Burns is the son of the late Robert and Eileen Burns. Robert Burns was an employee of the Montreal Transportation Commission. At age nine, Burns was diagnosed with osteomyelitis in his right leg. He endured five months of the leg being encased in a cast. (Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, p. 150, Troy Treasure, Balboa Press).
Following a season for the Montreal Notre Dame de Grace Monarchs, Burns went on to play three years with the Montreal Junior Canadiens and another two with the Houston Apollos of the Central Hockey League (CHL).
"In a 10 page sports section, the Houston Apollos were on page 10. You had the Oilers and the Astrodome, the Eighth Wonder of the World," Burns told Treasure in 2018. "Being away from Montreal for the first time, my first Christmas in Houston was a shock. It was pleasant and 70. In Montreal, it was -20. It was strange to be around the pool at Christmas time." (pp. 150-151)

Return to Robin Burns Autograph Profile