Bruins Hire Keenan After Firing Burns

Mired in a four-game losing streak after last season’s collapse, the Boston Bruins fired fiery coach Pat Burns Wednesday and replaced him with the even more volcanic Mike Keenan.

“I don’t have a whole lot of patience for average performances,” Keenan said when asked about the reputation he developed as the coach with five previous NHL teams. “I think that there [has to be] an expectation for players to challenge themselves. If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it.”

Keenan, 51, was considered for the job when the Bruins fired Steve Kasper in 1997. But Boston hired Burns and Keenan went to Vancouver, lasting less than two seasons before he was fired.

While working the last 1 1/2 seasons as a radio broadcaster in Toronto, Keenan worried whether he’d ever get another chance to coach.

Bruin players, who supported Burns when rumors of his firing circulated last season, said Wednesday they were shocked that the change was being made so early in the season.

As for Keenan, they said they would be ready.

“Maybe he gives us a kick in the butt or something,” goalie Byron Dafoe said.

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The Chicago Blackhawks hired Al MacAdam as an assistant coach. MacAdam, 48, coached St. John’s of the American Hockey League the past three seasons and replaces Don Jackson, fired this week.

MacAdam, 48, played in 864 games over 12 NHL seasons with Philadelphia, California, Minnesota and Vancouver. He had 240 goals and 351 assists and was a member of Philadelphia’s 1974 Stanley Cup team.

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The New York Rangers recalled defenseman Mike Mottau from Hartford of the American Hockey League and reassigned defenseman Drew Bannister to the minor league affiliate.

Mottau, last season’s winner of the Hobey Baker Award as the college player of the year, had one goal and seven assists in seven games with Hartford. . . . The Columbus Blue Jackets activated center Espen Knutsen from the injured list. Knutsen, 28, broke a finger during a preseason game Sept. 20, and hadn’t played since. To make room on the roster, Columbus sent center Ted Drury to Syracuse of the American Hockey League. . . . The Dallas Stars activated center Shaun Van Allen (back spasms) from the injured list in time to play against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Tampa Bay Lightning claimed defenseman Craig Millar from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. Millar, 24, fills the roster spot vacated by Sergey Gusev, who was put on injured reserve because of a sprained right knee.

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Iron Mike

Mike Keenan’s Irish temper should be well appreciated in Boston, where Bruin fans haven’t seen this kind of megalomania since the ever-fashionable Don Cherry paced behind the bench at the Boston Garden. Revered and feared throughout his coaching career, Keenan could have some great young talent at his disposal provided General Manager Harry Sinden opens the checkbook. Keenan’s coaching breakdown:

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Team Years Games W L T Win % Titles Philadelphia 1984-88 320 190 102 28 .638 0

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* Lost the Stanley Cup finals to the Oilers in ’85 and ’87 and was fired the next season as the Flyers failed in the first round of the playoffs.

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Team Years Games W L T Win % Titles Chicago 1988-92 320 153 126 41 .542 0

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* After four tumultuous seasons, Keenan was fired after the Blackhawks lost to the Penguins in the 1992 Stanley Cup finals.

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Team Years Games W L T Win % Titles NY Rangers 1993-94 84 52 24 8 .667 1

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* After leading the Rangers to a Stanley Cup, Keenan’s reign as the hero of New York lasted only a couple of weeks as he bolted for St. Louis, claiming that Ranger management ran him out of town.

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Team Years Games W L T Win % Titles St. Louis 1994-97 163 75 66 22 .528 0

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* Keenan was fired midway through his third season with St. Louis, but not before chasing Wayne Gretzky out of town and leaving the Blues in financial trouble.

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Team Years Games W L T Win % Titles Vancouver 1997-99 108 36 54 18 .417 0

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* It took only a season and a half before Keenan completely alienated his players and was shown the door.

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Team Games W L T Win % Titles Career 995 506 372 117 .567 1

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--Research by ROY JURGENS