I am really glad you brought this up, because for all I agree with the majority sentiment that Boudreau has been done dirty, I do think the shock and awe about how unique and unprecedented this situation is has been a little exaggerated. It is weird, yes, but (i) is clearly the product of a struggle with ownership, and (ii) it has basically happened before right in Vancouver... Burke was hired in June 1998, and Keenan wasn't fired until January 1999, with absolutely everyone knowing it was coming for months.
I think the only real difference is that Bruce is a likable, nice guy and Keenan was public enemy no. 1.
(I don't recall Burke being unpopular for it, though... just ridiculed over his "Dave Gagner was an essential part of this trade" comments).
Burke's first year was kind of a disaster and he was not popular at the end of that season.
- there was obviously the Keenan stuff, which was a mess. Plus the fact that he had publicly stated that Keenan would get to work with the proceeds of the Bure deal and fired him 2 days later, which was one of many things said that year that made his word seem very suspect.
- publicly beefed with media and fans all year (One phone call can move this team!) and generally acted like a total asshole.
- butchered the Bure deal, was widely ridiculed for the Gagner comments, and widely ridiculed again when 'goalie of the future' Kevin Weekes couldn't stop a beachball.
- the goalie issues that plagued him for his entire tenure started when he released the popular Arturs Irbe who had been by far the team's best goalie the previous year and watched Irbe be a top-5 goalie in the league while we suffered through a Snow-Hirsch tandem.
- protected Huscroft/McAllister/Strudwick over the wildly popular Scott Walker and then watched Walker have a breakout season in Nashville that would have put him 4th in Canuck scoring that year.
- the team absolutely cratered after the coaching change (Keenan actually had them in the playoff picture when he was fired) and - crazy as it sounds now - there was a significant percentage of the fanbase that felt that he had fired the better coach and made a mess out of that situation because his ego couldn't work with Keenan.
And there was more than that that I can't remember because it's been 25 years. But Burke was beleaguered that year, and things only stabilized the following year when he had a flat track into the season with total control and his coach and his staff in place.