Robin Arthur Burns (born August 27, 1946) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
left winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He is the cousin of coach
Pat Burns
Patrick John Joseph Burns (April 4, 1952 – November 19, 2010) was a National Hockey League head coach. Over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004, he coached in 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jer ...
.
Playing career
Burns is the son of the late Robert and Eileen Burns. Robert Burns was an employee of the Montreal Transportation Commission. At age nine, Burns was diagnosed with osteomyelitis in his right leg. He endured five months of the leg being encased in a cast. (''Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts'', p. 150, Troy Treasure, Balboa Press).
Following a season for the Montreal Notre Dame de Grace Monarchs, Burns went on to play three years with the
Montreal Junior Canadiens
The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
History
The ...
and another two with the Houston Apollos of the
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...
(CHL).
"In a 10 page sports section, the Houston Apollos were on page 10. You had the Oilers and the Astrodome, the Eighth Wonder of the World," Burns told Treasure in 2018. "Being away from Montreal for the first time, my first Christmas in Houston was a shock. It was pleasant and 70. In Montreal, it was -20. It was strange to be around the pool at Christmas time." (pp. 150-151)
After spending a season with the
Montreal Voyageurs
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL), Burns was traded from the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
for cash in 1970.
Most of his time with in the Penguins organization was spent with the AHL's
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a town located 14 miles east of the state capital of Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the c ...
,
whom he helped lead to the 1974
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...
by recording 10 goals and 14 points in 14 playoff games.
In June 1974, Burns was claimed by the
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, the Rockies relocated to New Jersey where t ...
in the
expansion draft
An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansion ...
. He posted his best seasons with the Scouts but was phased out as the team rebuilt for their move to Colorado. In 190 regular season games Burns recorded 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points.
Following his playing career, Burns and wife Fran studied polycarbonate and created the protective hockey visor while establishing
Itech. Burns was also a coaches' agent representing his cousin Pat, as well as John Tortorella, Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, and Dave King. (''Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts'', p. 246, Troy Treasure, Balboa Press).
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Transactions
* On October 10, 1970 the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
traded Robin Burns to the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
.
* On June 12, 1974 the
Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, the franchise relocated to Denver, and became the Colorado Rockies. In 1982, the Rockies relocated to New Jersey where t ...
claimed Robin Burns from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the
1974 NHL Expansion Draft
The 1974 NHL Expansion Draft was held on June 12, 1974. The draft took place to fill the rosters of the league's two expansion teams for the 1974–75 season, the Kansas City Scouts and the Washington Capitals.
Rules
Draft results
See also
...
.
References
External links
*
1946 births
Living people
Amarillo Wranglers players
Canadian ice hockey left wingers
Canadian people of Irish descent
Hershey Bears players
Houston Apollos players
Sportspeople from Montreal
Kansas City Scouts players
Montreal Junior Canadiens players
Montreal Voyageurs players
Pittsburgh Penguins players
Quebec people of Irish descent
Ice hockey people from Quebec
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