Keenan New Canuck Coach

Mike Keenan, hired Thursday as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, said he has learned the value of patience since he was fired as coach and general manager of the St. Louis Blues last December.

That patience will be tested severely by the Canucks, who plunged to the bottom of the Western Conference during a club-record 10-game losing streak that ended only Wednesday.

“I’m happy as hell to be coaching again,” said Keenan, who will make his Canuck debut tonight against the Mighty Ducks at the Pond. “I can’t wait to get back at it. We’re going to be committed to sharing a dream. . . .

“I’d be really naive and disrespectful to you if I said this team is going to win the Stanley Cup after it didn’t make the playoffs last year and just lost a series of games, but the nucleus is there.”

The move reunites Keenan and Mark Messier, who helped the New York Rangers win a Stanley Cup in 1994, defeating the Canucks in seven games. Keenan said he has yet to talk to Messier, who joined the Canucks as a free agent last summer.

Keenan, 48, ranks ninth in NHL history in games coached, with 887. Known for pushing players mercilessly, he’s also known as a winner. He has a record of 470-318-99 and a .586 winning percentage. He replaces Tom Renney, who was fired Wednesday. Renney was dismissed a week after the firing of General Manager Pat Quinn.

The Canucks still are seeking a replacement for Quinn, according to Steve Tambellini, the club’s senior vice president for hockey operations. In the meantime, Tambellini and Keenan will be part of a management team.