Cup helps Devils' coach crack a smile
Updated: June 10, 2003, 11:43 AM ET
By By Jim Wilkie | NHL Insider
Dour-looking ex-cop Pat Burns, once considered "done" as a coach, finally found some happiness Monday night when his New Jersey Devils defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup in Game 7 of the championship series.
Whether it's calculated grumpiness or the general mood of this disciplinarian, Burns was the right fit when he was hired at the start of what would be the franchise's third Stanley Cup season in nine years.
"Pat, as everybody knows, doesn't smile a whole lot," New Jersey veteran defenseman Ken Daneyko told reporters. "He just kept the pedal to the metal all season long and didn't get complacent. That was probably what was missing from the club in the last few years.
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