Brian Burke "floored" by dismissal as Toronto GM

[dubey]

Aww I wanted a fiery tell-all

 

[HockeyGuruPitka]

Aww I wanted a fiery tell-all

Im going to assume that keeping him on as a senior adviser was an attempt to prevent him from "telling all". It forces him into a confidentiality agreement for the existence of employment. If they fired him and cut him loose, then its fair game.

 

[Hero]

He took the high road.

Pure class.

 

[TheGreat]

I don't Burke would really stay, He too much of Proud man

 

[rojac]

That was Burke's suggestion but at the PC, they made it pretty clear that he will be reporting to the BOG as a consultant and not the hockey operations side of things..

If MLSE wanted Burke influencing Nonis as GM they would have left him as Leafs President. I suppose they can't prevent Nonis from speaking to him, or even asking advice on a trade potential "if he would do it" but this will not be a daily occurrence either.

Burke is simply still around because he is still being paid by MLSE, but he will be collecting most of those cheques while sitting around at home, not coming into the office for work.

They may not care if he influences Nonis on hockey matters. I suspect they simply didn't want him as the face of their team -- which he still would have been if they had left him as president.

 

[rojac]

Im going to assume that keeping him on as a senior adviser was an attempt to prevent him from "telling all". It forces him into a confidentiality agreement for the existence of employment. If they fired him and cut him loose, then its fair game.

Or an attempt to get at least a little bit out of the money they still owe him. To be honest, keeping someone like Burke as an advisor when they are removed from their job is not unusual.

 

[Confucius]

He took the high road.

Pure class.

I understand he curses, he can be a loudmouth, never has his tie tied, rarely wears a jacket. The league has to tell him and Lowe to zip it. Now nothing wrong with that, but I wouldn't describe it as class.

 

[Mess]

Im going to assume that keeping him on as a senior adviser was an attempt to prevent him from "telling all". It forces him into a confidentiality agreement for the existence of employment. If they fired him and cut him loose, then its fair game.

Absolutely..

Burke's personality lacks a filter as he lashes out uncontrollably at anyone and battles everyone, and when he does it, it reflects negatively on his employer by his actions, and their corporate image.

This is one of the main reasons he was fired as they wanted a different more reserved voice to represent them professionally, and him silenced simultaneously, while paying out the duration of his contract.

 

[Oiffub]

Poor Brian and his 15 million dollars.The same Brian who with the former Premier of Bc cambell threatened the tax payer by saying if the canucks were not given a tax brake they could move?

"he makes more money than I so it's okay to treat him leik **** lolololol"

 

[Budsfan]

Brian Burke is a class act and always has been and I'm sure he is a man of his word and will help Nonis with any problems he encounters.

He is no longer the face of the franchise but his finger prints will be found in a lot of ways on this team going forward and I for one will applaud him for the base of players he has brought in and the young players now in our system to build on.

Otherwise, he’s still digesting his dismissal, still at a loss to explain why he isn’t running the Leafs anymore. Burke is under contract to the Leafs for the rest of this season and next, and he fully intends to help his former assistant, Dave Nonis, as a consultant, a job he suggested to chairman Larry Tanenbaum and Anselmi when they relieved him of his GM duties.

“I think I can help,” he said. “I’ve been at this for a while. I have my name on the Stanley Cup. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Burke, grateful for the dozens of calls of support he has received from NHL people and other friends over the past two days, will hold a press conference at the ACC on Saturday morning to discuss the events of the week and his future plans.

“I wish Dave (Nonis) and the Toronto Maple Leafs all the success in the world,” he said. “I’ll do my best to help them win.”

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs...-maple-leafs-gm-says-he-was-stunned-by-firing

 

[Christ]

I m Floored he traded 2 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick for Phil Kessel instead of 2009 7th overall and Thomas Kaberle or at all

Just realized that did you?

 

[DaveT83*]

Burke won't say anything for a few years - until his contract expires and he collects his X-Millions of dollars. Then we'll see how "Classy" he is when he starts to spout off about how it was everyone elses fault and not his that the team has been so dreadful. The guy will throw anyone under the bus - including his best friends and closest collegues.

