Pat Burns: Only 3 Time Winner Of The Jack Adams Award

The Jack Adams was first awarded to the NHL's top head coach for the 1973-74 season. Fred Shero was the first recipient and Pat Burns is the only three time winner. Both Shero and Burns are deceased and both were inexplicably denied entry to the Hockey Hall of Fame while still alive.

In a National Hockey League head coaching career that lasted from 1988-89 to 2003-04, Pat Burns became the only person to win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach three times. The Jack Adams Award was introduced for the 1973-74 season, with Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers being the first recipient.

1988-89 Montreal Canadiens

Burns won the Jack Adams in his first year of coaching in the NHL, 1988-89. The Montreal Canadiens finished first overall in the Prince of Wales Conference and second overall in the NHL, behind only the Calgary Flames. The Canadiens and Flames met in the Stanley Cup finals with Calgary coming out victorious in six games.

1992-93 Toronto Maple Leafs

In 1992-93, in his first year as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Burns saw a 32 improvement over the previous season. In 1991-92, Toronto had finished last in the Norris Division with just 67 points. Their point total improved to 99 points under Pat and the team made it to the Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Kings in seven games.

1997-98 Boston Bruins

In 1997-98, in his first year as coach of the Boston Bruins, the team saw a similar turnaround that the Maple Leafs had experience under Burns. The team improved 30 points over 1996-97. The previous year was the first time Boston had failed to qualify for the post season since the 1966-67 season. The team bowed out to the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs.

Pat Burns

Never a player at the professional level, Burns rose quickly to prominence in the coaching world. He was behind the bench of the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for three years, from 1984-85 to 1986-87. In the second year, the Olympiques won the Jean Rougeau Trophy as regular season champions and the President’s Cup as champs in the playoffs. Pat was selected as QMJHL First Team All-Star coach.

The Olympiques qualified for the Memorial Cup that season, making it through to the final game. The Guelph Platers (today’s Owen Sound Attack) were crowned Memorial Cup champions with a 6-2 victory over Hull. Hockey Hall of Fame member Luc Robitaille was a member of that Olympiques team.

After a year coaching the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League in 1987-88, it was straight up to the NHL Canadiens. Along with coaching in Montreal, Toronto and Boston, Burns won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils, where he coached in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

Along with Fred Shero, now both deceased, the Hockey Hall of Fame were under fire for denying the two entry. Shero won two Stanley Cups and was a finalist on two other occasions, as well as winning championships in three other professional league and was inducted posthumously in 2013. Pat’s qualifications for the Hall of Fame are obvious from his accomplishments stated above and is finally allowed entry for 2014.