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Coach: The Pat Burns Story
Pat Burns was one of the great NHL coaches. He worked with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, and seemed always to enjoy instant success. He capped his extraordinary career by coaching the New Jersey Devils to a Stanley Cup victory in 2003. Cancer--his third bout--finally claimed him in 2010, aged 58.
Rosie DiManno, who knew Burns well, has written a revealing, exhilarating and heartfelt account of his life: his childhood as a fatherless, solitary male surrounded by many women, his years as a police officer, his glorious coaching career and his long and characteristically valiant ending.
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Coach "is both the first major biography of Burns and one that, with its revelations, personal insights and riveting prose, is--like the man himself--sure to be both controversial and hard to beat. Rosie DiManno knew, liked and admired Burns, and in the writing of this book has interviewed many, many people from every stage of his life. She is not blind to his less endearing qualities, but seeks to explain them.""
DiManno reveals a man of contradictions--gruff and crude, bullying and sentimental, and easily wounded. She shows, moreover, a man of hockey. The Burns who rode motorcycles, dressed like a cowboy, and sweet-talked the ladies was, says DiManno, a self-creation. His one indisputable, true talent was for coaching hockey. He was a pure coach.
DiManno tells a compelling story and helps us to understand a complex man, one who gave little of himself to the public and yet whose funeral was a spectacle. How did that happen? Who was Pat Burns? Rosie DiManno, who witnessed much of the story, has the answers.
Rosie DiManno, who knew Burns well, has written a revealing, exhilarating and heartfelt account of his life: his childhood as a fatherless, solitary male surrounded by many women, his years as a police officer, his glorious coaching career and his long and characteristically valiant ending.
"
Coach "is both the first major biography of Burns and one that, with its revelations, personal insights and riveting prose, is--like the man himself--sure to be both controversial and hard to beat. Rosie DiManno knew, liked and admired Burns, and in the writing of this book has interviewed many, many people from every stage of his life. She is not blind to his less endearing qualities, but seeks to explain them.""
DiManno reveals a man of contradictions--gruff and crude, bullying and sentimental, and easily wounded. She shows, moreover, a man of hockey. The Burns who rode motorcycles, dressed like a cowboy, and sweet-talked the ladies was, says DiManno, a self-creation. His one indisputable, true talent was for coaching hockey. He was a pure coach.
DiManno tells a compelling story and helps us to understand a complex man, one who gave little of himself to the public and yet whose funeral was a spectacle. How did that happen? Who was Pat Burns? Rosie DiManno, who witnessed much of the story, has the answers.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 4, 2025
Reads a lot more like a history book for which the author did research and conducted interviews than a typical light sports biography. Very much enjoyed
April 30, 2021
COACH is the story of the three time NHL coach of the year award winner, Pat Burns.
In 1992, when I was 8 years old, I came home from hanging out with my friends and proudly proclaimed that I liked hockey and that I was now a Montreal Canadiens fan. My Uncle got wind of this and sat me down and said, “No, you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.”
And so began a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Funnily enough, at the time, that was probably the best time to be a Leafs fan. The team had been stacked with names like Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Felix Potvin, Dave Andreychuk and Nikolai Borschevsky. The coach behind the bench? Pat Burns. Talk about a memorable bunch of guys!
In 2012, nearly two years removed from his untimely passing, longtime Toronto Star journalist Rosie DiManno tackled the life and career of Pat Burns in her book COACH. Burns, born into an Irish family in Montreal, spent his formative years around the game of hockey before embarking on a career as a police officer. There are some great stories about his time behind the badge including one where he solved a murder while working as a detective in Gatineau, Quebec.
While he devoted his professional life to law and order, he never fully let go his passion for coaching. His success behind the bench led him to a job coaching in the QMJHL for the Gatineau Olympique. When the Olympique were on the verge of collapse, they were given a lifeline by Wayne Gretzky when he decided to buy the team and keep Burns on as coach. Gretzky saw the potential in Burns and wanted to keep him in the game by fostering a path to a job as bench boss in the NHL.
The book follows Burns’ career from the minor leagues to the majors as he would go on to coach the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and finally, the New Jersey Devils where he would ultimately win the Stanley Cup in2003. The bulk of the book focuses on his tenure as head coach in Montreal and Toronto, where he arguably had his most successful years (Stanley Cup, notwithstanding).
