BOSTON, Oct. 25 -- Pat Burns, hired three years ago to restore the Boston Bruins to their glory days, was fired Wednesday as coach of the NHL team and replaced by Mike Keenan, who led the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup title in 1994.
Bruins President and General Manager Harry Sinden, citing the team's poor play in recent games, made the decision to fire Burns.
"The team's play over their last several games has convinced me that 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 that a coaching change was necessary at this time for us to move forward."
Keenan, who previously has coached five other NHL teams, will be the 23rd coach in Boston history. He had been working as an in-studio analyst for CTV Sportnet in Toronto since being fired by the Vancouver Canucks midway through the 1998-99 campaign.
"Mike is the right coach to get this team moving in a positive direction and to bring the entertaining style of hockey that our fans deserve," Sinden said. "His record speaks for itself. His teams have always played an up-tempo, aggressive style of hockey and he has a reputation as a strong motivator of his players."
While Keenan has been very successful with other teams, he also wore out his welcome at every stop. He produced winning teams in Philadelphia and Chicago as well as New York but has a reputation as a difficult person to get along with and one who demands total control.
Keenan has an overall coaching record of 506-372-117.
"I am ecstatic about being part of a team as rich in history as the Bruins," Keenan said. "Hopefully, the players will respond to the challenges ahead as I'm looking to inspire this team to commit to winning a championship."
In that regard, Keenan has made some assessments and formulated a game plan.
"I don't like the trap," Keenan said. "I like the more dynamic style of play. The players I spoke with this morning understandably are in shock. The only player I'm real familiar with in coaching is Paul Coffey, but in observing the team I see a lot of skilled players and a lot of potential. My job is to bring that potential out. I believe the team is capable of making the playoffs and competing for the Stanley Cup. I believe to win it all of your stars have to fall in line. They (players) have to be inspired to reach levels of competitive play."
The Bruins have lost their last four games after opening the season with a 3-0-1 record. They are currently in fourth place in the Northeast Division.
Burns, who previously coached at Montreal and Toronto, has a lifetime coaching mark of 412-314-129. He is the only coach in NHL history to win the Jack Adams Award three times. That award is given annually by the NHL's Broadcasters' Association to "the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success.
The Bruins were favorites to win the Northeast Division last season, but they were hampered by key injuries and the early-season holdout of veteran goaltender Byron Dafoe. They ended up last in the division with a mark of 24-39-19.
Burns was named the Bruins coach on May 21, 1997, and had dramatic success in his first season at the Bruins' helm. He presided over the league's top turnaround, guiding one of the youngest team's in the NHL to a 39-30-13 record, second best in the Northeast Division. Their 91 points marked a stunning 30-point improvement over the previous season.
