Cobden, Ont.'s Jack Quinn makes NHL debut
The pride of Cobden, Ont., Jack Quinn, will make his NHL debut Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old was drafted 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2020 NHL draft and will suit up Tuesday evening against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. in Buffalo.
"This is an opportunity for us, a window of opportunity we have to put him in the lineup on Dylan Cozens' line," said Sabres head coach Don Granato, via the Buffalo Sabres' Twitter page ahead of the matchup.
"It's promising," said Quinn. "I think it's exciting and speaks to the culture we have in Rochester and how much guys are improving."
For Quinn, it's a dream realized. The Ottawa Valley native started his journey at St. Joseph's High School in Renfrew, Ont., where former principal Brennan Trainor saw Quinn arrive in Grade 9, and walk across the stage at graduation in grade twelve.
"I texted Jack yesterday," Trainor tells CTV News Ottawa, "and I did tell him that there was a lot of us rooting him on, and this is his day. This is Jack's time to really celebrate."
Whether it's at Trainor's home in Douglas, the houses of his former classmates in Renfrew, or in Quinn's hometown of Cobden, the Ottawa Valley is set to be the NHL debutant's loudest cheering section on the night, rather than the stands in Buffalo.
"It's just really special to be a part of this community and go anywhere, and know that everyone knows Jack is going to be playing tonight. Everybody knows that he's worked hard for this accomplishment."
That's a sentiment Quinn's AHL coach with the Rochester Americans, Seth Appert, agrees with.
"Because it's been earned, that's why I know he's going to seize it," said Appert via the Sabres' Twitter. "That doesn't mean he's going to have a hat trick or all these other things. But if he would have played last year, it would have been not earned."
"(I'm) improving on my strengths too," said Quinn on the growth of his game to get him to his debut. "Offensively, being able to play with guys on my back, I think I was already good at but just continuing to get better."
There are no guarantees at this level, but many from the Ottawa and valley area are hoping they can soon call Quinn a superstar from their own backyard.
"I think there's a very good chance of that," says Kenny Walls of TSN 1200, and the play-by-play commentator of the Ottawa 67's. "This is an extremely skilled kid and he has been ever since going back to his minor hockey days in the valley."
Walls called Quinn's games for two and a half years with the OHL franchise, and says while the 20-year-old may still have some learning to do at the top level, those all around him should be brimming with pride.
"To have him as one of our own from the Ottawa area is massive," says Walls. "And to do it all the way through; minor hockey into the OHL is fantastic, and hopefully he does reach his potential with the Sabres.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.