Brian Burke

[TheLionKing]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=413146

[WestCoastJoe]

Good for media sound bytes.

Liked him kind of with the Canucks.

Blowhard, but fun to hear about sometimes.

Braggart. Inherited a talented team in Anaheim. Other than that, it seems like mostly self-generated hype.

What he said his team would be all about: TRUCULENT. BUILD THE TEAM FROM THE GOALTENDER OUT. SIZE UP FRONT. SANDPAPER AND GRIT. Didn't happen.

“We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence. That’s how our teams play.” - Brian Burke

Poor trade for Kessel. Good trade for Phanouf. No success acquiring top goaltender. So he seems now to be kind of full of bull.

Too hard headed with owners. That is dumb. Unless he can deliver wins on the ice. Didn't happen.

The TV talk shows suggest the Luongo contract was against Burke's principles. Nonis OK with the contract in terms of making a trade for him. The suggestion was that the new owners want Luongo, and Burke was resistant. Plus they want their own guy. Plus Burke is not easy for owners to deal with. Et cetera ...

Just IMO ... Nothing original in these views. They probably fit in with the stereotypes of Burke.
............

The good news is his firing from the GM spot might make the trade for Luongo a little easier.

[Sir Purrcival]

May be a knowledgeable hockey guy but his personality is too belligerent. If you can't handle the BS kind of stuff you get to deal with from the media and ownership, then you really shouldn't be in a spotlight role. I feel for him after the loss of his son but he was kind of a jack ass when he was here as well. Almost kind of petty when things didn't go his way with the media. Wasn't sorry to see him go then, and not surprised that he is has been given the heave ho now. What does surprise me a bit is how Nonis keeps getting kept on after he is tossed.

[Toppy Vann]

Some years back with Stan McCammon and Burke at the same dinner where Brian was to give an award to Dave Cobb and where I was speaking and introducing folks just as the speculation was rampant that Burke would not be renewed I made a public joke.

It was like Stan Mc is here and after the dinner we'll be giving Stan a chance to make an announcement that he's extending Brian Burke as GM of the Van. Canucks. Of course it got a rousing applause.

After the dinner and before the awards I asked Dave Cobb if the joke was fine. He said something like ' It was great now Stan wants to meet you in the washroom'.

When the whole thing was over I got to meet Stan and we had a good private chat. He said the joke was great and he understood why this audience loved it but 'an organization is not just one person.'

Oil and water is how they worked together.

This is a bit sad in that what gets lost is how big a role this guy plays in building his team in the community and with the business community. Burke was huge in that role in Vancouver.

You have to take the good with the bad but it is no secret that he is not one to be all nice and pleasant.

As to Dave Nonis taking over again for Toronto it is a no brainer as they need the season to start now and a GM search makes no sense.

Was a Luongo deal and Burke getting cold feet a part of it? I have no idea but guys like Brian with the wrong set of owners and bosses won't mix.

Will Nonis do it again and bring in Luongo hoping he can get them to the playoffs? A new city might do RL a lot of good. Is he a saviour? I dunno.

Burke will get another GM job as he is too good not to be there.

I must admit this gig in Toronto and some of his decisions like giving away of the two 1st rd draft picks in Tyler Sequin and Dougie Hamilton (IIRC) for Phil Kessel doesn't look so good now.

[Toppy Vann]

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/art ... on-dimanno

Very interesting story as to who wanted him out of the job.

Brian Burke’s firing by the Maple Leafs not a hockey decision:
Published on Thursday January 10, 2013

[TheLionKing]

Burke deserves to be canned for the job he's done but the timing is auspicious.

[notahomer]

So Burke broke up with Jennifer Mather? If so thats a shame. They seemed to really do well together as a couple. I hope she returns to broadcasting locally.....

I liked Burke managing the Leafs. Its a tough town to do that job but I feel Nonis will do fine. This will be the second time, IIRC, that Burke has been replaced by Nonis. Will whatever team hires Burke next get some of that DUCK-mojo and leave Leaf fans grumbling the way Canuck fans were? Or has the NHL exec thing passed on by Burke? Wonder what he wantS?......

[KnowItAll]

So Burke broke up with Jennifer Mather? If so thats a shame. They seemed to really do well together as a couple. I hope she returns to broadcasting locally.....

I liked Burke managing the Leafs. Its a tough town to do that job but I feel Nonis will do fine. This will be the second time, IIRC, that Burke has been replaced by Nonis. Will whatever team hires Burke next get some of that DUCK-mojo and leave Leaf fans grumbling the way Canuck fans were? Or has the NHL exec thing passed on by Burke? Wonder what he wantS?......

nonis sucked with the canucks, dont see any reason to expect better of him now

[TheLionKing]

Nonis became a NHL General Manager riding on the coat tail of Brian Burke, first in Vancouver and now in Toronto

[Hawkballer 14]

Nonis became a NHL General Manager riding on the coat tail of Brian Burke, first in Vancouver and now in Toronto

Again, that loyalty thing. Such a bad thing, innit?

I liked Nonis as a GM, he managed to steal Lou out of Florida, unfairly got thrown under the bus when the Canucks missed the playoffs in 2006. Though we got Mike Gillis to succeed him, who has done a great job, so I'm not tripping.

The timing smells though, I thought Burke would get the first couple months of this season.

[KnowItAll]

I support Burke with all his flaws. Especially against assinine media and the new assinine owners of the leafs.

as far as management goes, burke is the best thing to ever happen to the canucks.

so it didnt work out in toronto, big deal, who cares about toronto anyhow.

[Toppy Vann]

I support Burke with all his flaws. Especially against assinine media and the new assinine owners of the leafs.

as far as management goes, burke is the best thing to ever happen to the canucks.

so it didnt work out in toronto, big deal, who cares about toronto anyhow.

I am listening to Burke live on Sportsnet online. He says he won't change the way he is. I think he needs to be careful with how he works with anyone he thinks is a clown and suffer some fools gladly IF they are superior to him. He doesn't and it looks like that is what happened here.

He wants to be a GM again. He wants that tomorrow.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/maple_le ... /?site=www

He says he just found out they want him as senior advisor to the board and not in hockey operations.

Oh, they are asking about issues with his private life now. Yikes. Burke - says no.

Hockey and sport need guys like this who rub some the wrong way at times but overall are good as they will do media interviews.

[TheLionKing]

Listened to part of his exit interview. Still the same Burke. Wonder if he has finally worn out his welcome as General Manager, much like Mike Keenan

[Toppy Vann]

Listened to part of his exit interview. Still the same Burke. Wonder if he has finally worn out his welcome as General Manager, much like Mike Keenan

Burke is no nut case Mike Keenan. He is just a stubborn, out spoken person who is not afraid to get into a battle and dig his heels in.

He made a very eloquent case for his role in the community and he has done that well as he says in every market.

Let's face it. He was instrumental in the final deal with the players and is on his way to airport to go to NY to the Governors meeting when they call him to go back downtown and fire him virtually on the eve of the season about to start. They leave his entire staff and set of disciples in place and say he can be senior advisor.

This as the Tor. media say seems to be him locking horns some clown named Copeland. Why would they fire him now and not during the lock out? McCown says it is a screw up of Biblical proportions.

Not many GMs will be fired on the eve of the season so it may take some time for him to land another GM job. But he is far from done.

This ownership outfit in Tor look a little stupid in the eyes of the entire league for the timing of the Burke firing.

[TheLionKing]

No question that the timing of his firing is stupid. What a way to run an organization. They could have fired him during the lockout or after this season.