Pat Burns, an appreciation...

[Kurt Cobain]

RIP to the three time NHL Coach of the Year winner (with three different teams). As a long-time hockey fan, I admired him.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-pat-burns-20101120,0,599051.story

[PHJIndy]

Gone too soon!
RIP, Pat!!!!!

[mclarke]

Loved his passion, respected his knowledge, and was saddened but full of admiration with how he handled himself when he knew that he had run out of options.
He should have been voted into the Hall of Fame during his lifetime and the failure by the league to make that happen disgusts me, though Pat handled it in a much classier manner than I would have.

RIP, Coach

[3-wide]

A great coach. We were lucky to have him here in Boston. This from an article on him in today's Boston Globe;

"After missing the playoffs in 1999-2000, Burns was brought back for the 2000-01 season, but was fired after eight games when the team struggled during its trip out West.
When it became obvious that Burns’s job was in jeopardy, he maintained his sense of humor. During the long flight home from that fateful October trip, as the plane was about to touch down at Hanscom Field, Burns walked up and down the aisle singing over and over, “I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.’’

RIP Pat Burns.

[MethanolBuzzed]

RIP Pat Burns

Hopefully he'll be in the HHoF soon.

[abuseddog]

One of my favorite Pat Burns story......

John Kordic, (who went to my high school) a known acidic personality. John, went hell bent into Pat's office screaming and ranting about ice time about ice time. John was threating and trying to intimidate everybody, as he allways did. Thinking that Pat would get intimidated. Pat listened to him go at him for quite awhile. John figured he was getting his way, when Pat slowly put down his pen, looked up and grabbed a heavy glass ash tray and through at John's head missing by inches. Pat then told the nhl heavy weight champ (arguably) to get the f#$% out of his office and not return until he wanted to discuss the problem in a civilized fashion. Kordic, stunned left his office and did not return to ask about his ice time.

Pat Burns was a tough guy to intimidate. He did some undercover work for the police against outlaw bikers before he got into coaching. RIP


One of my favorites.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F9DCE61EBC7D6798&playnext=1&v=D0Fi7s4JWXE

[MethanolBuzzed]

Pat Burns was a tough guy to intimidate. He did some undercover work for the police against outlaw bikers before he got into coaching. RIP

I could've sworn I heard something about that a few years ago, but I wasn't sure.

[mclarke]

Nice tribute during the Toronto/ Montreal game tonight. He coached both teams.

I like his quote about his career which he applied to his illness when he knew it was terminal " you don't cry because it's over, you're happy because it happened"

[sightlines]

How low can you go?

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101130/burns-funeral-101130/

While the hockey world gathered to remember the life of Pat Burns in a Montreal church, thieves broke into his wife's car and stole 30 autographed hockey jerseys, some jewelry and the late coach's wallet.

Police say they will launch an appeal to the thieves -- or thief -- to drop off the stolen items at an agreed-upon location so they can be returned to the Burns family.

[jandj]

I could've sworn I heard something about that a few years ago, but I wasn't sure.

IIRC, while he was on the Montreal police force, Pat was part of an undercover investigation into the HA's. In later years much was made of the fact Pat (who owned numerous H-D's) "knew" active patch holders years later. Pat's response was "Yes, I was with the bikers, but these people don't have the words Hells Angels or Bandidos written (on them). Yes, I gave my business card to people without knowing if they were or were not bikers. I don't question each person whose I hand I shake or with whom I am photographed." Nothing ever came of it.