I enjoyed reading about his relationships with his players and how he could often be a tough coach to play for, but treated you well if you earned his respect. His relationship with my all-time favorite player, Doug Gilmour, was a great one. Burns had so much respect for Dougie and often played him to the point of near exhaustion where Gilmour would need to be hooked up to an IV after those ultra-competitive games in the 1993 playoffs.
Because Pat was such an intensely private person and because the book was written after he had passed away, the book is missing that personal touch that I would have liked had he been involved. Although Rosie DiManno was a friend to Pat, it does feel very surface level in its approach despite DiManno doing the grunt work of tracking down and speaking with Burns’ friends, family and coworkers.
Hockey is a tough game to write about at times. There are some authors who do it beautifully and dramatically (Ken Dryden’s The Game), some approach it from a comedic standpoint (Sean McIndoe’s The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL: The World's Most Beautiful Sport, the World's Most Ridiculous League) and others just stick to surface level stuff like game recaps and blow-by-blow career retrospectives. Rosie DiManno’s Coach sort of hangs around in the latter category while offering glimpses into the preceding ones. While I did learn a lot about Pat Burns, it isn’t a book that will stick with me for years to come.
In 1992, when I was 8 years old, I came home from hanging out with my friends and proudly proclaimed that I liked hockey and that I was now a Montreal Canadiens fan. My Uncle got wind of this and sat me down and said, “No, you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.”
And so began a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Funnily enough, at the time, that was probably the best time to be a Leafs fan. The team had been stacked with names like Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Felix Potvin, Dave Andreychuk and Nikolai Borschevsky. The coach behind the bench? Pat Burns. Talk about a memorable bunch of guys!
In 2012, nearly two years removed from his untimely passing, longtime Toronto Star journalist Rosie DiManno tackled the life and career of Pat Burns in her book COACH. Burns, born into an Irish family in Montreal, spent his formative years around the game of hockey before embarking on a career as a police officer. There are some great stories about his time behind the badge including one where he solved a murder while working as a detective in Gatineau, Quebec.
While he devoted his professional life to law and order, he never fully let go his passion for coaching. His success behind the bench led him to a job coaching in the QMJHL for the Gatineau Olympique. When the Olympique were on the verge of collapse, they were given a lifeline by Wayne Gretzky when he decided to buy the team and keep Burns on as coach. Gretzky saw the potential in Burns and wanted to keep him in the game by fostering a path to a job as bench boss in the NHL.
The book follows Burns’ career from the minor leagues to the majors as he would go on to coach the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and finally, the New Jersey Devils where he would ultimately win the Stanley Cup in2003. The bulk of the book focuses on his tenure as head coach in Montreal and Toronto, where he arguably had his most successful years (Stanley Cup, notwithstanding).
I enjoyed reading about his relationships with his players and how he could often be a tough coach to play for, but treated you well if you earned his respect. His relationship with my all-time favorite player, Doug Gilmour, was a great one. Burns had so much respect for Dougie and often played him to the point of near exhaustion where Gilmour would need to be hooked up to an IV after those ultra-competitive games in the 1993 playoffs.
Because Pat was such an intensely private person and because the book was written after he had passed away, the book is missing that personal touch that I would have liked had he been involved. Although Rosie DiManno was a friend to Pat, it does feel very surface level in its approach despite DiManno doing the grunt work of tracking down and speaking with Burns’ friends, family and coworkers.
Hockey is a tough game to write about at times. There are some authors who do it beautifully and dramatically (Ken Dryden’s The Game), some approach it from a comedic standpoint (Sean McIndoe’s The "Down Goes Brown" History of the NHL: The World's Most Beautiful Sport, the World's Most Ridiculous League) and others just stick to surface level stuff like game recaps and blow-by-blow career retrospectives. Rosie DiManno’s Coach sort of hangs around in the latter category while offering glimpses into the preceding ones. While I did learn a lot about Pat Burns, it isn’t a book that will stick with me for years to come.
