Fans can take a minute and visit with the mighty Quinn
On Saturday at 6:15 p.m., the Vancouver Canucks will honour the memory and legacy of Pat Quinn by unveiling a life-size bronze statue of the big Irishman outside Rogers Arena.
Quinn, who died in 2014 at the age of 71, joined the team as player during the club’s inaugural season in 1970-71 and later returned to the club in 1987 as president and general manager, adding coaching duties in 1991, and is credited with directing the then-struggling franchise toward respectability.
Five things about the Pat Quinn statue:
Capturing Quinn
The statue was created by Vancouver sculptor Norm Williams, who also designed the nearby statue of late Canucks coach Roger Neilson at Rogers Arena. Williams says his biggest challenge was capturing Quinn’s powerful presence.
“With Quinn it was his stature and his physical size ... He was the kind of guy that if he walked into a room everything would stop for a minute,” Williams said.
2 Run for the Cup
Williams’ statue depicts Quinn behind the bench coaching the Canucks during the club’s 1994 run to the Stanley Cup Final. In his hand, Quinn is holding a roster card engraved with each player’s name from that 1994 team.
Pat’s bench
The public installation also includes Pat’s Bench for fans to sit and have their photos taken.
The Canucks say the idea for Pat’s Bench had its origins when Quinn coached Team Canada to gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. During the 2002 Games, Quinn would often sit on a certain bench outside of Canada House and athletes from all sports would come and chat with him about anything and everything.
Team spirit
The Canucks say the statue’s overall depiction reflects Quinn’s belief that all were part of the team, including fans, and it was created with that inclusion in mind.
His legacy will also be reflected through the Pat Quinn Scholarship, which is being developed to allow hockey players and athletes to continue their pursuit of a professional degree or designation upon completion of their post-secondary education and intercollegiate athletic careers.
Where to find it
The statue has been installed in Toyota Plaza near Pat Quinn Way, formerly a section of Abbott Way, that was dedicated to the Hockey Hall of Famer in 2015.
The statue is part of a legacy project created by a small group of Quinn’s former colleagues, partners, family friends and fans who wanted to create a permanent legacy of Quinn’s impact on hockey and Canadians from coast to coast to coast. The City of Vancouver and the Canucks were also contributing partners in the statue’s development and installation.