Quinn, the remarkably successful Hall of Famer, coached Klee during his time with the Maple Leafs from 2003-06.
Quinn, the remarkably successful Hall of Famer, coached Klee during his time with the Maple Leafs from 2003-06.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ken Klee recently made history as the first head coach to win the Walter Cup with PWHL Minnesota and tipped his cap on TSN’s First Up to the Hall of Famer Pat Quinn – whose influence has shaped Klee’s coaching philosophy.
Reflecting on his time as a player under Quinn, he shared how the remarkably successful coach’s approach left a lasting impact on him when he transitioned to coaching. “I did not have a Pat Quinn drill,” Klee laughed. “He was a stand along the wall back then like ‘Okay let’s get after it here,’ you know.”
An aspect that stood out from his time spent with the coach was his “marker throw”, which Klee recounted himself this season with PWHL Minnesota: “Oh yeah, I actually did it once this year. I was at the board, and then I had it in my hand, and one of the girls was like ‘Coach, you got something on your face,’ and I was like ‘Oh my god, I just did the Pat Quinn’,” Klee joked.
“They were like ‘what?’ Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker used to absolutely die laughing when Pat did it. It would be amazing, but yeah, he was definitely a big influence on me as a coaching style I would say just because of the way he treats people. He was just an amazing person.”
Klee further elaborated on how Quinn's straightforward and respectful treatment of players has influenced his coaching style. “For me, I was an older guy and he didn’t talk to me very much. He'd say ‘Hey, go out there and do your job, this is what I need from you,’ and that was it. It was fantastic.”
A feature that stood out to the defenseman was the direct but respectful approach he utilized on his players, an approach he has attempted to implement into his style. “For me, I was an older guy and he didn’t talk to me very much. He'd say ‘Hey, go out there and do your job, this is what I need from you,’ and that was it. It was fantastic.”
Klee's victory with PWHL Minnesota highlights the lasting impact that a legendary coach like Quinn can have, showcasing that he remains dedicated to the lessons instilled in him by the Hall of Famer – tactics to bring the best out of his players.
Klee spent two seasons with the Maple Leafs after initially signing with the club as a free agent in 2003. He played in all 11 games of Toronto's 2004 playoff run that ended in the second round. Both seasons were under Quinn.
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