November 16, 2012
If you're a hockey fan, and especially one with fond memories of the Maple Leafs 1993 playoff run, you probably have fond memories of Pat Burns. Between 1989 and 2004, Burns coached four NHL teams and his teams won over 500 games. He was known for his teams gritty, physical style of play; the loud, boisterous and ironic tone he used with the media; for a cultivated outlaw look. But, as Rosie DiManno's book shows, there was a lot more to Burns than just a hockey coach.
She covers his early years, when Burns worked as a cop while coaching junior hockey at night, and how it inspired his life's direction: he had a talent for getting a team to win, but he was so single-minded on hockey, his personal relationships crumbled. She covers his run with the Montreal Canadiens, including their memorable 1989 playoff run. And a full third of this book is on Burns most famous time, when he coached Toronto. These years get full coverage, with DiManno straddling between recreating the games and telling what happened away from the TV lights.
But in the latter section of the book, the second half of Burns career gets short thrift: a run with Boston, where he took a team from worst in the NHL to a playoff team (and won his third coach of the year award) is only briefly covered. And his Stanley Cup win in New Jersey doesn't get the same attention as his Montreal and Toronto playoff runs did.
This is a book of admirable research by DiManno. She's done her homework, both digging up quotes from Burns and looking into what actually happened (he was prone to exaggeration and never retired from a good line). She's spoken with many of the principals in Burns life, from ex-cop buddies to athletes from his teams to his family and friends. There's a few curious absences: Burn's wife Line goes unheard, for instance. Still, this is a enjoyable biography of a memorable coach. Recommendef for hockey fans, especially those of the Devils, Canadiens and especially the Maple Leafs.
She covers his early years, when Burns worked as a cop while coaching junior hockey at night, and how it inspired his life's direction: he had a talent for getting a team to win, but he was so single-minded on hockey, his personal relationships crumbled. She covers his run with the Montreal Canadiens, including their memorable 1989 playoff run. And a full third of this book is on Burns most famous time, when he coached Toronto. These years get full coverage, with DiManno straddling between recreating the games and telling what happened away from the TV lights.
But in the latter section of the book, the second half of Burns career gets short thrift: a run with Boston, where he took a team from worst in the NHL to a playoff team (and won his third coach of the year award) is only briefly covered. And his Stanley Cup win in New Jersey doesn't get the same attention as his Montreal and Toronto playoff runs did.
This is a book of admirable research by DiManno. She's done her homework, both digging up quotes from Burns and looking into what actually happened (he was prone to exaggeration and never retired from a good line). She's spoken with many of the principals in Burns life, from ex-cop buddies to athletes from his teams to his family and friends. There's a few curious absences: Burn's wife Line goes unheard, for instance. Still, this is a enjoyable biography of a memorable coach. Recommendef for hockey fans, especially those of the Devils, Canadiens and especially the Maple Leafs.
December 3, 2012
I had a lot of trouble with this book. There are so many mistakes/errors, that it makes me wonder what else could be wrong.
Some of the mistakes I found:
-- It was Doug Gilmour who scored the Cup winning goal in 1989, not Lanny McDonald.
-- The final score of Game 6 of the finals in 89 was 4-2, not 4-1.
-- Wendel Clark and Dave Andreychuk did not have the highest total of any two wingers on any team during the 1993-94 season. They had 99 goals. Hull and Shanahan in St. Louis had 109.
-- States that Quebec traded for Clark because they were roughhoused by the Habs in the playoffs in 1994. The Nordiques never made the playoffs in 1994. And the Habs played the Bruins.
-- Niedermayer did not change into his uniform to raise the cup in 2003 with the Devils. He was already in uniform because he was playing. It was Nieuwendyk.
So with so many mistakes, how can I believe other things that I don't know personally. Was there really a chance that the Habs pulled out of a Corson for Clark deal? Can I believe it to be true with so many errors?
It takes away from the book, and that's unfortunate.
Some of the mistakes I found:
-- It was Doug Gilmour who scored the Cup winning goal in 1989, not Lanny McDonald.
-- The final score of Game 6 of the finals in 89 was 4-2, not 4-1.
-- Wendel Clark and Dave Andreychuk did not have the highest total of any two wingers on any team during the 1993-94 season. They had 99 goals. Hull and Shanahan in St. Louis had 109.
-- States that Quebec traded for Clark because they were roughhoused by the Habs in the playoffs in 1994. The Nordiques never made the playoffs in 1994. And the Habs played the Bruins.
