Toronto Maple Leafs – Pat Quinn (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
Pat Quinn
The Leafs improved drastically under Pat Quinn’s lead and looked unrecognizable to the team before.
Hired after the 1997-98 season, Pat Quinn found immediate success with the Leafs.
The team made their first playoffs appearance in three years and fought through to the conference finals but unfortunately lost to the Buffalo Sabres. Quinn was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award that year but did not receive it.
After the season, he was named GM and stayed on as coach.
Once again the team was finding success with Quinn as their guide, finishing in the top three in their division, with back to back appearances in the playoffs until the NHL lockout in 2004-2005 season.
Quinn came back after the lockout with he Leafs expected to compete, but they didn’t even make the playoffs and Quinn was fired.
Despite never advancing past the conference finals, Quinn had kept the team afloat, recording three 100-point seasons as well as making the playoffs every season up to last.