I'm very sad this morning to have woken up to the news that Pat Quinn has passed away at age 71 after a long illness.
Pat was a backbone of the Vancouver Canucks franchise for its entire history. He played defense for the Canucks in their first two seasons in the NHL in 1970-71 and 1971-72, then returned to the west coast in the late '80s. While still coaching the Los Angeles Kings in December of 1986, he signed a contract with the Canucks, but was suspended for doing so, and banned from coaching until the 1990-91 season.
Quinn took over as president and general manager for the 1987-88 season, trading for Kirk McLean, then drafted Trevor Linden second overall in June of 1988 and took Pavel Bure with a controversial fifth-round pick in 1990.
Once the coaching ban was lifted, Quinn took over from Bob McCammon for the last 26 games of the 1990-91 season, as the team's fortunes began to improve. The high-flying Canucks became Smythe Division champions in 1991-92 and 1992-93, then made their dazzling run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 1994.
Quinn was also the architect of Canada's first Olympic Gold medal hockey team in 50 years, coaching Team Canada to gold in Salt Lake City in 2002.
I had the pleasure of working with Pat's daughter Kalli for a short time during those heady early '90s years, so my heart goes out especially to her, her mother Sandra and her sister Valerie.
I'm glad we had a chance to see the family together last April, when Quinn was inducted into the Canucks'
Ring of Honour.
Pat's legacy remains with the team in the form of Trevor Linden, a player that he drafted and nurtured and who is now leading the Canucks as president of hockey operations. In his statement today, Linden says:
I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for Pat. He was a great leader and always a teacher. He taught me how to be a professional on and off the ice. He taught me how to play hockey the right way, how to win, and about the importance of respect and loyalty.
When Linden was hired, he talked about consulting with Quinn for insight into how to run the franchise. I'm sure he was proud of what his protege has accomplished so far this season.
Sunday November 23 - Vancouver Canucks 4 - Chicago Blackhawks 1
In light of today's sad news, I'll keep today's game review short—even though it was an impressive win over a very good Chicago Blackhawks team.
If you missed it, here are the highlights:
Jannik Hansen has done me proud since I came to his defense a couple of weeks back, and was named
first star of the week by the NHL this morning after his hat trick last night against the 'Hawks. Check out these numbers: "Hansen led the NHL with five goals (last week), converting on 71.4% of his shots (5-of-7)."
So much for hands of stone.
When asked last night about the difference in his game, he said it's all about confidence.
I'd suggest that playing with a first-class setup man in Bo Horvat is also helping him out. Horvat had three assists last night and went 13 for 16 in the faceoff circle, including 8-for-8 in the defensive zone and 3-for-3 against Selke Trophy winner Jonathan Toews. Horvat was good on Thursday against Anaheim. Last night, he made me a believer—and made me excited to see what else he can do now that he has found his NHL game.
Hansen's offensive outburst gives him eight goals on the season—second on the Canucks behind Radim Vrbata, who has 10. If he can keep this up, he'll be known by the end of the season as one of the NHL's great bargains at $2.5 million.
Sunday's game gave us a glimpse into the positive impact of rolling four lines. The Canucks were the more rested team, and were able to use that to their advantage in the third period. They were also able to exploit that fourth-line matchup, while the cap-strapped 'Hawks used fourth-line forwards Daniel Carcillo and Phillip Danault for less than 10 minutes each.
Amazingly, the defensive holes in the 'Hawks game came from the top line. Jonathan Toews finished the night as a minus-four, while Marian Hossa was a minus-three.
My favourite moment of Daniel Sedin's ceremony to celebrate his 1,000th NHL game was the look of awestruck wonder on his daughter's face when PA announcer Al Murdoch told the family that the Aquilinis were gifting them with a Disney Cruise in honour of Daniel's achievement. Pure magic.
The win keeps the Canucks within two points of division-leading Anaheim, with one more game on their homestand before a long seven-game road trip out East that starts this weekend.
Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils are in town on Tuesday night. Who better for Horvat to face on the last night of his nine-game trial than the goalie he was traded for?
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