STANSTEAD, Que. - Ex-NHL coach Pat Burns made a dramatic public appearance Wednesday -- three weeks after he was erroneously reported as dead.

Burns made a defiant crack about the confusion as he sat down for a news conference in Stanstead, Que.: "I'm still alive," he said in a hushed tone, his once-booming voice uncharacteristically thin.

Burns, who's been battling cancer, thought he had made his last public appearance in March when the project for a new Pat Burns Arena was announced.

The frail yet resilient ex-cop made it back, however, for Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony.

He pulled up to the gathering riding shotgun in an SUV, slowly exited and then, with assistance, shuffled on his thin legs to a seat.

Numerous media outlets published erroneous reports last month about Burns' death -- and were forced to swiftly backtrack when they realized the error.

The defiant Burns, a hard coach known for his booming voice behind the bench and his passion for Harley-Davidsons, uttered a few words to a group of journalists as he walked past. He had little else to say and didn't speak during the news conference.

"I'm not dead yet," was all Burns said as he walked past.

Several ex-NHL players attended the event in the Canada-U.S. border town of Stanstead, about 150 kilometres southeast of Montreal.

Among them were former Montreal Canadiens players Guy Carbonneau, Stephane Richer and Doug Gilmour. Gilmour played for Burns in 1993, when the Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed their longest Stanley Cup run in decades.

Burns, 58, opted to forego any more chemotherapy or other treatments when it was diagnosed in 2009 that the cancer had returned.

The Pat Burns Arena is to be built on the campus of Stanstead College, although it will be used not only by the private school but also by residents of the town and surrounding municipalities in the Quebec-Vermont border region. It is scheduled to open next spring.

Burns is the only three-time winner of the Jack Adams trophy as the NHL's top coach.

He coached the Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils to some of their best seasons in recent memory.

Burns coached in 1,019 NHL games from 1988 to 2004, compiling a 501-350-175 record.

He guided the Devils to a Stanley Cup victory in 2003, but had to withdraw from coaching after the following season when he was stricken with cancer for the first time.