-- Niedermayer did not change into his uniform to raise the cup in 2003 with the Devils. He was already in uniform because he was playing. It was Nieuwendyk.
So with so many mistakes, how can I believe other things that I don't know personally. Was there really a chance that the Habs pulled out of a Corson for Clark deal? Can I believe it to be true with so many errors?
It takes away from the book, and that's unfortunate.
January 13, 2013
I don't think this author gives Pat Burns justice. Thought the pinnacle of his career she rushed (that being his cup win with Jersey). That being said, anytime I read about the scumbags that stole the jerseys, etc from a family members car during the funeral pisses me off. Cried the last chapter of the book; know what its like to watch someone you love dying from cancer. Cancer is a mother fucking bitch who took Pat Burns way too soon.
December 4, 2012
Brought back great memories of the Leafs inspiring playoff run in 1993 in Burns first year as coach. Insightful information into his years as the coach of the Habs,Bruins and finally New Jersey where he won the Stanley cup in 2003.
September 12, 2018
I didn't become a Maple Leafs fan until after Coach Burns' tenure had ended; but after reading Ms. DiManno's book, I feel I have a better understanding of the storied Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club. Reading about Coach Burns' time in the New Jersey Devils organization also gave me insight into the incredible General Manager and humanitarian that Lou Lamoriello is. It taught me that the facades/public persona that folks project are not the persons that they really are. I have an appreciation for what Burns felt (through DiManno) about his relationship with his children. I think we all can be better parents. But I digress........this is a must read for all hockey fans, especially the life lessons it teaches.
April 23, 2025
A 3. Solid though. I’ve had this book a while and I tried reading to get some inspiration for a coaching gig I have coming up in the fall. Burns is super interesting story, and I enjoyed reading about his perspective at the center of three different Original Six teams. The chapter on his conversations with Lou Lamoriello had a lot of leadership gold too; extremely interesting. However, it read like more of a textbook than a narrated biography.
January 24, 2021
Great book for a Maple Leafs fan.
October 18, 2024
Good read. 4 NHL teams coached. 3 Jack Adams Awards. 1 Stanley Cup.
February 19, 2014
Because Pat Burns remains my favourite New Jersey Devils head coach, this is a book I had wanted to read from the first day I heard that it had been written. Nearly two years later, I got the chance - and was supremely disappointed.
And it's too bad. It was a good book to carry around, and to stack in the pile that I have by my bed, but it was a difficult book to get through. And not because it, ultimately, has a sad and dispiriting ending.
With a name like Coach, it is to be expected that the book will focus on Burns's relationship with hockey - but the attention and level of detail which was paid to nearly every result in his storied career was distracting and overwhelming (and that's coming from a major hockey fan, who is currently typing this as the Czech Republic is playing the USA in Olympic hockey). As a result, the rest of the narrative, that which focused on the personal, off-ice side to Burns's life, was shallow and tailored to fit a certain personality, when it was mentioned at all. The writing style employed by the author was at once pretentious and blue collar, which made it feel rather unfocused.
But, perhaps, the biggest disappointment with the book is the unequal distribution of words and volume dedicated to each of Burns's coaching stops. The author, admittedly, was a beat reporter for the Toronto Maple Leafs - and it showed, as each season that Burns coached the team was broken down into great detail in its own chapter. It almost seemed as though she was merely copying stories she had previously written for the newspaper, sometimes taking chunks of quotes verbatim. Boston and New Jersey had only a chapter each devoted to them, and then the story moved quickly to his death (which I felt was dealt with in the most maudlin way possible).
Reading it, though, made it feel like he was still alive, somehow, and that feeling was priceless. Worth the second star, for sure.
And it's too bad. It was a good book to carry around, and to stack in the pile that I have by my bed, but it was a difficult book to get through. And not because it, ultimately, has a sad and dispiriting ending.
With a name like Coach, it is to be expected that the book will focus on Burns's relationship with hockey - but the attention and level of detail which was paid to nearly every result in his storied career was distracting and overwhelming (and that's coming from a major hockey fan, who is currently typing this as the Czech Republic is playing the USA in Olympic hockey). As a result, the rest of the narrative, that which focused on the personal, off-ice side to Burns's life, was shallow and tailored to fit a certain personality, when it was mentioned at all. The writing style employed by the author was at once pretentious and blue collar, which made it feel rather unfocused.
