Gotta take a coach. Team Slapshot are pleased to select
Pat Burns
Patrick Burns (
April 4,
1952 in
Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada) is the former
head coach of the
National Hockey League's
New Jersey Devils,
Montreal Canadiens,
Toronto Maple Leafs and
Boston Bruins. In fourteen seasons he has coached 1019 games and has an overall record of 501–350–161–14.
He has won three
Jack Adams Awards with three different teams - Montreal (1989), Toronto (1993) and Boston (1998) - being the only three-time winner and winning in his first year as coach. He also coached for the
QMJHL Hull Olympiques and
AHL Sherbrooke Canadiens. As a player, he played three games with the
London Knights of the
Ontario Hockey League scoring one point. He was head coach of the Devils from
June 13,
2002 to July 2005, winning one
Stanley Cup during his tenure in 2003. Burns retired from coaching in 2005, after being diagnosed with cancer for a second time.
He survived
colon cancer in 2004 and
liver cancer in 2005
[1]. On
January 21st,
2009, Burns acknowledged had been diagnosed with cancer for a third time; this time lung cancer.
[2] He has said that the
prognosis is not good and that his focus is on enjoying the time that he has left.
[3]
Before his career in hockey, he was a
police officer in
Hull, Quebec.
Good luck Pat....