Class is the last word I use to describe Brian Burke.

 

[go_leafs_go02]

http://www.lfpress.com/sports/columnists/steve_simmons/2012/06/05/19841866.html

Interesting Simmons article from last June that points out Burke had some personal problems last summer, but said Burke was nowhere near losing his job.

Some things in there foreshadow why he may have been fired.

It's Simmons, but interesting none-the-less.

 

[NewFang]

"Burke is under contract to the Leafs for the rest of this season and next, and he fully intends to help his former assistant, Dave Nonis, as a consultant, a job he said he suggested to chairman Larry Tanenbaum and Anselmi when they relieved him of his GM duties.

"I think I can help," Burke said. "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.""


Class Act.

 

[ACC1224]

Burke has always been a class act, not surprised that hasn't changed.

His personality will be sorely missed.

 

[Mess]

In an exclusive interview with Damien Cox of the Toronto Star, Brian Burke said he was "floored" after he was told he was fired as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I was floored, and I still am stunned. I've never been fired before," he said about Wednesday's announcement

Burke is "floored" that's priceless.

No what was floored was the team he assembled at the bottom on the NHL standings. Surely on job performance alone that should help him understand his situation he finds himself in.

 

[fourofakindfowl]

Brian Burke is a man of integrity. This is a real low blow by the Board at MLSE. It could be argued that firing him over on-ice performance is justified, however the timing of this move is inexcusable. The ownership group has blindsided the entire hockey operations side of the organization from top management to coaching staff, to the players themselves. Not to mention the fans.

The Leafs were in absolute shambles before Burke took over. They were poorly prepared and failed to adapt to the new salary cap. The Leafs were a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse under Pat Quinn in the pre cap lockout era. They could spend freely and worry less about drafting and minor league player development. However after the 2004 lockout the Leafs continued to try and ride the old core of McCabe, Tucker, Sundin, Belfour etc while adding through free agency Lindros, Allison, O'neill, Czerkawski, Kubina, Blake, instead of shifting organizational philosophies to a 'build from within' mentality.

As Fletcher took over for Ferguson, he found himself completely handcuffed by the no trade clauses held by almost all core players. Years of mortgaging the future had caught up to the Leafs. There was no legitimate top end talent in the minor league system to replace the aging veteran core, and they could not trade the core for assets because of the NTC's. There wasn't even much in the way of major pro talent whatsoever in the Leafs' farm at the time, top young players in the organization being Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Pogge. The 2003 through 2005 drafts yielded almost nothing for the Leafs. John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman. And indirectly Andrew Raycroft, who the Leafs traded 2005 first rounder Tuuka Rask for. Combine that rich draft history with a 'firesale' in which Antropov, Kaberle, Moore, Ponikarovsky are your main attractions, and its easy to see why the Leafs' future was in such bad shape.

The critics of Brian Burke need to do more research on how bad of a state the Leafs were in at the time. They were an absolute wreck. The Kessel trade is Burke's defining moment, and in my opinion it isn't a definitive 'loss' for the Leafs. That can't be determined yet. Yes the Leafs haven't made the playoffs since Burke took over, but where exactly were the impact players supposed to come from? The NHL isnt a video game, you cannot just easily add star players. Im amazed he was able to get Phaneuf. He has done well in terms of asset management. This will prove true even moreso this year, as Nonis hopefully retains assets from trading Burke-acquired players like Bozak, Connolly, Lombardi and Franson.

Im sad that more people do not see it, but the Leafs roster is built very intelligently. It just so happens that the two missing pieces are very hard to obtain. The organizational depth is strong, however. It disappoints me that Brian Burke was not given the opportunity to mould this roster into its final shape, especially considering that there are enough assets to make a major trade, and enough cap space to facilitate adding a star player through free agency. It just seems so fickle to fire him, and it is downright stupid to do this to your organization right before the season, especially when Burke is so highly regarded. Its demoralizing.

 

[false bobo]

Pull the wool from over your eyes and wake up.

It doesn't benefit Burke at all to bad mouth the organization, but you can be sure that the stubborn, proud man is pissed and probably full of negative things he wants to say about the organization.

