Pat Burns Passes Away

After a hoax earlier this year and unconfirmed reports of his passing were found to be untrue, we were a bit skeptical when we heard the news tonight about Pat Burns death. Sadly, this time it's true. Coach Burns has passed away at the age of 58 after a long battle with lung cancer.

He is easily my favourite NHL coach of all-time.

Burns' career spanned 14 seasons and 1,019 games, from 1988 to 2004. He won a Stanley Cup with the Devils and earned a record three coach of the year awards (Jack Adams Award) - a record he still holds.

After he retired as a cop in Montreal he eventually made his way to the NHL with stops in Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New Jersey.

What I'll remember most about Burns was his passion and how he never hid his emotions on the bench. He always stood up for his players and his coaching outbursts became legendary.

Soon after, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and in 2005 another new cancer attacked his liver. In 2009, he was again diagnosed with the disease, this time terminal lung cancer.

It was following this third diagnosis he decided to forgo further treatment.

On March 26, 2010, he made his final public appearance, when the Quebec town of Stanstead, near the U.S. border, announced it was building an arena bearing his name.

Not surprisingly the legend was met by a standing ovation and said the honour was one of the highest points of his career.

Burns knew he likely wouldn't be around long enough to see people skate on the ice. "I probably won't see the project to the end," Burns said at the time. "But let's hope I'm looking down on it and see a young Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky."

I hope that every day where you are now Pat is like winning a Stanley Cup.

The one thing I had hoped to see before he passed was his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. There's no doubt he will be in there one day but the powers that be really blew it when they didn't elect him to the Hall this past year.

Here now are a couple of video clips of Pat Burns that I enjoyed and thought you might as well.

WARNING: The first clip contains some foul language.

Pat loses it on the bench


Pat doing a commercial for Bad Boy in Toronto


A slide show tribute with music (The Best)