The hockey world gathered together today to bid farewell to Pat Burns, the legendary hockey bench-boss who found a way to win no matter where he coached.

Burns died on Nov. 19 from lung cancer.

Burns, who was 58 when he died, coached NHL teams in Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and finally New Jersey, where he guided his team to a Stanley Cup victory.

The funeral was held at a downtown Montreal basilica and drew a who's who of the professional hockey community.

The entire New Jersey Devils team attended the funeral, as well as former and current members of the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins.

Those in attendance include Raymond Bourque, Patrick Roy, Tie Domi, Mike Gartner, Luc Robitaille and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Burns' wife Line and children Jason and Maureen attended along with members of his extended family. Burns was the youngest of six children raised in the St-Henri district near the old Montreal Forum.

His former players sang his praises Monday.

Bourque, an all-star defenceman with the Boston Bruins, recalled a tough coach who had a soft spot when it was needed.

"His bark sometimes was a little louder than his bite, but he could actually bark pretty loud. But he could also have the other side, that was understanding and supportive," said Bourque.

"He was very intense, he wanted to win hockey games," former Montreal goalie Patrick Roy said.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Tie Domi said Burns was "the modern day coach, he was ahead of his time."

"He was the best coach I ever had."

Colin White, a member of the New Jersey team that won Burns his only Stanley Cup, said he was honoured to be there.

"Seeing the smile on his face, how proud he was of all the work he put in throughout the years . . . to see him have that success was an honour," the defenceman said.

Burns had been diagnosed with colon and liver cancer in 2004 and 2005.

Burns managed to fight through it at the time, but in January 2009 it was found that the cancer had spread to his lungs.

Burns initially decided to forego further treatment but eventually tried chemotherapy in an attempt to extend his life.

"He gave it an effort didn't he?" said Dickie Moore, a former Canadiens great who was at the basilica for the funeral.

"He was trying so hard to survive and he should have, but you know that's what heaven is for, they take the good and leave the bad and this is the hard part about it. He will be surely missed."

Originally a police officer in Gatineau, Burns began coaching minor hockey in his spare time and found he had a knack for it.

Before long he became head coach of the Hull Olympiques, the local major junior team, taking them to the 1986 Memorial Cup final.

Burns then had to face a tough decision. He had been promoted to detective and had to choose between one career or the other.

After seeking the advice of Wayne Gretzky, he decided to pursue hockey and soon ended up behind the bench of the storied Montreal Canadiens.

"Six years before, I had bought scalpers' tickets to watch the Canadiens play at the Forum," recalled Burns in an interview before his death.

"The first time I walked into the dressing room when the players were there, I was shaking."

In his first year there he took the Habs to the 1988-1989 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Calgary Flames.

In four years in Montreal he won more games than any other coach in the league during that period.

Next he moved on to Toronto, taking that team to the conference finals in 1993 and 1994.

He then took a year off before going behind the bench in Boston where he spent four years and won three Jack Adams trophies, awarded to the best coach in the league.

Then in 2002 Burns went to New Jersey, where he finally achieved the NHL's highest accomplishment, winning a Stanley Cup.

In 1,019 games, Burns won 501 games, lost 353, tied 151 and lost 14 in overtime. In the playoffs, he won 78 in 149 games.