Montreal Canadiens Top 5 All Time Coaches: #4 Pat Burns

The Montreal Canadiens have entered the quietest time on the calendar. While there is little to look forward to in the month of August, we decided to take a look back at some of the greatest coaches in franchise history. We continue the countdown of the five best coaches in Canadiens history with their fourth ranked head coach, Pat Burns.

Pat Burns was hired as the head coach of the Canadiens in 1988 after one season with their AHL affiliate in Sherbrooke. The Canadiens were coming off a 103 point regular season, but moved on from Jean Perron who helped guide them to a Stanley Cup just two years prior.

Burns stepped in and the Canadiens immediately had one of their best regular seasons of all time. They scored 315 goals in 1988-89 while allowing 218, making them the fifth highest scoring team in the league and the stingiest when it comes to goals allowed.

Burns quickly earned a reputation as a no-nonsense coach who taught a structured defensive system that greatly reduced goals against while also allowing his offensive players to be creative in the offensive zone and create scoring chances.

There were a few key veterans on the team like Bob Gainey and Larry Robinson, but it was mostly a young team and Burns was able to find roles for Stephane Richer, Claude Lemieux, Shayne Corson, Petr Svoboda, Mike Keane, Russ Courtnall, Brent Gilchrist and Eric Desjardins who were all 23 or under.

Looking back, it sounds like a star-studded roster and it was but they were all young players at the time that needed to develop and were under the tutelage of Burns. Of course, a young Patrick Roy was also in goal, and though the team was an incredible 33-5-6 in his regular season starts, Burns was shrewd enough not to overplay his 23 year old star goalie and kept him fresh for the postseason.

It resulted in a 53-18-9 record and 115 points in the standings. Aside from a three year stretch in the late 1970’s it was the best regular season in franchise history. The Canadiens also marched to the Stanley Cup Final, sweeping the Hartford Whalers in round one before knocking off the Boston Bruins in five games and the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Canadiens would lose to the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup Final, but Burns was awarded the Jack Adams as coach of the year at season’s end after his incredible debut season.

His second season did not go as well, but the Canadiens remained the second best defensive team in the league by allowing just 234 goals against. They finshed third in the Adams Division with 93 points and lost to the Bruins in the second round of the playoffs.

The 1990-91 season saw the Habs drop to 89 points and finish second in their division. They once again were the second best defensive team in the league and beat the Buffalo Sabres in round one of the playoffs. They lost in the second round to the Bruins in Game 7.

The 1991-92 season would prove to be Burns last in Montreal, and once again the Canadiens allowed the least goals in the league. They led their division with a record of 41-28-11 and beat the Whalers in the first round before losing in the second round to the Bruins for the third consecutive season.

Burns stepped down as the Habs coach that offseason and took a job behind the Toronto Maple Leafs bench for the following season.

During his tenure in Montreal, the Canadiens put together a league’s best record of 174-104-42. They were the best defensive team in hockey by a wide margin, allowing an incredible 119 less goals than the second best defensive team in that four year span.

Burns did not win a Stanley Cup in his time in Montreal, but took the team to the Stanley Cup Final, made the playoffs each season, won his division three times and was never eliminated in the first round. He coached a defensive system that gave his team a chance to win every night and that is what makes him the fourth best head coach in Canadiens history.

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