Pat Quinn reflects on his life in the game of hockey
Canadian sports icon looks back with Imperial Oil at how Canada’s winter sport influenced his life and career
- “For 75 years, Imperial has been in the corners with us”
- Essay shared with Canadians over the holiday season
Calgary, AB, Dec. 22, 2011 – The names Imperial Oil and Esso have been synonymous with hockey in Canada for 75 years.
It was in December 1936 that Imperial Oil, under the brand name Esso, first sponsored Foster Hewitt’s hockey broadcasts on radio. The company has been linked to Canada’s winter sport ever since.
In honour of this special anniversary, Imperial Oil commissioned legendary Canadian hockey figure Pat Quinn to write an essay about his hockey past and the sport he loves. The longtime NHL player, NHL coach and also Hockey Canada coach penned the attached article, in which he discusses the impressions and influences that hockey had on him, his family and community while growing up in Hamilton, Ont. Imperial has invited print media from across Canada to share this essay with their readers over the 2011-2012 holiday season.
“Imperial Oil and the Esso brand are intrinsically linked with hockey in Canada. We’re proud to have been part of Canada’s game for 75 years,” said Bruce March, Imperial Oil chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We are honoured that Pat Quinn is participating in our celebration in this manner and we hope all Canadians will appreciate reading Pat’s essay over the holidays.”
Imperial’s link to the game began in the 1930s and ‘40s through sponsorship of Hewitt’s cross-Canada radio broadcasts, a period that saw the introduction after every game of the “Three Star Selection,” which was inspired by Esso’s 3 Star Gasoline. Esso was the sponsor in 1940 of overseas transmission of hockey games for Canadian service personnel stationed in Europe and elsewhere during the Second World War.
Imperial expanded its sponsorship and made the leap to television in 1952. The 1970s saw Imperial begin to develop grassroots programs and in 1981 it first introduced the Esso Medals of Achievement program, which has now seen nearly two million medals of achievement and more than 30 million certificates of participation awarded to young boys and girls. Imperial today continues to be linked to hockey at all levels in Canada, from the grassroots to the pros.
The attached essay and associated information is meant to be shared with Canadians over the 2011-2012 holiday season. The material is being distributed to Canadian media outlets for their potential use. Pat Quinn’s essay is also available at www.imperialoil.ca
Imperial Oil and Pat Quinn hope you enjoy reading it.
Imperial Oil is one of Canada’s largest corporations and a leading member of the country’s petroleum industry. It is one of the country’s largest producers of crude oil and natural gas, is the largest petroleum refiner, and has a leading market share in petroleum products sold through a coast-to-coast supply network of about 1,850 Esso service stations.