Pat Quinn celebrated by Canucks with tribute night

The Vancouver Canucks honoured late former player, coach and general manager Pat Quinn on St. Patrick's Day — a very appropriate occasion to celebrate "The Big Irishman."

Quinn was remembered prior to a game against the Philadelphia Flyers for his contributions to the Canucks organization, which include leading the 1993-94 team to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. 

The hockey legend passed away at the age of 71 in November after a long illness. Vancouver paid tribute to his legacy in a moving pre-game ceremony that had fellow Canucks legends Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure and Markus Naslund in attendance.

His impact on the game of hockey at every level was the common theme of the night, as guests who represented every chapter of his career participated in the on-ice festivities. 

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Numerous other celebrations took place during the evening. A public party was held at the Rogers Arena plaza before the unveiling of the new Pat Quinn Way. 

"We think about the numbers of games Pat won and that's part of it, but the reason we're here today is because Pat Quinn cared about people," said Linden, who became the team's president of hockey operations last year.

"He loved his players. He loved his community."

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Players and colleagues also shared their memories of the Hamilton, Ont., native throughout the night. Other notables that were present included Bobby Clarke, Kirk McLean, Stan Smyl, Orland Kurtenbach, Rick Ley, Cliff Fletcher and Bob Nicholson.

Quinn's long career in the NHL began in 1968 and involved stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers. 

Quinn was a co-owner of the WHL's Vancouver Giants, who announced the creation of the Pat Quinn Legacy Fund on Monday.