Pat Burns, onetime coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, died today at 59.
I hated him. While with the Habs he was a great coach; he was a failure with the B's. He was an enthusiastic proponent of the neutral-zone trap, even implemented a bastardized version of it (more of a left-wing lock, but no matter) in Boston, which was boring as hell AND didn't work.
But damn, man, he was 59, and was an icon in the NHL, and I'm sorry he's gone. Anyone who likes hockey should feel the same sorrow.
Until next time, please remember Pat Burns and his family.
I saw a recent picture of him. He lost so much weight that I barely recognized him.
ReplyDeleteHe seemed like the kind of coach you'd want for your team -- a guy with passion.