Prince George product Don Nachbaur has been chosen as the first-ever recipient of the Pat Quinn Coaching Award. The announcement was made by the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
Nachbaur, who worked his way through the local minor hockey system after his family settled here in 1967, has spent the past six seasons as head coach of the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs. In the WHL, he was also bench boss of the Tri-City Americans and Seattle Thunderbirds. He was at the helm of each of those clubs for six years.
At the professional level, Nachbaur was head coach of the American Hockey League's Binghamton Senators (2009-10) and was an assistant with the Philadelphia Phantoms (2000-2002).
"I am truly humbled and honoured to be the first recipient of the Pat Quinn Coaching Award," Nachbaur said in a statement. "To be mentioned in the same breath as Pat Quinn is quite overwhelming. As a coach, I can only hope to impact people as Pat did in his life. It is with much respect and gratitude (I) accept this recognition."
The Quinn award was established in 2015 and will be presented annually to an individual - regardless of his or her level of coaching - who promotes and shares excellence by educating players in the sport of hockey. Quinn, who carved out an NHL career as a player and head coach - including five seasons behind the bench of the Vancouver Canucks - was inducted into the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. He died in November 2014 at the age of 71.
Nachbaur is the only coach to be named WHL coach of the year with three separate teams. He won the award with the Chiefs in 2011, the Americans in 2008 and the Thunderbirds in 1995.
Nachbaur was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
