Free Republic

Pat Burns, who went from tough-as-nails police officer to one of the best defensive coaches in NHL history, died Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 58. Burns, a native of Montreal’s hardscrabble St-Henri district, won 501 games in 15 seasons as an NHL coach with the Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, which he led to the 2002-03 Stanley Cup title in his first season with the club. He was the only coach in NHL history to win the Jack Adams Trophy as the league’s coach of the year three times, winning it...

NEW YORK - (KRT) - The Devils will have a new coach next season, now that Pat Burns has been stricken a second time by cancer. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello confirmed on Friday that Burns, who announced he had colon cancer following the 2003-04 season, had undergone a second cancer operation last week. Burns has left the hospital, is recuperating at home and soon will begin another round of chemotherapy. This cancer diagnosis is not believed to be related to the first.