Rush One and Only #81, Quinlan Celebration Night
January 15, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB----Jimmy Quinlan was directly involved in the two greatest underdog moments in the history of the Edmonton Rush, but he doesn't consider himself an underdog.
Yet Quinlan does pretty much fit the bill of an underdog who climbed to significant heights. He didn't start playing amateur lacrosse in a hotbed like southern Ontario or greater Vancouver. He wasn't the most skilled player on the roster, whether it was in junior, in college or even as a pro. He wasn't the biggest dog in the fight but when you needed more bite than bark, Quinlan was there with no collar or leash to hold him back.
Quinlan was a true pro. He came to play every game. In fact during eight years as the heart and soul of the Edmonton Rush, Quinlan missed only one game. He inspired his teammates in the dressing room with spoken words, and then when out on the turf and turned his words into actions.
The last true original member of the Rush will have his #81 jersey retired by the club prior to this Friday's game against the Calgary Roughnecks - a fitting opponent since Quinlan's two favorite memories in the National Lacrosse League came against the Rush's arch-rival.
"May 5th, 2012," recalled Quinlan of his first greatest memory. "I was driving back and forth between Calgary and Edmonton, getting ready for the game and the birth of my daughter. I was up all night and got back to Calgary a couple of hours before the game. And then we came away with the win."
Daughter Gracie was born to Quinlan and his wife Shelby, and then it was a trek back to Calgary with one of the Rush trainers for the West Division Semifinal. And although Quinlan had to make a pit stop for dress shoes to replace the ones he'd left in the trunk of his own car, he did hit the floor with enough energy to help the Rush pull off their second consecutive playoff upset of the Roughnecks.
Ranking second on Quinlan's favorite memory list was the Rush's first post-season derailing of the Roughnecks which came in 2010. No pundit gave the Rush a prayer in the franchise first-ever playoff game. Even less so because they were facing the defending league champs on the Saddledome floor.
"We'd lost a lot of one-goal games that year and still finished 10-6 but we didn't get a home playoff game because Washington and Calgary were also 10-6," said Quinlan. "We were pretty upset about that. We felt we deserved it and we let our actions speak for us on the floor."
A week later the Rush missed an opportunity to go to the Champion's Cup final losing the West Final in overtime to Washington. But the Rush did make the NLL's title game in 2012, though a second-half collapse cost them against the favored Rochester Knighthawks. Many of the core players from the 2012 finalist crew are back in 2014 trying to get Edmonton to the Cup matchup. Quinlan, though, run up the sneakers this past off-season, yet he remains with the Rush as the team's new defensive coach.
Career numbers like 219 regular-season points in the black and silver don't define what Quinlan provided the Rush. He was the grit, determination, and brashness the club always looked to for guidance. He also played every role imaginable - point producer, ball mover, defensive pillar, even agitator.
For those credits, and building the game of lacrosse in his hometown communities of Edmonton and Sherwood Park, Quinlan will rightfully be honored by his peers and fans.
"I've always considered myself a student of the game. Even today, I'm working on understanding more about the game," he said. "I was open and receptive to the feedback I got and I think that's what allowed me to have the career I had. I was never the most skilled guy but I worked on the details and the finer points of the game.
"I had to open and versatile. I didn't always agree all the time with the decisions but I learned to take them in stride and that allowed me to stay in the league and prolong my career."
Quinlan has long had a fondness for coaching which likely led to his career as a teacher at the Vimy Ridge Academy in Edmonton. He splits his day teaching junior high math and then moving into phys. ed. and lacrosse. Quinlan has also coached basketball at Vimy Ridge, and has spent time behind the bench for lacrosse teams in Sherwood Park (Junior A and Junior B Titans) and Calgary (Junior A Raiders at the 2013 Minto Cup).
The 32-year-old credits many of his own mentors for guiding him to a lengthy and prestigious career during his playing days and for encouraging him to turn his knowledge into coaching.
"Gerry Sanderson started me off and then Paul Rai showed me how working hard and grinding along would really work for me," said Quinlan.
"Paul Day brought me to the Rush and Bob Hamley was really good to me. And Derek Keenan was huge for my career. He was very honest with me and sometimes it was a tough message, but it helped me be a more complete player and more of a team guy."
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 15, 2014
- Rush One and Only #81, Quinlan Celebration Night - Edmonton Rush
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