The morning after her husband's funeral, Pat Burns' widow made a shocking discovery: Her car had been broken into, and valuables including his collection of autographed hockey sweaters had been stolen.

Montreal police said Tuesday the thieves would have known whose belongings they were taking.

"They went through his stuff," said Constable Anie Lemieux, noting Burns' wallet was in the car. "The person who left with the shirts and everything knows that this is Pat Burns' stuff."
Burns, who coached the New Jersey Devils to the 2003 Stanley Cup title, died Nov. 19 at age 58 after a long battle with cancer.

Hours after his funeral, someone stole signed hockey jerseys from each of the 30 NHL teams and family photos from Line Burns' car. Even bed sheets from the hospital's palliative-care unit were missing.

Burns' cousin Robin, who delivered a eulogy at Monday's funeral, called the crime "deplorable."

"Whoever it is, they must have no conscience," Burns said.

He pleaded with the thieves, if they have "any type of conscience," to drop the items off with a TV or radio station or with anyone who knows Burns -- and no questions would be asked.

"I'd only say to anyone listening, if you think you can sell them or do anything about them, then I think the police and the policemen's brotherhood and friends of Pat might have different ideas," he said.

The entire roster of the Devils was on hand for the service honoring the police officer-turned-hockey coach, who also had successful runs in Montreal, Toronto and Boston. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Quebec Premier Jean Charest were joined by stars such as Raymond Bourque, Patrick Roy, Tie Domi and Luc Robitaille.

The crime was committed at an outdoor parking lot between midnight and 9 a.m. Tuesday. The Burns family and many friends had attended a wake in a downtown bar Monday night after the funeral.

"Anyone with information or that might be approached by someone wanting to sell these items, it's impossible not to know that these belong to Mr. Pat Burns," Lemieux said, noting she believed some were destined for a charity auction.

The stolen items also included a designer men's watch, two suitcases containing Burns' and his wife's clothes, an iPad and jewelry.

REPORT: ROGERS IN TALKS TO BUY MAJORITY STAKE IN MLSE

TORONTO - A published report suggests Rogers Communications is in talks to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal worth more than $1 billion.

Citing anonymous sources, the Toronto Star reports the sale would include the NBA's Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and the Marlies, the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League minor hockey team.

The $1.3 billion deal would be the biggest transaction in Canadian sport history and transform Rogers Communications Inc., which already owns the Toronto Blue Jays, into one of the most powerful sports enterprises in North America.

Sources said the deal to buy a majority stake in Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan would include the Leafs and Raptors TV stations, but not MLSE's real estate holdings.

"I know it's real," a top sports industry executive, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper. "I've heard it from Rogers at a high executive level and from MLSE at (the highest) level."

Spokespersons with both Rogers and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan declined comment.

“It's our policy to neither confirm or deny,” said Deborah Allan, director of communications and media relations for the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan.

Richard Peddie, MLSE's chief executive officer, referred all questions to Teachers' representatives.

“It's a shareholder matter,” he said. “I have not been involved in any discussions and I have no knowledge of it.”

HALL OF FAME HOCKEY WRITER JIM KELLEY PASSES AWAY

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jim Kelley, a longtime sports writer and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, has died after a long battle with cancer. He was 61.

Kelley was a broadcaster on all-sports radio station The Fan 590, and a hockey columnist on Rogers Sportsnet's website. He posted his final column on Sportsnet.ca on Tuesday -- a retrospective on Brian Burke's career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Buffalo News sports editor Steve Jones confirmed that Kelley died Tuesday at Buffalo General Hospital.

Kelley spent much of his 30-year career covering the NHL for the newspaper before taking jobs with FoxSports.com, ESPN.com and working as a broadcaster in Toronto. Most recently, he was writing columns for Sports Illustrated.

Kelley was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004 upon receiving the Elmer Ferguson Award for hockey writers. He was scheduled to be inducted into the Buffalo Sabres' Hall of Fame on Jan. 1.

Kelley is survived by his wife Susan, daughters Erin and Megan, and three grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.