Hockey royalty gathers for funeral of former NHL coach Pat Burns

Line Burns carries an urn containing the remains of her late husband, former Montreal Canadiens coach Pat Burns. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Stars of the hockey world shared their memories of a tough-but-affable old coach who always got the best out of his players.

A number of current and former NHLers, along with league commissioner Gary Bettman, gathered Monday at the funeral for Pat Burns.

Among the dozens of prominent hockey figures present was the entire roster of the New Jersey Devils.

Others included Raymond Bourque, Patrick Roy, Tie Domi, Mike Gartner, Luc Robitaille, Toronto Maple Leafs executives Brian Burke and Cliff Fletcher, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

A number of guests shared their memories of Burns on the way into church.

There was a common theme to the descriptions -- that of a man with a booming voice, an equally big heart, and a knack for winning.

"His bark sometimes was a little louder than his bite, but he could actually bark pretty loud. But he could also have the other side, that was understanding and supportive," said Bourque, the legendary Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche defenceman.

"He was fun to play for. I really loved him and he was the best defensive coach I've ever had."

Bourque also addressed what many in the hockey world consider a historic slight: "(He's) a guy that probably should have been in the Hall of Fame this past year and will be in the Hall of Fame someday."

The service is being held at the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, a scaled-down replica of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Burns' wife Line and children, Jason and Maureen, received condolences beforehand. Burns died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.

Patrick Roy reminisced not only abut Burns' intensity, but also his ability to motivate players.

"He always found a way to make players feel important on his team and I think that's a great quality," said the Hall of Fame goalie, who is now himself a coach in the minor leagues.

"Sometimes in the morning skate he would come and say, 'Casseau, I need you tonight. I don't feel the guys are ready for a strong start.' "

The police officer-turned-hockey coach had successful runs in Montreal, Toronto and Boston before winning a Stanley Cup with New Jersey.

He was the youngest of six children born into a working-class family in the St-Henri district near the old Montreal Forum.

A burly man in his heyday, Burns had a love for Harley-Davidson motorcycles and an affinity for strumming country tunes on his guitar.

But it was his thundering voice from behind the bench that demanded the attention of NHL referees and players.

His gruff, no-nonsense approach intimidated his players, but many say it brought out the best in them.

In 1,019 games as an NHL head coach, his teams won 501 games, lost 353, tied 151 and lost 14 in overtime. In 149 playoff games, they won 78 and lost 71.

He was the only bench boss to win the Adams Trophy as the NHL's top coach with three different teams -- Toronto, Montreal and Boston.

But it wasn't until 2003, as head coach of the Devils, when the former Gatineau cop finally got to sip from the Stanley Cup.

Burns battled colon and liver cancer in 2004 and 2005, and hoped he had beaten the disease, but in January 2009 doctors discovered it had spread to his lungs.

The third time, he initially opted to forgo any further treatment, but then decided to go with chemotherapy to try to extend his life as long as possible.

He made his last official public appearance in early October, when he attended the groundbreaking ceremony for an arena to be named in his honour in Stanstead, Que.

The frail, yet wise-cracking Burns couldn't resist taking a shot at the media, some of whom had reported a few weeks earlier that he had died.

"I'm not dead yet," he told journalists in a hushed tone, his thin body and sunken cheeks showing the physical toll the lengthy battle had taken.

"I'm still alive."

After Burns admitted at a previous public outing last March he likely wouldn't live another year, an online petition gathered thousands of names urging that he be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello said categorically Burns would be inducted "in the very near future," but when 2010 inductees were announced his name was not among them.