from Eric Duhastchek of the Globe and Mail,

The first sense that Pat Quinn’s health was failing in a meaningful way came last week, just before Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies were to take place. Quinn, as chairman of the Hall, had a significant role in the proceedings and up until a week before, seemed to be recovering from a stubbornly resistant infection that had followed a medical procedure back in mid-September. Finally, Quinn sent word that he wouldn’t be able to travel after all and John Davidson, stepped in to handle his duties.

It was an unexpected and worrisome development – Quinn was, after all, just 71 and as recently as last June, when our committee met to select the class of 2014, apart from a slight limp, looked good. But when Tiger Williams travelled to Vancouver last week to see Quinn and was told he wasn’t well enough to receive guests that created a renewed sense of concern in the hockey community.

This wasn’t good news. Quinn achieved a lot in his career – 606 NHL games played, another 1,400 coached. He was in charge when Canada won its first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in 2002 at Salt Lake City - arguably his greatest achievement as a coach – and again in 2009, when he led Canada to a world junior gold.

During his time away from coaching in the mid-1980s, he earned a law degree – something that’s a bit more common now, but virtually an unprecedented academic feat back in the day.

continued