Adam McQuaid

Growing up in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island, Adam McQuaid moved from local minor hockey with the Cornwall Thunder into major junior competition with the Sudbury Wolves, spending four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League and helping Sudbury reach the OHL final in his final junior year.

McQuaid was taken in the second round, 55th overall, at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He never played a game for Columbus; after further junior play he was traded to the Boston Bruins, who signed him to an entry-level contract. He began his pro career in Providence in 2007–08 before establishing himself on Boston's roster in 2009–10.

A physical, stay-at-home defenceman, McQuaid became known for his willingness to fight and to protect younger or smaller teammates. He scored his first NHL goal on February 7, 2010 — the game-winner against Jaroslav Halák in Montreal — and was a regular on the Bruins' blueline during the 2010–11 season, collecting a Stanley Cup when Boston defeated Vancouver in the final.

Boston rewarded him with new contracts, including a three-year deal signed on July 14, 2011 and a four-year extension agreed on June 26, 2015. Highlights and setbacks followed: he scored a series-clinching goal against Pittsburgh in game four of the 2013 Eastern Conference Final, missed most of 2013–14 due to illness, and suffered a fractured right fibula on October 19, 2017. After nine straight seasons with the Bruins he was traded to the New York Rangers on September 11, 2018, and then dealt back to his original draft club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, on February 25, 2019.

McQuaid notched his first goal as a Blue Jacket on March 15, 2019, the game-winner in a 3–0 victory over Carolina. He retired from professional hockey on January 16, 2021 after a 12-season career. In August 2021 he returned to the Bruins organization as the team's player development coordinator.