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After he had spent most of the past three decades behind the bench and had turned 65 this year, you'd think Pat Quinn would relax and enjoy his golden years.
Instead, Quinn is into the pressure cooker of coaching Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation under-20 championship, which will begin in Ottawa on Boxing Day.
Hockey Canada found itself searching for a new head coach when Benôit Groulx resigned to take over the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Rather than hand the job to an experienced junior coach, such as Don Hay of the Vancouver Giants, or George Burnett of the Belleville Bulls or even Clément Jodoin, who was a Canadian assistant the past three seasons, Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson turned to his old buddy Quinn.
Nicholson tapped Quinn on the shoulder to guide Canada to its first Olympic men's hockey gold in 50 years in 2002 and Nicholson hired Quinn, who had been fired as the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs after the 2005-06 season, to coach Canada at the Spengler Cup nine months ago and the Canadian under-18 squad last April.
Quinn guided Canada to gold in Russia at the under-18 championship, but the pressure in Ottawa later this year will be immense as Canada shoots for its fifth consecutive title.
“Bring on the pressure, let's do it,” Quinn said. “Sure, the pressure will be there because it's part of wanting to do well. The public expects a lot. Canada expects a fifth medal. I do. The players do.”
When Groulx moved on last month, the Hockey Canada junior program policy committee assembled and discussed options, but Quinn was the only person approached to coach.
Why? Because of his experience at the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002 and the World Cup of Hockey in 2005 as well as his familiarity with a bunch of the candidates to make this team. Five to eight players from Quinn's under-18 squad could make the under-20 team.
“The key is the talent,” Quinn said. “I have been fortunate to have good players. Winning is 100-per-cent coaching, but coaching is 90-per-cent recruitment. This group will have good character. If we come in and make a commitment, we'll be in good shape.”
Quinn added Guy Boucher, the head coach of the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs, to his staff, which already consisted of Dave Cameron of the OHL's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors and Willie Desjardins of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers. Boucher was Quinn's assistant in Russia last spring.
Choosing Quinn was a controversial move in junior hockey circles because, historically, Hockey Canada has employed only junior coaches. While winning world junior gold is expected in Canada, the tournament also serves as a developmental program, which has not only produced players for the NHL, but plenty of coaches.
Nine of the current NHL head coaches steered Canada at the world juniors, including Mike Babcock (Detroit), Peter DeBoer (Florida), Craig Hartsburg (Ottawa), Ken Hitchcock (Columbus), Claude Julien (Boston), Todd McLellan (San Jose), Tom Renney (New York Rangers), Brent Sutter (New Jersey) and Alain Vigneault (Vancouver).
