Confirmed with Link: Leafs fire Burke

[Number8]

Burke is definitely a very nice person and has a huge heart. But being a nice person doesn't make you a great GM.

I think he underestimated the patience of Toronto fans. You don't improve a bottom-dweller by trading two (two! and a second!) first-round draft picks for a complementary piece like Phil Kessel. Not that Kessel is a bad player, but he's the type of guy a contending team adds to get over the top, not the type of guy a struggly team builds around.

I think that move put the Leafs in a huge hole and they have yet to recover.

I was speaking about him purely as a person.

I can see why TML did this from a hockey personnel perspective -- although I do think the timing is bizarre (assuming the rumored efforts to get/not get Luongo didn't force hands one way or the other).

 

[Alan Ryan]

I suppose we can all sit in front of our keyboards and thank our lucky stars that the organization we root for, from the President down, seem to have an owner (can`t believe I`m saying this) who has allowed them to make the hockey decisions without too much interference and that this team has crawled it`s way out of the laughable state it was in prior to Chia and Cam amongst others jumping on board

I find Burke entertaining, but I'm truly grateful that the Bruins hired Peter Chiarelli as GM and later added Cam Neely as President. I doubt that the Bruins organization would have prospered as well under Burke.

This Bruins management team knows how to turn a team around the right way. Very solid.

 

[22Brad Park]

I find Burke entertaining, but I'm truly grateful that the Bruins hired Peter Chiarelli as GM and later added Cam Neely as President. I doubt that the Bruins organization would have prospered as well under Burke.

This Bruins management team knows how to turn a team around the right way. Very solid.

Bruins have arguably best GM in hockey,I know most with say Holland and thats probably true,But Chia gets anotehr Cup he right there with him.

 

[ODAAT]

I find Burke entertaining, but I'm truly grateful that the Bruins hired Peter Chiarelli as GM and later added Cam Neely as President. I doubt that the Bruins organization would have prospered as well under Burke.

This Bruins management team knows how to turn a team around the right way. Very solid.

Reacts, makes judgements too often on emotion, from the little I understand/know about this game, difficult to make rational moves when this is done however, I will say , if the rumours are true and Burke refused to make the Luongo trade for what was being asked in return to obtain him, he made the right move sticking to his guns.

Let`s face it, this Rogers/Bell partnership in MLSE will blow up and not in a positive way, ya think things are ugly now, just wait

 

[DominicT]

Reacts, makes judgements too often on emotion, from the little I understand/know about this game, difficult to make rational moves when this is done however, I will say , if the rumours are true and Burke refused to make the Luongo trade for what was being asked in return to obtain him, he made the right move sticking to his guns.

Let`s face it, this Rogers/Bell partnership in MLSE will blow up and not in a positive way, ya think things are ugly now, just wait

Andrew, the Bell/Rogers purchase of MLSE is all about one thing and its not the hockey team it's TV.

Bell owns CTV and TSN
Rogers owns Sportsnet

The CBC deal comes up after next season (could be 2015 but cant look it up right now) and they are going hard after HNIC. As you know Sportsnet can't televise games nationally because the CRTC didn't think this country needed a second National Sports network (but since then allowed TSN 2), which is why they went with regional networks. As you know, Rogers owns the Blue Jays and where do you find them all the time? On Sportsnet

CTV/TSN will go after HNIC on Saturdays, Sportsnet will get the regional games weekday which includes the Leafs. It'll be huge $$ for them. Once they get control, don't be surprised that in 4 or 5 years you have pay per view hockey. Much like Leafs TV does (you don't have to pay for each game with Leafs TV, but you have to pay extra for the station)

The Leafs are second fiddle in the over all picture with Bell/Rogers if you ask me. Watch when those two are done...well you think the Leafs are a huge cash cow for the NHL now, we ain't seen nuthin yet !

 

[Latrappe]

I find Burke entertaining, but I'm truly grateful that the Bruins hired Peter Chiarelli as GM and later added Cam Neely as President. I doubt that the Bruins organization would have prospered as well under Burke.

