hockeywiz542
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- May 26, 2008
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...mates-running-the-mlse-asylum/article7108090/
Further proof that the inmates are running the asylum at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment came Wednesday morning, when the new guys in control of the operation decided to terminate Brian Burke as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Burke was always a polarizing figure in Toronto, right from the moment he took the job on Nov. 29, 2008, fresh from winning a Stanley Cup championship with the Anaheim Ducks.
Burke was loud and brash and probably made a mistake right from the get-go by pushing too hard too soon to get the franchise back on track. He was convinced that Leaf Nation wouldn’t have the patience to endure a slow, but steady rebuild along the lines of the Edmonton Oilers. Instead, he was convinced the turnaround had to happen quickly. It resulted in one very ill-advised deal early on – acquiring Phil Kessel for two No. 1 draft choices that turned into promising youngsters Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton – and a patchwork sort of rebuild that showed promise for a time last year, before goaltending eventually derailed the season.
Now? The Leafs will need to deal with the distraction of having the most visible face of the franchise turfed just days before training camps open. The timing, if not the actual decision, is wholly curious, only because of the unpredictability of a shortened season.
Officially, majority control of the franchise passed from the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan to Bell and Rogers in August of 2012 – and ever since, there have been rumblings that they would like to install their own management group at the top of the organization. One theory is that the organization wanted a more buttoned-down leader, a less combative leader.
