Pat Burns
Pat Burns ( born April 4, 1952 in Montreal, † November 19, 2010 in Sherbrooke, Quebec ) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He also served as head coach of the NHL team Montreal Canadiens (1988-1992), Toronto Maple Leafs (1992-1996), Boston Bruins (1997-2001) and the New Jersey Devils (2001-2004).
Career
Burns is one of the coaches who can not look back at a great time as a player. As a junior he played in the OHA with the London Knights, without particularly conspicuous there.
In 1984 he took over, now 32 years old, the Olympiques de Gatineau in the QMJHL as a coach, which was playing Luc Robitaille among others. After three years, in 1987, the Canadiens de Montréal brought him as a coach for their AHL farm team, the Canadiens de Sherbrooke.
After a year there, he was taken as a successor to Jean Perron in the NHL to Montreal. He remained there for four years before he moved to the big competitors, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Here he was able to awaken the sleeping giant and the Leafs had their best time after the Original Six.
After four years in Toronto, another Original Six team was his third coach station. From 1997 to 2000 he coached the Boston Bruins. In each of the three teams he was once awarded the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the NHL. Yet, it is with his fourth team, the New Jersey Devils, which he oversaw for the seasons 2002/ 03 and 2003/ 04, he was the first time the Stanley Cup win. Burns ended his coaching career after the 2003/ 04 season, having already ill with cancer for the second time.
During his time as head coach, he was in 14 seasons as a coach in 1019 time behind the gang. Of these games, he won 501 and lost 350
He died of cancer at the age of 58 years.