This Bruins management team knows how to turn a team around the right way. Very solid.

Well... if anything, that's the JT trade who had the most impact on the Bruins and it was made under MOC's regime. Players wise, that was an horrible trade but we have to admit that MOC was right on two major things: 1- Bergeron was the cornerstone that the Bruins had to build around and 2- JT didn't have the leadership skill of a leader. The trade of Kessel is also a huge turning point but i have mixed emotions since nobody could have know that the return would have been Seguin,Hamilton and Knight. In the end, the removal of JT and the arrival of Z and Savard made us way much better.

 

[ODAAT]

Andrew, the Bell/Rogers purchase of MLSE is all about one thing and its not the hockey team it's TV.

Bell owns CTV and TSN
Rogers owns Sportsnet

The CBC deal comes up after next season (could be 2015 but cant look it up right now) and they are going hard after HNIC. As you know Sportsnet can't televise games nationally because the CRTC didn't think this country needed a second National Sports network (but since then allowed TSN 2), which is why they went with regional networks. As you know, Rogers owns the Blue Jays and where do you find them all the time? On Sportsnet

CTV/TSN will go after HNIC on Saturdays, Sportsnet will get the regional games weekday which includes the Leafs. It'll be huge $$ for them. Once they get control, don't be surprised that in 4 or 5 years you have pay per view hockey. Much like Leafs TV does (you don't have to pay for each game with Leafs TV, but you have to pay extra for the station)

The Leafs are second fiddle in the over all picture with Bell/Rogers if you ask me. Watch when those two are done...well you think the Leafs are a huge cash cow for the NHL now, we ain't seen nuthin yet !

Nothing like a true Monopoly

 

[bp13]

Bruins have arguably best GM in hockey,I know most with say Holland and thats probably true,But Chia gets anotehr Cup he right there with him.

In fairness, he'd need a lot more than one Cup to be in Holland's league. Holland has been the best GM for over a decade, and his team is always, always in contention. PC is climbing the ranks, but he has several years and at least a few more Cups before he's in Holland's league.

 

[Spooner st]

In fairness, he'd need a lot more than one Cup to be in Holland's league. Holland has been the best GM for over a decade, and his team is always, always in contention. PC is climbing the ranks, but he has several years and at least a few more Cups before he's in Holland's league.

In fairness, they each have 1 cup since the salary cap in 05\06.

Before Holland always had a no limit budget.

 

[Scotto74]

In fairness, they each have 1 cup since the salary cap in 05\06.

Before Holland always had a no limit budget.

very good point. Trying to compare GM's pre and post salary cap is very hard to do. Some guys as you pointed out had unlimited budgets so it was not as much of a challange as in a salary cap world.

 

[GordonHowe]

Just checked in. Holy pooh!

 

[Kovi]

Ex Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke: "I was floored, and I still am stunned. I've never been fired before. How am I doing? I'm doing OK. I'm so grateful I had a chance to run the crown jewel franchise of the NHL. I'm grateful to have been given the chance to live in Toronto. I love this city and I am grateful for the support of the fans. Once I found, I called the older kids, but I wanted the little ones to hear it from me first. They were OK. They just wanted to know if we'd have to move again. I said no. I think I can help as a consultant, I've been at this for a while. I have my name on the Stanley Cup. I'll do whatever I can. I wish Dave and the Toronto Maple Leafs all the success in the world. I'll do my best to help them win."

 

[ODAAT]

Ex Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke: "I was floored, and I still am stunned. I've never been fired before. How am I doing? I'm doing OK. I'm so grateful I had a chance to run the crown jewel franchise of the NHL. I'm grateful to have been given the chance to live in Toronto. I love this city and I am grateful for the support of the fans. Once I found, I called the older kids, but I wanted the little ones to hear it from me first. They were OK. They just wanted to know if we'd have to move again. I said no. I think I can help as a consultant, I've been at this for a while. I have my name on the Stanley Cup. I'll do whatever I can. I wish Dave and the Toronto Maple Leafs all the success in the world. I'll do my best to help them win."