Also - the role he's taken within the organization (senior advisor), is a phantom role designed to ensure Burke gets paid while the organization doesn't have to pay severance. He's not going to do a damn thing for the team, and they know that.

geeze, you people will argue over anything

 

[BraveCanadian]

I'd be all classy and smiling too if I was getting paid 6 million dollars to stay home.

 

[Bleed Blue and White]

Brian Burke is a man of integrity. This is a real low blow by the Board at MLSE. It could be argued that firing him over on-ice performance is justified, however the timing of this move is inexcusable. The ownership group has blindsided the entire hockey operations side of the organization from top management to coaching staff, to the players themselves. Not to mention the fans.

The Leafs were in absolute shambles before Burke took over. They were poorly prepared and failed to adapt to the new salary cap. The Leafs were a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse under Pat Quinn in the pre cap lockout era. They could spend freely and worry less about drafting and minor league player development. However after the 2004 lockout the Leafs continued to try and ride the old core of McCabe, Tucker, Sundin, Belfour etc while adding through free agency Lindros, Allison, O'neill, Czerkawski, Kubina, Blake, instead of shifting organizational philosophies to a 'build from within' mentality.

As Fletcher took over for Ferguson, he found himself completely handcuffed by the no trade clauses held by almost all core players. Years of mortgaging the future had caught up to the Leafs. There was no legitimate top end talent in the minor league system to replace the aging veteran core, and they could not trade the core for assets because of the NTC's. There wasn't even much in the way of major pro talent whatsoever in the Leafs' farm at the time, top young players in the organization being Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Pogge. The 2003 through 2005 drafts yielded almost nothing for the Leafs. John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman. And indirectly Andrew Raycroft, who the Leafs traded 2005 first rounder Tuuka Rask for. Combine that rich draft history with a 'firesale' in which Antropov, Kaberle, Moore, Ponikarovsky are your main attractions, and its easy to see why the Leafs' future was in such bad shape.

The critics of Brian Burke need to do more research on how bad of a state the Leafs were in at the time. They were an absolute wreck. The Kessel trade is Burke's defining moment, and in my opinion it isn't a definitive 'loss' for the Leafs. That can't be determined yet. Yes the Leafs haven't made the playoffs since Burke took over, but where exactly were the impact players supposed to come from? The NHL isnt a video game, you cannot just easily add star players. Im amazed he was able to get Phaneuf. He has done well in terms of asset management. This will prove true even moreso this year, as Nonis hopefully retains assets from trading Burke-acquired players like Bozak, Connolly, Lombardi and Franson.

Im sad that more people do not see it, but the Leafs roster is built very intelligently. It just so happens that the two missing pieces are very hard to obtain. The organizational depth is strong, however. It disappoints me that Brian Burke was not given the opportunity to mould this roster into its final shape, especially considering that there are enough assets to make a major trade, and enough cap space to facilitate adding a star player through free agency. It just seems so fickle to fire him, and it is downright stupid to do this to your organization right before the season, especially when Burke is so highly regarded. Its demoralizing.

Well said!

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Burke is "floored" that's priceless.

No what was floored was the team he assembled at the bottom on the NHL standings. Surely on job performance alone that should help him understand his situation he finds himself in.

Mess my friend, when the playoffs finally do come in and the players he has put in our system come together in those curcial moments. He'll floor a lot of his critics.

Man I wish MLSE was patient instead of doing a bloody juggling act. Classy remark by Burkie, will only wish him the best.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Brian Burke is a man of integrity. This is a real low blow by the Board at MLSE. It could be argued that firing him over on-ice performance is justified, however the timing of this move is inexcusable. The ownership group has blindsided the entire hockey operations side of the organization from top management to coaching staff, to the players themselves. Not to mention the fans.

The Leafs were in absolute shambles before Burke took over. They were poorly prepared and failed to adapt to the new salary cap. The Leafs were a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse under Pat Quinn in the pre cap lockout era. They could spend freely and worry less about drafting and minor league player development. However after the 2004 lockout the Leafs continued to try and ride the old core of McCabe, Tucker, Sundin, Belfour etc while adding through free agency Lindros, Allison, O'neill, Czerkawski, Kubina, Blake, instead of shifting organizational philosophies to a 'build from within' mentality.

