Pat Burns Quotes

Canada, Ice Hockey Coach
April 4, 1952 – November, 19, 2010.

Patrick John Joseph Burns (April 4, 1952 – November 19, 2010) was a National Hockey League head coach. Over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004, he coached in 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils. Burns retired in 2005 after being diagnosed with recurring cancer, which eventually claimed his life five years later. In 2014, he was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Also known as Ice Hockey Player

I know my life is nearing its end and I accept that.

Pat Burns
- Life
- End
- My Life
Toronto was a great place to work, a fun place to work. People were so hockey-oriented, hockey-minded, without being too critical. In Montreal, they got downright nasty sometimes.

Pat Burns
- People
- Work
- Great

Coming to another hockey Mecca like Toronto makes you a better coach. I want to have fun again. I want to make it fun for everybody, and it's fun when you win.

Pat Burns
- Fun
- Better
- Win
The kids get cheated out of a lot of times with their dad. They were good about it.

Pat Burns
- Good
- Kids
- Dad
Excuse my voice - I don't have the thundering voice I used to have to get players going on the ice anymore.

Pat Burns
- Voice
- Going
- Ice
I believe in Wendel Clark. We want Wendel to be a prime-time player.

Pat Burns
- Time
- Believe
- Want
I got hit with an octopus in Detroit one time. It was the most gross thing I've ever had happen. I got it right in the back of the neck; all the juice was coming down. It was awful.

Pat Burns
- Time
- Down
- Back
Coaching the Bruins is like going bear hunting with a butter knife.

Pat Burns
- Coaching
- Hunting
- Bear

They're trying to kill me before I'm dead. I come to Quebec to spend some time with my family and they say I'm dead.

Pat Burns
- Time
- Family
- Dead
As for my career, I always said to my kids, 'you don't cry because it's over, you're happy because it happened.'

Pat Burns
- Kids
- Happy
- Career
I'm not an overly happy person. There are times when I'm happy, and that's usually in my private life.

Pat Burns
- Life
- Happy
- Person
If one of my players ever wants to hit me, he better do it really hard because otherwise, I'll find a rock, a stick, or a piece of wood - and believe me, it's gonna be a brawl.

Pat Burns
- Believe
- Me
- Rock