Charlie Burns

Charles "Charlie" Frederick Burns (February 14, 1936 – November 5, 2021) was an American-born Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played 749 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars. Burns was mainly known for being an excellent skater, playmaker and defensive player who performed checking and penalty-killing. His trademark was the heavily padded helmet that he was forced to wear after suffering a serious head injury while playing junior hockey in 1954–55.
In 1959, he was the only US-born player in the NHL. Although Burns was born in Detroit, Michigan, his family moved to Toronto, Ontario, when he was a child.Shorthanded: The Untold Story of the Seals: Hockey's Most Colorful Team (p. 47), by Brad Kurzberg, AuthorHouse (2006), Burns chose Canadian citizenship when he turned 21"Sport: The Pappy Line". Time. March 2, 1959. and later played for the 1958 world champion Whitby Dunlops.
Burns had three spells as a player-coach, twice with the San Francisco Seals (1965–66 & 1966–67) and one with the Minnesota North Stars (1969–70). He coached the Stars again in 1974–75 after his retirement. Curiously, all of these were mid-season assignments. He later coached youth hockey for the Wonderland Wizards of Bridgeport, Connecticut in his spare time.Kurzberg, p.48
==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1952–53 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA-Jr 		33 	5 	7 	12 	17 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1953–54 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA-Jr 		59 	17 	14 	31 	45 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1954–55 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA-Jr 		3 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1955–56 	Toronto Marlboros 	OHA-Jr 		20 	5 	8 	13 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1956–57 	Whitby Dunlops 	OHA-Sr 		40 	16 	25 	41 	29 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1957–58 	Whitby Dunlops 	OHA-Sr 		31 	24 	28 	52 	32 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1958–59 	Detroit Red Wings 	NHL 		70 	9 	11 	20 	32 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1959–60 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		62 	10 	17 	27 	46 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1960–61 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		62 	15 	26 	41 	16 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1960–61 	Kingston Frontenacs 	EPHL 		8 	3 	6 	9 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1961–62 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		70 	11 	17 	28 	43 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1962–63 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		68 	12 	10 	22 	13 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1963–64 	San Francisco Seals 	WHL 		68 	33 	36 	69 	27 		11 	1 	3 	4 	2
1964–65 	San Francisco Seals 	WHL 		51 	27 	36 	63 	19 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1965–66 	San Francisco Seals 	WHL 		40 	10 	35 	45 	26 		7 	1 	5 	6 	0
1966–67 	California Seals 	WHL 		71 	22 	38 	60 	29 		6 	0 	0 	0 	9
1967–68 	Oakland Seals 	NHL 		73 	9 	26 	35 	20 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1968–69 	Pittsburgh Penguins 	NHL 		76 	13 	38 	51 	22 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1969–70 	Minnesota North Stars	NHL 		50 	3 	13 	16 	10 		6 	1 	0 	1 	2
1970–71 	Minnesota North Stars	NHL 		76 	9 	19 	28 	13 		12 	3 	3 	6 	2
1971–72 	Minnesota North Stars	NHL 		77 	11 	14 	25 	24 		7 	1 	1 	2 	2
1972–73 	Minnesota North Stars	NHL 		65 	4 	7 	11 	13 		6 	0 	0 	0 	0
1973–74 	New Haven Nighthawks 	AHL 		64 	10 	19 	29 	73 		10 	1 	3 	4 	16
NHL Totals	NHL Totals 	NHL Totals		749 	106 	198 	304 	252 		31 	5 	4 	9 	6
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==Coaching record==
Team 	Year 	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Post season 	Post season 	Post season 	Post season
Team 	Year 	G 	W 	L 	T 	Pct 	Finish 	G 	W 	L 	Result
MIN 	1969–70	44 	10 	22 	12 	0.364 	3rd in West 	6 	2 	4 	Lost in quarter-finals
MIN 	1974–75	42 	12 	28 	2 	0.310 	4th in Smythe 	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify	Did not qualify
Total	Total 	86 	22 	50 	14 	 	- 	6 	2 	4 	1 playoff appearance
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:1936 births
Category:American men's ice hockey centers
Category:American ice hockey coaches
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:California Golden Seals coaches
Category:Canadian ice hockey centres
Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches
Category:Detroit Red Wings players
Category:Ice hockey people from Ontario
Category:Minnesota North Stars coaches
Category:Minnesota North Stars players
Category:Oakland Seals players
Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players
Category:Ice hockey player-coaches