As Fletcher took over for Ferguson, he found himself completely handcuffed by the no trade clauses held by almost all core players. Years of mortgaging the future had caught up to the Leafs. There was no legitimate top end talent in the minor league system to replace the aging veteran core, and they could not trade the core for assets because of the NTC's. There wasn't even much in the way of major pro talent whatsoever in the Leafs' farm at the time, top young players in the organization being Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Pogge. The 2003 through 2005 drafts yielded almost nothing for the Leafs. John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman. And indirectly Andrew Raycroft, who the Leafs traded 2005 first rounder Tuuka Rask for. Combine that rich draft history with a 'firesale' in which Antropov, Kaberle, Moore, Ponikarovsky are your main attractions, and its easy to see why the Leafs' future was in such bad shape.

The critics of Brian Burke need to do more research on how bad of a state the Leafs were in at the time. They were an absolute wreck. The Kessel trade is Burke's defining moment, and in my opinion it isn't a definitive 'loss' for the Leafs. That can't be determined yet. Yes the Leafs haven't made the playoffs since Burke took over, but where exactly were the impact players supposed to come from? The NHL isnt a video game, you cannot just easily add star players. Im amazed he was able to get Phaneuf. He has done well in terms of asset management. This will prove true even moreso this year, as Nonis hopefully retains assets from trading Burke-acquired players like Bozak, Connolly, Lombardi and Franson.

Im sad that more people do not see it, but the Leafs roster is built very intelligently. It just so happens that the two missing pieces are very hard to obtain. The organizational depth is strong, however. It disappoints me that Brian Burke was not given the opportunity to mould this roster into its final shape, especially considering that there are enough assets to make a major trade, and enough cap space to facilitate adding a star player through free agency. It just seems so fickle to fire him, and it is downright stupid to do this to your organization right before the season, especially when Burke is so highly regarded. Its demoralizing.

To you my good friend, have become a gentleman and a scholar before my eyes. Well said!

Don't fret though, when the time comes and mark my words it will, people will see it eventually even if it will be difficult to admit it.

 

[Leafidelity]

Brian Burke is a man of integrity. This is a real low blow by the Board at MLSE. It could be argued that firing him over on-ice performance is justified, however the timing of this move is inexcusable. The ownership group has blindsided the entire hockey operations side of the organization from top management to coaching staff, to the players themselves. Not to mention the fans.

The Leafs were in absolute shambles before Burke took over. They were poorly prepared and failed to adapt to the new salary cap. The Leafs were a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse under Pat Quinn in the pre cap lockout era. They could spend freely and worry less about drafting and minor league player development. However after the 2004 lockout the Leafs continued to try and ride the old core of McCabe, Tucker, Sundin, Belfour etc while adding through free agency Lindros, Allison, O'neill, Czerkawski, Kubina, Blake, instead of shifting organizational philosophies to a 'build from within' mentality.

As Fletcher took over for Ferguson, he found himself completely handcuffed by the no trade clauses held by almost all core players. Years of mortgaging the future had caught up to the Leafs. There was no legitimate top end talent in the minor league system to replace the aging veteran core, and they could not trade the core for assets because of the NTC's. There wasn't even much in the way of major pro talent whatsoever in the Leafs' farm at the time, top young players in the organization being Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Pogge. The 2003 through 2005 drafts yielded almost nothing for the Leafs. John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman. And indirectly Andrew Raycroft, who the Leafs traded 2005 first rounder Tuuka Rask for. Combine that rich draft history with a 'firesale' in which Antropov, Kaberle, Moore, Ponikarovsky are your main attractions, and its easy to see why the Leafs' future was in such bad shape.

The critics of Brian Burke need to do more research on how bad of a state the Leafs were in at the time. They were an absolute wreck. The Kessel trade is Burke's defining moment, and in my opinion it isn't a definitive 'loss' for the Leafs. That can't be determined yet. Yes the Leafs haven't made the playoffs since Burke took over, but where exactly were the impact players supposed to come from? The NHL isnt a video game, you cannot just easily add star players. Im amazed he was able to get Phaneuf. He has done well in terms of asset management. This will prove true even moreso this year, as Nonis hopefully retains assets from trading Burke-acquired players like Bozak, Connolly, Lombardi and Franson.

