Sandra Quinn didn't have to say a word.
Her daughter knew the news as soon as she walked in the door at the Quinn family home in West Vancouver, and found Sandra holding the phone, speechless. Kalli Quinn knew it from proud, pained tears in her mother's eyes. Sandra handed her the phone. It was Lanny McDonald.
"Kalli, I think you can figure it out by your mom crying," he told her. "But we will be inducting your dad into the Hall of Fame."
As she let the words of the Hall of Fame's chairman of the board sink in, Kalli was speechless too.
"It was surreal," she said.
Pat Quinn would hardly have believed it himself. Whenever his daughter used to bring up the possibility that he might, one day, be included in the Hall he'd quickly dismiss the idea.
"Kalli," he'd say. "That's not going to happen."
Quinn never thought of himself on the same level as the legends he revered. He served for years as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee and then, near the end of his life, as chairman of the board. He cherished the history of the game. But Quinn couldn't see his own legacy included among hockey's all-time greats.
As a player (aside from an unforgettable hit on Bobby Orr) he'd be absolutely right. But as a coach, general manager, and president, Quinn was one of the best.
His 684 wins are good for seventh all-time amongst NHL coaches. He won the Jack Adams Award twice. He led two teams to the Stanley Cup final, and his teams appeared in the playoffs 15 times. As an executive, he saved hockey in Vancouver. Later, he brought winning hockey to Toronto. In 2002, he guided Canada to its first Olympic gold in men's hockey in 50 years. In 2009, he added another gold to his long list of accolades as Canada's coach at the World Juniors.
That's just a brief snapshot of what Quinn accomplished before he died at the age of 71 on November 23, 2014. There are so many stories from his poor beginning growing up on Glennie Avenue in Hamilton, to a decade long journey through the minors that led to a respectable career in the NHL. So many tales to tell about his rise as a coach, his pursuit of a law degree, and his success as a hockey executive. And each, best told with a puff of cigar smoke, carries the same memories of a fierce, witty coach who could also be as tender as a teddy bear.
If there were a way to measure the loyalty he inspired, Quinn would have made the Hall a long time ago. He treated his players and colleagues like family. He defended them endlessly in the press and on the ice, as many reporters and referees will attest. He believed that a person's word should be as strong as any legally binding contract. He earned respect and expected others to do the same.
Quinn might have been surprised by his inclusion in the Hall of Fame. But few others will be. It seemed inevitable that the Big Irishman would get there, although it never would have happened while he was minding the gates.
"He would have said, 'Lanny, you're putting me in with these other people?'" Kalli Quinn said, mimicking her father's incredulous voice.
Yes, Pat, you're in. And yes, of course, you belong.
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