Pat Burns Dead At 58; Former NHL Coach Led Devils To Stanley Cup

Last year, our Devils blog, In Lou We Trust, put together an all-decade team for the New Jersey hockey club. They all agreed that only one coach could take the honor of being named to that team. That coach was Pat Burns.

Here’s what John Fischer at ILWT had to say, a sentiment that is ever more poignant now that coach has passed on.

Though Burns had accepted the dire condition of his health, we had hoped that this report was a false one, as was the case in September. Burns brought success to all four NHL teams he coached. In his first season as an NHL coach, he reached the Stanley Cup finals with the Canadiens. After four years, he took the head coaching job with the Maple Leafs, leading them to three playoff appearances. Burns then began yet another four-year stint, this time with the Boston Bruins.

Burns’ greatest success came in the 2002-03 season, when he led the Devils to their third Stanley Cup championship. After the 2003-04 season, Burns, who had been a police officer before his career in hockey, made the decision to retire for health-related reasons. Fans campaigned on his behalf to get him inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but he was not inducted before his death.