Pat Burns facts for kids

Patrick John Joseph Burns (born April 4, 1952 – died November 19, 2010) was a famous National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He coached for 14 seasons, from 1988 to 2004. During this time, he led teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. Pat Burns coached 1,019 games in his career. He stopped coaching in 2005 because he was battling cancer. He passed away five years later.

In 2014, Pat Burns was honored by being added to the Hockey Hall of Fame after his death.

Pat Burns' Hockey Journey

As a child, Pat Burns dreamed of playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. He realized he might not have the skills to play professionally. So, he chose a different path and became a police officer.

While working as a police officer, he also helped out as a scout for the Gatineau Olympiques hockey team. This team plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 1984, he became an assistant coach for the Olympiques. He worked hard and soon became the team's head coach. During his time there, he coached Luc Robitaille, who later became a Hockey Hall of Famer.

Before the 1987-88 NHL season, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Serge Savard, offered Burns a coaching job. He became the head coach for the Sherbrooke Canadiens, a minor league team. After just one year, he was promoted to head coach of the main Montreal Canadiens team.

Coaching the Montreal Canadiens

In his first year as an NHL coach, the Canadiens had an amazing season in 1988-89. They won their division with 53 wins! They even made it to the 1989 Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Calgary Flames. That year, Burns won the Jack Adams Award for being the best coach. This was his first of three times winning this award.

Pat Burns was known for coaching teams that played strong defense. He led Montreal to the second round of the playoffs every year he was their coach. He surprised everyone by leaving the team after the 1992 season. He said he was frustrated with the media.

Leading the Toronto Maple Leafs

After leaving Montreal, Burns became the head coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He chose the Leafs because of their rich history. He said he was lucky to coach two of the greatest teams in NHL history.

He led Toronto on their best playoff run since 1967. They reached the conference finals but lost in seven games. At the NHL Awards, Burns won his second Jack Adams Award. The next year, in 1994, they again reached the conference finals. The Leafs made the playoffs in 1995 too. However, after a tough losing streak in 1996, Burns was let go.

Time with the Boston Bruins

Burns took a year off from hockey before joining the Boston Bruins as head coach in 1997. He won the Jack Adams Award again at the end of that season. This made him the only coach in history to win the award three times! Each time he won, it was in his very first season with that team.

The Bruins played well for a few years. But in the 1999–2000 NHL season, they missed the playoffs. This was the first time a team coached by Burns didn't make the playoffs. He was fired early in the 2000–01 NHL season after a slow start.

Winning the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils

Pat Burns finished his coaching career with the New Jersey Devils. He led them to win the Stanley Cup in 2003! His teams won over 40 games in both seasons he coached the Devils.

He stepped down from coaching in 2005. He wanted to focus on his health after being diagnosed with cancer in 2004. He still stayed with the team as a special advisor.

Pat Burns' Life Outside Hockey

Pat Burns was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was the youngest of six children. When he was four, his family moved to Gatineau, Quebec, after his father passed away.

Before becoming a hockey coach, Pat was a police officer in Gatineau for 16 years. He had originally studied to be a welder. He became a police officer because they needed more people. He even lied about his age to get the job, saying he was 18 when he was 17.

Pat Burns faced serious health challenges. He survived colon cancer in 2004 and liver cancer in 2005. He retired from coaching after his second cancer diagnosis. In 2009, he announced that his colon cancer had returned and spread. He decided not to have more treatment.

In an interview in April 2010, Burns said he knew his life was ending and he accepted it. He pointed to some young hockey players and said, "A young player could come from Stanstead who plays in an arena named after me. I probably won't see the project to the end, but let's hope I'm looking down on it and see a young Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux."

He was married to Line Burns and had two children.

Remembering Pat Burns

Pat Burns passed away on November 19, 2010, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, from colon cancer that had spread to his lungs.

After his death, many people remembered him. Before a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, two teams he coached, there was a special video tribute and a moment of silence.

A Lasting Legacy

Since his retirement, Pat Burns has often been called one of the best coaches in NHL history. He is the only coach to win the Jack Adams Award three times. Each time, he won it in his first season with a new team. He also led two of his first three teams to the Stanley Cup Finals. He lost in 1989 but won in 2003.

In 2011, an arena named after Pat Burns was built at Stanstead College, a school in Quebec.

Many fans wanted Pat Burns to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame while he was still alive. A Facebook campaign started in 2010, and over 80,000 fans joined. Even though he wasn't chosen that year, he was finally announced as an inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

Images for kids

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  A plaque given to Burns by the Canadiens to celebrate his first NHL win. This plaque is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.