LOL it's a Sunday, and there's a pandemic so I have nothing better to do. I've explained the OBC/Gillis thing a zillion times (even in this thread and others), so here we go!
This is from an article after the 2011 run.
Calling Eagleson a liar, Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph O’Brien awarded Gillis his full insurance money, damages, and court costs. (Eagleson eventually ended up in prison.) But victory came at considerable cost. Gillis had gone public with a “family squabble.” Abandoned by the cozy hockey fraternity, he was cast as a pariah. Ever since, general managers, owners, and commissioners have found themselves up against a smart, learned, calculating adversary who, for good reason, feels zero loyalty to the old-boys network and the NHL crest. “Mike’s reputation as an agent was that of an extremely hard bargainer,” says Laurence Gilman, who met him across the table when Gilman worked for the Phoenix Coyotes. “He implicitly understood his clients’ leverage and maximized it in every negotiation. He was viewed as a staunch supporter of players’ rights. And of course his reputation with the hockey establishment had been impacted by his legal pursuit of Eagleson. There were many agents and club executives who hoped he’d go away.”
Inside the Mind of Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis
I don't have to mention Burke again do I? People underestimate how much pull he has in the OBC, in fact he's pretty much the emperor. The evidence is all over for that.
The whole Backes/Bernier pissing match really set off John Davidson, who again is a pretty powerful member of the OBC. Davidson has been president of the Blues, Blue Jackets and Rangers, and also an influential member of the OBC.
Enough evidence for you?
