On Tuesday, there was a Quinn moment circa 2001. For those of us who enjoyed verbal jousting with the larger-than-life coach back in the day, it was a welcome snippet. There's still a battler in there, and if you poke the right places, the grizzly will roar.
On Monday, Quinn mentioned that the U.S. had constructed its team to beat the Canadians. A day later, he was pressed for details: who told him that? Suddenly, out came the Fighting Irishman.
"Nobody came to me. It was just rumours out there. Probably started by you people!" he snapped.
"You people." That's classic Quinn — an indiscriminate phrase for everyone who has ever held a microphone, camera or notepad and asked an uncomfortable question.
And for anyone who covered Quinn during his heyday with the Leafs, or the Vancouver Canucks for that matter, the phrase "you people" generally signalled that the uncooperative coach was about to cut his media session short.
But on this day, after his famous utterance, Quinn was jokingly reminded that he sounded like his former self, the coach we knew when the maple leaf on his chest was blue instead of red. A good laugh was had by all, and minutes later, Quinn was initiating the humour.
Asked about the beefy American team, he said: "It's too much McDonald's. We're much healthier."
Sekeres: Stephen Harper can't skate
He came, he shook hands, he exchanged gifts, and he left. So went the whirlwind visit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ScotiaBank Place on Tuesday.
The prime minister spent only a few minutes at the Canadian team bench for a quick photo op and exchange of gifts with head coach Pat Quinn before practice. (Harper got a hockey sweater, while the team got commemorative pucks with the Government of Canada seal). Harper also toured the Canadian team's dressing room, and Quinn said it went mighty quiet when the First Citizen walked in.
Two hockey notes about the PM:
- His son, Ben, who joined him on the visit, apparently plays for a powerhouse. Ben Harper's team is participating in a minor hockey tournament in Ottawa over the holiday break and, according to Quinn, it is also 3-0 and has bested Canada's goal-differential margin (28-2).
- While Harper is writing a book about hockey, and while his staffers describe him as "an avid hockey fan" (as though a prime minister could afford to look anything but in Canada), the elder Harper could apparently learn a thing or two from young Ben. Before the visit, when a staffer was asked whether the PM would be donning the blades at practice, the response came that Harper is "not a great skater."
Sekeres: 'Stephen' set to stop by
There is perhaps nothing in Canadian society worth more political capital than a Maple Leaf-adorned hockey sweater, so it comes as no surprise that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is honing in on the action by attending the Canadian team's practice on Tuesday. These days, the Prime Minister can use all the support he can get, especially from a bunch of fresh-faced kids who will make for a friendly photo op.
The Canadian team has an off day Tuesday before the big New Year's Eve showdown with the U.S. on Wednesday, so at least the PM picked the appropriate time. His distraction won't come on game day, only during a practice.
When asked about the state visit, Canada head coach Pat Quinn said that he and the kids would be excited to meet "Stephen" before correcting himself and stating: "Mr. Harper, I probably should call him."
And somewhere in Ottawa, a U.S. diplomat familiar with President George W. Bush's foot-in-mouth visit to Canada several years back was thinking: 'Just don't call him Steve.'
Sekeres: Some solace for the Sens
OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators have lost seven of their last nine games and have been kicked out of their building for the World Junior tournament, creating an eight-game road trip. The Sens sit 12th in the Eastern Conference, have five games remaining on this epic roadie, and there is speculation about the future of head coach Craig Hartsburg.