Im sad that more people do not see it, but the Leafs roster is built very intelligently. It just so happens that the two missing pieces are very hard to obtain. The organizational depth is strong, however. It disappoints me that Brian Burke was not given the opportunity to mould this roster into its final shape, especially considering that there are enough assets to make a major trade, and enough cap space to facilitate adding a star player through free agency. It just seems so fickle to fire him, and it is downright stupid to do this to your organization right before the season, especially when Burke is so highly regarded. Its demoralizing.

Well said. I agree entirely, as I believe most Leafs fans do.

 

[Budsfan]

I'd be all classy and smiling too if I was getting paid 6 million dollars to stay home.

Frankly he could have just collected the money owed to him on his contract and stayed home as you suggest but instead he asked to be kept on as a Senior Advisor and is trying to help the team, either way he gets that money.

How many here would stay in Toronto and be assailed by the media and fans, he unlike some hockey players that take the money and run and are paid the kind of money they do, to play in places where nobody knows their name, where they can golf all year round and still get paid as much, or more than playing in Toronto and I might add are subsidized by the fans of the Leafs to do so.

Class and commitment, is rare in today's society but Burke deserves the title "Classy".

 

[Budsfan]

Brian Burke is a man of integrity. This is a real low blow by the Board at MLSE. It could be argued that firing him over on-ice performance is justified, however the timing of this move is inexcusable. The ownership group has blindsided the entire hockey operations side of the organization from top management to coaching staff, to the players themselves. Not to mention the fans.

The Leafs were in absolute shambles before Burke took over. They were poorly prepared and failed to adapt to the new salary cap. The Leafs were a perennial Eastern Conference powerhouse under Pat Quinn in the pre cap lockout era. They could spend freely and worry less about drafting and minor league player development. However after the 2004 lockout the Leafs continued to try and ride the old core of McCabe, Tucker, Sundin, Belfour etc while adding through free agency Lindros, Allison, O'neill, Czerkawski, Kubina, Blake, instead of shifting organizational philosophies to a 'build from within' mentality.

As Fletcher took over for Ferguson, he found himself completely handcuffed by the no trade clauses held by almost all core players. Years of mortgaging the future had caught up to the Leafs. There was no legitimate top end talent in the minor league system to replace the aging veteran core, and they could not trade the core for assets because of the NTC's. There wasn't even much in the way of major pro talent whatsoever in the Leafs' farm at the time, top young players in the organization being Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Pogge. The 2003 through 2005 drafts yielded almost nothing for the Leafs. John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Anton Stralman. And indirectly Andrew Raycroft, who the Leafs traded 2005 first rounder Tuuka Rask for. Combine that rich draft history with a 'firesale' in which Antropov, Kaberle, Moore, Ponikarovsky are your main attractions, and its easy to see why the Leafs' future was in such bad shape.

The critics of Brian Burke need to do more research on how bad of a state the Leafs were in at the time. They were an absolute wreck. The Kessel trade is Burke's defining moment, and in my opinion it isn't a definitive 'loss' for the Leafs. That can't be determined yet. Yes the Leafs haven't made the playoffs since Burke took over, but where exactly were the impact players supposed to come from? The NHL isnt a video game, you cannot just easily add star players. Im amazed he was able to get Phaneuf. He has done well in terms of asset management. This will prove true even moreso this year, as Nonis hopefully retains assets from trading Burke-acquired players like Bozak, Connolly, Lombardi and Franson.

Im sad that more people do not see it, but the Leafs roster is built very intelligently. It just so happens that the two missing pieces are very hard to obtain. The organizational depth is strong, however. It disappoints me that Brian Burke was not given the opportunity to mould this roster into its final shape, especially considering that there are enough assets to make a major trade, and enough cap space to facilitate adding a star player through free agency. It just seems so fickle to fire him, and it is downright stupid to do this to your organization right before the season, especially when Burke is so highly regarded. Its demoralizing.

I agree great post