Man, if you’d ever followed hockey, you know Tom McVie wasn’t some other guy behind the bench. This man lived and breathed it, grinding through decades of coaching, scouting, and shaping the future of the sport. From Washington’s Capitals through the New Jersey Devils, right onto seeing his name etched upon the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins, McVie’s story is taken out of some hockey script.

But now, the hockey world stands still to bid their adieu as McVie has passed away at the age of 89 years young. The New Jersey Devils, one of the franchises he helped build, took a moment to remember him—and believe me, this guy left a mark on the sport that won’t fade anytime soon.

Devils pay their respects to the man who never quit

The Devils’ tribute wasn’t some “thoughts and prayers” tweet. They made sure to show love to the man who played a role in shaping their franchise. McVie first took over the Devils’ bench in 1983-84, stepping in to clean up the mess left by Bill MacMillan. This was back when Jersey was still the NHL’s punching bag, but McVie? He wasn’t about to let that define him.

He returned in 1991-92, after coaching the Utica Devils of the AHL, and again, his priorities were pretty clear: grit, development, and finding diamonds in the rough. The Utica Comets of the AHL didn’t miss an opportunity to celebrate him, dubbing him a “legend of the sport and our community,” since he was their first head coach.

Of course, it wasn’t just New Jersey showing the love. The Boston Bruins, the franchise where McVie finally got his hands on a Stanley Cup ring, made sure to pay their respects. Cam Neely, the Bruins’ president, called him a “huge part of our Bruins family” and remembered his hockey mind, gruff voice, and legendary sense of humor.

The Winnipeg Jets, one of the teams McVie transitioned with from the WHA to the NHL, described him as “a historical figure in Winnipeg’s pro hockey history.” Everywhere he went, he left an indelible mark.

The man who never gave up—whatever the losses

McVie’s coaching résumé wasn’t exactly the most glamorous, and quite frankly, his record did not scream Hall of Fame, but that is what made him so special, for the dude never backed down, no matter how many Ls his teams took. And believe me, some of those were lean years. There’s the classic McVie story about a young reporter asking him about his losing streak with three or four teams in a row. The guy straight-up asked if he ever thought about quitting.

McVie’s response?

“F–k, no. This is the only thing I’m really good at.”

That is the energy he brought to every team he ever coached: the Washington Capitals from 1975-79, the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA/NHL, the New Jersey Devils twice, and the AHL’s Providence Bruins—he just kept grinding, never letting setbacks break his spirit. Fast forward to 2011, and it was when the Boston Bruins finally won the Stanley Cup that McVie’s name got enshrined in ice hockey history forever. Though he was not coaching, he was scouting with the Bruins then, thus being involved in constructing that winning team.

McVie was cut from a different cloth. He wasn’t the flash-in-the-pan coach with all the stacked trophy cases, but he was the man players respected, teams relied on, and fans never forgot. New Jersey, Boston, Winnipeg, and Washington—they all honored him, and that tells you a whole lot about the imprint he left in the game. He coached, scouted, and brought out the best in players at an incredible ratio against the odds. The hockey world lost a true legend, but his legacy isn’t going anywhere. If there’s one thing McVie taught us, it’s this: don’t quit, no matter how tough the road gets.