Burrows retires as player, takes AHL coaching job
OTTAWA — Alex Burrows is entering the coaching ranks after announcing his retirement from the NHL as a player on Friday.
The 37-year-old has been named an assistant coach of the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League — the top farm club of the Montreal Canadiens.
Burrows will work under new Rocket coach Joel Bouchard. Daniel Jacob and Marco Marciano are the other assistant coaches.
“Alex perfectly matches the profile we were looking for,” Bouchard said in a statement. “In addition to being an exceptional individual, he is a very good communicator.”
The six-foot-one, 197-pound left winger from Pincourt, Que., had 205 goals, 409 points and 1,134 penalty minutes in 913 NHL games over 13 seasons with Vancouver and Ottawa. The Senators bought out his contract last week.
“When you have the passion, that’s one thing. You have to set a vision and have a plan for yourself. I feel very fortunate to have played as long as I did,” Burrows said in an interview with NHLPA.com.
Undrafted by an NHL club, Burrows put in his time in the ECHL and American Hockey League. He worked his way into a spot on the Canucks roster late in the 2005-06 season due to an abrasive style complemented by offensive talent.
He spent parts of 11 seasons with the Canucks, establishing himself as an effective pest and earning a spot on the Canucks’ top line with superstar twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Known for piling up penalty minutes, Burrows also found an offensive spark with the Sedins. He hit the 20-goal benchmark four times and had a career-high 35 goals, 32 assists and 67 points in 2009-10.
The next season he had nine goals and eight assists in 25 playoff games as he helped the Canucks reach the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to Boston in seven games.
The Senators acquired Burrows from Vancouver on Feb. 27, 2017 in exchange for prospect Jonathan Dahlen. Ottawa signed Burrows to a two-year contract extension worth $5 million US the next day.
Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden praised Burrows in a statement on Friday.
“Alex Burrows had a remarkable playing career,” Linden said. “His path to the NHL as an undrafted player is an example to all young athletes that hard work, determination and a positive attitude can take you anywhere. He will always be celebrated as a great teammate, who played with heart and soul and proudly wore the Vancouver Canucks uniform.”