'Crown Jewel Franchise' Classic Burke

So are the NBA`s Clippers a Crown Jewel too??

Burke deserved his walking papers, no playoff appearances in 4 years, what he didn`t deserve is to have those papers handed to him on the back of a brand new CBA and the eve of the new season. As soon as the Leafs were outta the picture last year, THAT, IMO, would have been the appropriate time.

 

[Spooner st]

TSNBobMcKenzie: TSN2 and tsn.ca will carry Brian Burke news conference at 12 noon ET today. I'm heading down to the ACC.

 

[Neely2005]

Andrew, the Bell/Rogers purchase of MLSE is all about one thing and its not the hockey team it's TV.

Bell owns CTV and TSN
Rogers owns Sportsnet

The CBC deal comes up after next season (could be 2015 but cant look it up right now) and they are going hard after HNIC. As you know Sportsnet can't televise games nationally because the CRTC didn't think this country needed a second National Sports network (but since then allowed TSN 2), which is why they went with regional networks. As you know, Rogers owns the Blue Jays and where do you find them all the time? On Sportsnet

CTV/TSN will go after HNIC on Saturdays, Sportsnet will get the regional games weekday which includes the Leafs. It'll be huge $$ for them. Once they get control, don't be surprised that in 4 or 5 years you have pay per view hockey. Much like Leafs TV does (you don't have to pay for each game with Leafs TV, but you have to pay extra for the station)

The Leafs are second fiddle in the over all picture with Bell/Rogers if you ask me. Watch when those two are done...well you think the Leafs are a huge cash cow for the NHL now, we ain't seen nuthin yet !

Rogers also owns the City Network. Since they purchased it they have been expanding it to more Canadian markets.

 

[ripley]

TSNBobMcKenzie: TSN2 and tsn.ca will carry Brian Burke news conference at 12 noon ET today. I'm heading down to the ACC.

Did anyone see the broadcast?

Burke (at Steve Simmons of Toronto Sun): "The best part of today is that I don't have to talk to you again Steve."

Burke: "I'd like to work for a team that doesn't get sold next time."

Burke: "It would have been nice to get this notice before I went to Russia but I didn't."

 

[Era of Sanity]

Burke gave a classy speech and didn't make excuses and still threw in a couple of jabs. Well done.

 

[BLONG7]

Burke gave a classy speech and didn't make excuses and still threw in a couple of jabs. Well done.

He took a shot at Theo Epstein, and seemed to indicate that Epstein had no idea what it would be like to be the GM of the Leafs...I found that hilarious...

 

[RG617]

Love this take on it, especially where he mentions how Colbourne only has 4 goals in 31 AHL games this year (Wasn't this the guy who quite a few Leafs fans were insisting would be the first line center to go with Kessel come this year?) or how Phil isn't a "go to guy". I don't see how any of them can continue to defend the Kessel trade as anything more than a total loss at this point. "Upward trending at a slow pace" doesn't equal "successful" or make you a playoff team of any worth. Burke took the Danny Ainge-like approach to creating a winner and failed miserably at it. I couldn't thank him enough if I tried.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Update:

OttawaGhost has now weighed in. I'll miss these.

 

[smithformeragent]

Update:

OttawaGhost has now weighed in. I'll miss these.

LMAO, the Phaneuf trade and the NHL draft ones were the best!

 

[bp13]

In fairness, they each have 1 cup since the salary cap in 05\06.

Before Holland always had a no limit budget.

Come on now...look at all the talent Detroit has not only managed to poach in late rounds, but also lock up to great long-term deals. Further, money or not, Holland won every year. He won with lousy to mediocre goalies. He brought in the occasional big-name player and none of them screwed up the chemistry, ever.

It's obviously easier with money, but it's always been a tough job and he's always been the best at it. Before and after the cap. In my book he's miles ahead of Burke, and I kinda like Burke.

 

[Artemis]

Update:

OttawaGhost has now weighed in. I'll miss these.

Thanks for posting that. I at "guess I can ****ing sober up now."