But, perhaps, the biggest disappointment with the book is the unequal distribution of words and volume dedicated to each of Burns's coaching stops. The author, admittedly, was a beat reporter for the Toronto Maple Leafs - and it showed, as each season that Burns coached the team was broken down into great detail in its own chapter. It almost seemed as though she was merely copying stories she had previously written for the newspaper, sometimes taking chunks of quotes verbatim. Boston and New Jersey had only a chapter each devoted to them, and then the story moved quickly to his death (which I felt was dealt with in the most maudlin way possible).
Reading it, though, made it feel like he was still alive, somehow, and that feeling was priceless. Worth the second star, for sure.
January 22, 2013
A quick read. Not bad. DiManno tries to make a mountain out of the molehill that Burns acted differently behind the bench than he did at home (yawn), and the narrative is predictably Leaf-heavy (more pages devoted to the Leafs 1993 playoff run in which they never made the final than to when Burns actually won the Cup with the Devils a decade later) but I suppose Leaf fans are the target audience for this bio. The game descriptions are competent and exciting but the player quotes are mostly drawn from the typically banal NHL-player vocabulary: "Pat Burns pushed us to get out there and really put some pucks in the net", "Burnsie made sure every guy out there was giving 110%" and on and on into utter meaninglessness. Still, not bad, as far as bios go. A very sad ending, obviously. It should go without saying that you will not like this bio if you don't already know who Pat Burns is.
June 26, 2013
I wanted to enjoy this book so much... But, as others have pointed out, there are numerous errors in there (in the very first chapter, the author notes that Burns was born in 1952, and states that his father passed away in 1957, then quotes a relative as saying Burns was 3 when his father died... I may not be that great at math, but this totally does not add up to three!) and it just got to a point where I wondered if anything I was reading was accurate -- which are the true facts and which ones are the erroneous facts? It just got too annoying to me.
March 16, 2013
For the hockey fan, mostly the Toronto and Montreal fans who saw Burns up close and personal. Interesting tales from his younger years; Rosie to her credit does not shy away from noting that Burns would embellish stories quite often.
Hard to believe the Burns era in Toronto was 20 years ago, seems like yesterday for a lot of us. Again, don't expect a literary masterpiece here, but Rosie is a prolific newspaper writer and covers Pat Burns' life quite extensively.
Hard to believe the Burns era in Toronto was 20 years ago, seems like yesterday for a lot of us. Again, don't expect a literary masterpiece here, but Rosie is a prolific newspaper writer and covers Pat Burns' life quite extensively.
June 28, 2013
If you're a fan of the original six, especially the Leafs and Habs, you will enjoy this book. Rosie thoroughly covers Pat's life in its entirety and provides a very good picture of who this man was both at the rink and away. His coaching style is accurately portrayed in my opinion due to references provided by New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello whom I hold in very high regard. This book is a fitting memoire for a coach who left the hockey world far too soon.
December 28, 2012
Pat Burns led a most interesting life and Rosie Dimanno documents it well. This chronology of the Pat Burns story took me back to some pretty great periods and moments in hockey history. His tough style of coaching along with his temper are pretty legendary. It is sad that his time was cut short.
July 3, 2014
A great book by an author who knew the man well. Leafs fans will love this book as it will reignite the fury that ended the '93 season. Met the author and have a signed copy. Pat Burns is finally going to the NHL Hall of Fame and this book will show you why.
November 10, 2012
Interesting story, hard nosed man-glad he finally won a cup.
November 12, 2012
Excellent bio, couldn't put it down. As a Devils fan, it was interesting to learn Pat's back story, as we only got the "Lou" version of Pat. The end brought me to tears.
January 23, 2013
Loved this book. I enjoyed reliving the Stanley Cup playoffs from years past.
February 12, 2013
Inspiring book about a tough as nails coach.
February 18, 2013
Great memories. Took you right with Pat as he experienced success and failure.
September 25, 2025
I'm a habs fan and am finding this book is bring back some good memories !
March 8, 2015
RIP. The Leafs could use him now.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews