Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland and wife Meghan have welcomed their first child to the world.
Head coach Rick Tocchet confirmed that the baby was born when he spoke to media today after practice.
“Gars had a baby,” exclaimed the bench boss.
The couple named the baby Quinton, a name that will be familiar to Canucks fans. Team captain Quinn Hughes’ full legal first name is Quintin.
Tocchet was quick to clarify that the baby’s name was not inspired by Garland’s teammate.
The baby’s name is inspired by Quint, a character in the movie Jaws. Garland has a huge interest in sharks and is a big fan of the movie, as he explained in a YouTube video posted not long ago by the team.
The Canucks winger was questionable to play in last night’s game as his wife was close to delivering the baby. He ended up being able to play and then rushed to the hospital right after the final buzzer. He was not made available to reporters as he had to exit the arena as fast as possible.
The forward played a great game and even scored a goal. He used some of that soon-to-be dad strength and helped the Canucks nearly upset the New York Rangers despite having a variety of players injured.
Teammate Dakota Joshua collected the puck after Garland’s goal, no doubt for the latter to keep remembering the special night.
Garland is expected to join the team on their upcoming road trip out east.