BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins fired coach Pat Burns on
Wednesday and replaced him with Mike Keenan, a coach they passed
over when they hired Burns three years ago.
The sometimes irascible Keenan, 51, won a 1993-94 Stanley Cup
with the New York Rangers. But he was fired by the Vancouver
Canucks, his fifth NHL club, midway through the 1998-99 season and
has been working as a broadcaster in Toronto since then.
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Wed, October 25
Every coach in the NHL knows if he doesn't win or doesn't win enough, he will be fired. With the Bruins' struggles last year, an already tenuous relationship between Pat Burns and Harry Sinden soured even more. A short losing streak at the beginning of the season was enough for Sinden to pull the trigger. Burns' firing is no surprise.
What is surprising is who was hired. Like Burns, Mike Keenan is an aggressive, hard, demanding coach. This hiring does not signal a shift in the attitude from the man at the top. Apparently, Sinden was not looking for a complete opposite to shock the team out of their slump. He didn't have a fatherly type at the helm with Burns, and he certainly won't have that with Keenan, either.
Even more stunning is who wasn't hired. Assistant coach Peter Laviolette won the Calder Cup as coach of the Bruins' AHL affiliate in 1999. This is his third year coaching in the Boston organization and he is considered to be an up-and-comer. All signs pointed to Laviolette succeeding Burns if and when Burns was fired. The decision to go with Keenan is a bit unexpected.
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Keenan said he was "ecstatic" about the opportunity to coach
the Bruins.
"We share a vision about the prospects and future of Boston
Bruins, and that is success," he said.
Burns was fired following a tumultuous year in which management
blamed him for the team's problems, but decided to keep him on.
Bruins general manager Harry Sinden said he decided to fire
Burns after the team dropped four straight games. The team had
opened the season 3-0-1.
"The team's play over their last several games has convinced me
we need to go in a different direction and that a different coach
was needed for that to be accomplished," Sinden said.
"We believe that the players on this team have the talent to be
a contending playoff club, but have not played up to that
potential. I felt a coaching change was necessary at this time for
us to move forward."
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Sinden said he'd talked
to Burns on the phone and planned to meet with him in person to
explain the decision.
"It's hard to get a grasp on how he felt," Sinden said. "It
sounded somewhat as if he was not totally surprised. That might not
be the case. He's very interested in my explanation to him, when I
do sit down with him, as to why."
Keenan is known for an authoritarian coaching style that has
earned him the ire of players and fans -- but also a measure of
respect. He said he thought 90 percent of his players would choose
to play for him again.
Keenan has already talked to Bruins players about the change.
"Needless to say they're in shock," he said. "It's a very
emotional day for them, but a day of new beginnings for all of
us."
Burns became the coach of the Bruins in 1997 after the franchise
finished with the worst record in the NHL and missed the playoffs
for the first time in 30 years. The team improved by 30 points in
the standings in his first year, earning him a third coach of the
year award.
|  | | Newly-hired Boston Bruins head coach Mike Keenan gives instructions to his new team as he conducts his first practice on Wednesday. |
In 1998, the Bruins had the same regular-season record, 39-30-13
and they won a first-round playoff series for the first time since
1994.
But last year, the Bruins missed the playoffs for just the
second time since 1967, and owner Jeremy Jacobs blamed Burns for
the team's performance.
"I think our team has been managed well by Harry and Mike
(O'Connell)," Jacobs said in January, referring to the general
manager and his assistant. "But our coaching has not been what I
think it should be."
The Bruins were hurt by an injury to starting goalie Byron Dafoe
and injuries to top scorers Jason Allison and Anson Carter and
defenseman Kyle McLaren.
The Bruins also took several public relations hits. The team
traded longtime defenseman Ray Bourque to the Colorado Avalanche
after Bourque decided he couldn't win a championship with the
Bruins.
The team also had to contend with Marty McSorley's stick
assault. McSorley whacked Vancouver Canucks forward Donald Brashear
in the side of the head in an effort to challenge him to a fight.
McSorley was convicted of assault with a weapon this month in a
Canadian court.
Despite the problems, Sinden made a point in April to say Burns
would be back for the fourth year of his contract.
A former Quebec police officer, Burns became coach of the
Montreal Canadiens in 1988 and led them to 115 points and the
Stanley Cup finals, earning him his first Jack Adams Award as coach
of the year. Over four years in Montreal, he was the NHL's
winningest coach, posting a 174-104-42 record.
In 1992-93, he took over a Toronto franchise that hadn't been
above .500 in 13 years and led it to consecutive appearances in the
conference finals. Toronto went from 67 points in 1991-92 to 99 in
Burns' first year -- the biggest single-season turnaround in team
history -- and he was named coach of the year again.
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KEENAN'S COACHING CAREER
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Season
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Team
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Record
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The skinny
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1984-85
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Philadelphia
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53-20-7, .706
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Improved by 15 pts., finished first in NHL with 113 pts., lost Stanley Cup final, won Jack Adams Award
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1985-86
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Philadelphia
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53-23-4, .688
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Lost first round
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1986-87
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Philadelphia
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46-26-8, .625
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Lost Stanley Cup final
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1987-88
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Philadelphia
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38-33-9, .513
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Lost first round
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1988-89
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Chicago
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27-41-12, .413
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Dropped by three points, improved two rounds in playoffs, lost conference final
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1989-90
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Chicago
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41-33-6, .550
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Lost conference final
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1990-91
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Chicago
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49-23-8, .663
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Won Presidents' Trophy with 106 pts., lost first round
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1991-92
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Chicago
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36-29-15, .554
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Lost Stanley Cup final
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1993-94
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N.Y. Rangers
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52-24-8, .667
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Won Presidents' Trophy with 112 pts., won Stanley Cup
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1994-95
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St. Louis
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28-15-5, .635
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Lost first round
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1995-96
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St. Louis
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32-34-16, .488
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Lost second round
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1996-97
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St. Louis
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15-17-1, .468
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Fired after 33 games
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1997-98
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Vancouver
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21-30-12, .429
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Took over from Tom Renney after 19 games, out of playoffs
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1998-99
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Vancouver
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15-24-6, .400
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Fired after 45 games
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Totals
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506-372-117, .567
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ALSO SEE
Morganti: The reason for Keenan
E.J. Hradek: Fleeced at the Fleet
AUDIO VIDEO
 Mike Keenan replaces Pat Burns as the head coach of the Bruins.
RealVideo: 28.8
Mike Keenan talks with ESPN's Trey Wingo on SportsCenter.
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mike Keenan is looking forward to the opportunity to coach the Bruins.
wav: 187 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Keenan is ready for a new beginning.
wav: 107 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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