Pat Burns

Lore & Background

Burns began his hockey career as a part-time scout for the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL while working as a police officer. He became an assistant coach with Hull in 1984 and later head coach, coaching future Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. He served as an assistant coach for Canada's national junior team at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which ended in the infamous 'Punch-up in Piestany' brawl. Before the 1987–88 NHL season, Montreal Canadiens general manager Serge Savard hired Burns as head coach of the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League; after one year, he was promoted to head coach of Montreal. In his first NHL season, the Canadiens finished 53-18-9, winning their division and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in six games to the Calgary Flames. Burns won his first Jack Adams Award that year. A defensive-minded coach, he led Montreal to the second round of the playoffs every year until his shocking resignation at the end of the 1992 season, citing frustration with the media. He then coached the Toronto Maple Leafs, leading them to the conference finals in 1993 and 1994, and won his second Jack Adams. After being let go in March 1996, he took a year off before coaching the Boston Bruins, winning his third Jack Adams in his first season with them. He was fired eight games into the 2000-01 season. Burns finished his coaching career with the New Jersey Devils, winning the Stanley Cup in 2003 and resigning in 2005 after a cancer diagnosis.

Reader's Guide

Pat Burns is remembered as one of the most successful coaches in NHL history, primarily for being the only coach to win the Jack Adams Award three times, each in his first season with a different team. He led two teams to the Stanley Cup Finals in his inaugural seasons with them—losing in 1989 with Montreal and winning in 2003 with New Jersey. Over 14 seasons, he reached the postseason in 11 of them, missing the playoffs only once, in the 1999-2000 season with Boston. His coaching career ended in 2005 after a cancer diagnosis, and he died in 2010. In 2014, he was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. A Facebook campaign launched in March 2010 calling for his induction attracted over 80,000 members. An arena bearing his name was built at Stanstead College in the Eastern Townships in 2011.

Did You Know?

• Burns lied about his age to become a police officer, claiming he was 18 when he was actually 17.
• He coached future Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille with the Hull Olympiques.
• Burns was the cousin of Robin Burns.
• After his death, thieves broke into his widow's car and stole 30 autographed NHL jerseys meant for charity.