Brian Burke Presser at 12:00

[samwitch]

Cherry strangely silent, however knowing him, he would not gloat over a man losing his job. Ironically he and Burke share more similarities than differences.

That's what I always found funny with those two. They are so similar in their outspoken and opinionated ways that they clashed.

 

[diceman934]

Ron Wilson hasn't reported for work in almost a year. He's still getting paid.

He is also unemployed......and he would not still be getting payed had Burke not gave him a parting Gift!

 

[DeathToAllButMetal]

At the time, Kondratiev and Immonen were very decent prospects. Kondratiev had even played a handful of games with the Leafs earlier that year.

Considering Leetch's age at the time, the two picks on top of them were way too much.

Yeah, how'd they work out?

That deal was a pretty solid one. JFJ valued the prospects quite accurately as being pretty worthless and ditched them in a short-term move to go for it. Smart on him. Also, didn't Leetch come with another year on his deal? He'd have played for the Leafs in 04-05 if not for the year being killed by the lockout.

High price, but Leetch was a great d-man that would've been a solid asset to the Leafs for a good little while beyond the 04 playoffs if not for the lockout.

 

[agropop]

Simmons bit was hilarious, I'm gonna miss Burke.

 

[firstemperor]

Let's not forget that the Rangers are another big market team, owned by a publicly traded company, and their coach (Torts) is about as loud mouthed & brash as it gets. He gets away with it because he produces results.

Well said. At the end of the day, it's about winning or at least asset accumulation. And with 4 terrible finishes, not only has Burke not won but his net gain in assets is much lower than it should have been with his botched moves- obviously the Kessel deal comes to mind.

No excuses. Burke deserved to be fired.

 

[DeathToAllButMetal]

Yes, your assumptions and opinions are facts, run along now. Great posts so far, you're a gem.

I don't think Burke should of been in the media so often while he was the GM, but I have no problem with his issues against Simmons. The comment he made toward him at the press conference was well deserved. I respect Burke as a man, but his tenure with the Leafs will always be deemed a failure. I think as an organization we've improved a lot since he's taken over, but we're still a loosing team at the end of the day. There's a lot of hindsight being passed off as common knowledge in here...

It's not about Simmons, though, it's about Burke. You just don't fight those sorts of wars with the media, no matter what you think of them. Eventually, you're going to lose. Someone will take you down. Just simply ignoring that stuff is the best policy. Burke could never, ever do that, and it goes right to his ego. He always, always, ALWAYS has to have the last word. Sometimes, shutting up is the best way to win a fight. It's sad that Burke has reached the age of 60 or so and still not realized this.

Someone will undoubtedly hire Burke as a GM again. But really, his reputation has been tremendously damaged by what's happened in Toronto. Some clubs will not go anywhere near the guy now. And it's not just about the losing record with the Leafs. Burke's antics and constant sideshows are the bigger story. Part of that is the timing and the weird MLSE comments that this wasn't just about Burke's record. But no matter what, these issues would have been raised whenever Burke eventually was canned.

As for hindsight, I don't know about that. I said that his tenure with the Leafs was as good as dead the moment he mortgaged the future to make the Kessel deal. I loved the initial hiring, but damn near everything since then was very tough to get behind. All the media brushfires. The insane reluctance to get rid of Wilson. That idiotic feud with Cherry. Refusing to go seriously after top players due to personal beliefs about the length/structure of contracts being offered. Not recognizing the desperate need in goal. And on and on.

A lot of posters here and elsewhere were criticizing these deals along the way. So saying that we're all hypocrites with 20/20 hindsight is a bit much. I've been complaining about this slo-mo train wreck for years.

 

[dimi78]

It's the media's job to scrutinize. Whether they praise or jeer is entirely on the shoulders of the subject. If you can't take the media in a big market, get out.

It's the media's job to be honest and chase facts to tell the stories that are out there not stretch and manipulate them to give them a jump in interest to sell. Burke called them out on whomever operated like this in the media and was fired for it.

Like I said the media get a free ride, they don't answer to nobody as long as they generate interest to watch there sports shows, buy papers etc... Why do you think Simmons still has a job? Everybody knows he's a dirtbag but people talk about what he writes generating interest to buy the sun and read it his drivel, click on there web site to read his drivel.

