Pat Burns

Pat Burns
Pat Burns
Born	Patrick John Joseph Burns; 4 April 1952 (age 74); Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	19 November 2010 (aged 58); Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey coach, police officer, scout
Years active	1984–2005 (coaching)
Known for	NHL head coach for Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils; three-time Jack Adams Award winner; Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (2014)

Patrick John Joseph Burns (April 4, 1952 – November 19, 2010) served as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL) for fourteen seasons, overseeing 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. His coaching career concluded in 2005 due to recurring cancer, which ultimately caused his passing five years later. Burns holds the record for most Jack Adams Awards, having won the honor three times, and he led teams to the playoffs in eleven out of his fourteen coaching seasons.

In recognition of his contributions to hockey, Burns was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously in 2014.

Professional career

Burns initially aimed to become an NHL player but shifted to coaching after spending time as a police officer and part-time scout for the Hull Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 1984, he took on the role of head coach for Hull, where he coached future Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille. Before the start of the 1987–88 season, Montreal Canadiens general manager Serge Savard named him head coach of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Sherbrooke Canadiens, before elevating him to lead Montreal’s NHL team.

During his first NHL season (1988–89), Burns guided Montreal to a division title with a 53-18-9 record and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, earning his inaugural Jack Adams Award. Renowned for a defensive-oriented coaching philosophy, he consistently brought the Canadiens to postseason contention until stepping down in 1992 amid frustrations with media scrutiny.

Burns then chose to become head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of accepting an offer from the Los Angeles Kings, citing Toronto’s rich hockey heritage as a key factor. Under his leadership, the Maple Leafs reached their deepest playoff stages since 1967 by making back-to-back conference finals appearances in 1993 and 1994. He secured his second Jack Adams Award during this period. After guiding Toronto to another playoff berth in 1995 and experiencing a difficult start in 1996, Burns was relieved of his duties.

Following a year away from coaching, Burns joined the Boston Bruins in 1997. That season marked his third Jack Adams Award victory—the only coach in NHL history to win three times—and all were earned during his debut seasons with each team he led. The Bruins reached the playoffs until missing out in the 1999–2000 season; Burns was dismissed early in the subsequent season following a poor performance start.

Burns wrapped up his NHL coaching tenure with the New Jersey Devils, steering them to a Stanley Cup championship in 2003 and consistently achieving over 40 wins per season during his time there. He stepped down from coaching in 2005 to focus on battling cancer but remained involved with the Devils organization as a special assignment coach.

Personal life

Born in Montreal in 1952 to Geralda "Louise" Girardeau and Alfred Burns, Patrick was the youngest among six siblings. After his father died in an industrial accident, the family relocated to Gatineau, Quebec when Patrick was four years old.

Prior to entering hockey professionally, Burns spent sixteen years working as a police officer in Gatineau. Originally training as a welder, he switched paths upon learning about police vacancies and even misrepresented his age to join the force at seventeen.

Burns overcame colon cancer in 2004 and liver cancer in 2005 but retired from coaching following his second diagnosis. In 2009, he revealed that his colon cancer had spread to his lungs and was no longer operable; consequently, he chose not to pursue further treatments. During an interview in April 2010, he accepted that his life was nearing its end yet remained hopeful that future generations would be inspired by his impact on hockey.

He was married to Line Burns and fathered two children—a son from a long-term relationship and a daughter from an earlier marriage. Additionally, Burns was related as a cousin to Robin Burns.

Death

On September 16, 2010, Burns experienced a swift decline in his health, leading him to return to his residence in Magog, Quebec to be close to his family. The next day, erroneous announcements about his passing emerged, which both Burns and his son quickly refuted. Burns personally spoke to the press to confirm his condition.

He ultimately died on November 19, 2010, at Maison Aube-Lumière in Sherbrooke, Quebec, succumbing to colon cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. He was 58 years old.

Shortly after the funeral, burglars targeted Burns’s widow’s vehicle, stealing personal belongings along with valuable hockey collectibles, including 30 NHL jerseys signed by players, which were intended for charitable auctions. Some of these items were subsequently recovered. The day following his death, a commemorative video celebrating his coaching achievements was presented before a match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, two franchises he had notably led, followed by a moment of silence.

Legacy

Burns is recognized as one of the elite coaches in National Hockey League history, consistently ranked highly by both fans and sports journalists. He remains the sole coach to have earned the Jack Adams Award three times, each during his debut season with a different NHL franchise. Burns guided two teams to the Stanley Cup Finals in their first seasons—falling short in 1989 but triumphing in 2003—and coached four separate teams, each reaching multiple playoff campaigns under his leadership.

In 2011, an arena bearing Burns’s name was inaugurated at Stanstead College, a private boarding institution located in Quebec’s Eastern Townships.

During 2010, a Facebook community advocating for Burns’s induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame rapidly amassed over 80,000 supporters. Although he was not inducted that year, Burns was honored posthumously with induction in 2014.

Coaching record

Team	Year	Regular season							Post season
Team	Year	G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	W	L	Win %	Result
MTL	1988–89	80	53	18	9	—	115	1st in Adams	14	7	.667	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (CGY)
MTL	1989–90	80	41	28	11	—	93	3rd in Adams	5	6	.455	Lost in Division finals (BOS)
MTL	1990–91	80	39	30	11	—	89	2nd in Adams	7	6	.538	Lost in Division finals (BOS)
MTL	1991–92	80	41	28	11	—	93	1st in Adams	4	7	.364	Lost in Division finals (BOS)
TOR	1992–93	84	44	29	11	—	99	3rd in Norris	11	10	.524	Lost in Conference finals (LAK)
TOR	1993–94	84	43	29	12	—	98	2nd in Central	9	9	.500	Lost in Conference finals (VAN)
TOR	1994–95	48	21	19	8	—	50	4th in Central	3	4	.429	Lost in Conference quarterfinals (CHI)
TOR	1995–96	65	25	30	10	—	(60)	(fired)	—	—	—	—
BOS	1997–98	82	39	30	13	—	91	2nd in Northeast	2	4	.333	Lost in Conference quarterfinals (WAS)
BOS	1998–99	82	39	30	13	—	91	3rd in Northeast	6	6	.500	Lost in Conference semifinals (BUF)
BOS	1999–2000	82	24	33	19	6	73	5th in Northeast	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
BOS	2000–01	8	3	4	1	0	(7)	(fired)	—	—	—
NJD	2002–03	82	46	20	10	6	108	1st in Atlantic	16	8	.667	Won Stanley Cup (ANA)
NJD	2003–04	82	43	25	12	2	100	2nd in Atlantic	1	4	.200	Lost in Conference quarterfinals (PHI)
Total		1,019	501	353	151	14			78	71	.523	1 Stanley Cup 11 playoff appearances

External links

Biography of Line Burns