The Kessel trade has been painted with such a negative picture even though he's still the best player in the trade yet not once has anybody in the media raised the question is the team a winner if the trade didn't happen? How could something be viewed as a dark cloud when the opposite doesn't change anything the team with Seguin, Hamilton etc... is still a losing one does Burke get a pass if the trade didn't happen or does the media say 4 years and no playoffs he should be fired? I think you know the answer to this.

Controversy is what the media is about today not actually report the truth, that's there roll in society that if you get on the wrong end of them they will destroy you and that's what happen to Burke he and the struggles of the team in transition just made it easy for them.


I can't wait for Vancouver to go on it's first losing streak I could see the Luongo is a distraction stories being told already.... Welcome to the world of the media

 

[NewFang]

Cherry strangely silent, however knowing him, he would not gloat over a man losing his job. Ironically he and Burke share more similarities than differences.

He hasnt been silent. He sent out numerous tweets on the day of the firing.

 

[Leafs For Life*]

lol This seems like Burke wants to be fired so he can get the money and live life.

 

[DeathToAllButMetal]

The one thing that bothers me the most about Burke, too, is his hypocrisy. He again played the tough guy in that final press conference, the straight shooter who's always going to say whatever he thinks. Well, for someone so tough and honest, he's got one hell of a thin skin. And saying what you think is one thing, waging campaigns to get people fired (Cherry) is something else.

People who really just say it for what it is and are truly honest and forthright handle themselves very differently. You don't get anywhere starting personal arguments and lobbing insults at the media. You just say you disagree and give your spin on it, being as strong as you want without insulting the other guy. You use a reliance on facts and your own strong perspective. That's the best way to make the other person look like a buffoon. The idea is to let other people make up their own minds, which they will always do anyways. Trying to browbeat everyone just ends up turning people off.

Burke's always confused schoolyard bullying with being a straight shooter, or John Wayne, as Grange aptly points out in his article today. That's always made it hard for me to take anything he says seriously. Looks like some folks with MLSE felt the same way.

 

[diceman934]

Hearing Burke speak at his press conference reminded me of the way I felt when we hired him....he still has a very high opinion of himself, but this time without the evidence to support it. I liked his sarcasm and looks on his face when asked a question that he did not care for.

Taking a shot at Steve Simmons was funny, but not required. Far to much self promotion in the media and no results with the on ice product. His larger than life personality was great, his ability to delivery his promises here cost him his job.

I hope he gets another GM job and I could see Columbus as a spot or the Islanders sooner rather than later.

 

[DeathToAllButMetal]

It's the media's job to be honest and chase facts to tell the stories that are out there not stretch and manipulate them to give them a jump in interest to sell. Burke called them out on whomever operated like this in the media and was fired for it.

Like I said the media get a free ride, they don't answer to nobody as long as they generate interest to watch there sports shows, buy papers etc... Why do you think Simmons still has a job? Everybody knows he's a dirtbag but people talk about what he writes generating interest to buy the sun and read it his drivel, click on there web site to read his drivel.

Just like with Burke, you don't get anywhere with crap like calling Simmons a dirtbag. Not saying it's easy to avoid the cheap shot, we all do it, especially here on the net. But it doesn't help your argument, as with that insult you're in essence telling other people what they should think about Simmons.

I'm no fan of Simmons and the way he writes, either. But as soon as I read "dirtbag," I tune out the rest of the post. It's doesn't do your opinion any good to throw out those sorts of insults. You'd have been better off throwing out an example of Simmons questionable writing as an example of why Burke resorted to the insult today.

Dirtbag, though? Come on. He's a tabloid sports reporter, not a drug dealer.

 

[robdicks]

Well said. At the end of the day, it's about winning or at least asset accumulation. And with 4 terrible finishes, not only has Burke not won but his net gain in assets is much lower than it should have been with his botched moves- obviously the Kessel deal comes to mind.

No excuses. Burke deserved to be fired.

Well if we are going to talk about his botched moves, then we should at least look at all of them together rather than just one deal that you perceive to be bad.

He also picked Franson, Phaneuf, Lupul, and Gardiner for what were essentially scraps. The only moves that I think were BAD moves were the signings of Connolly, and Komisarek. Although I did agree with both of them at the time they were done.

 

[BLONG7]

Hearing Burke speak at his press conference reminded me of the way I felt when we hired him....he still has a very high opinion of himself, but this time without the evidence to support it. I liked his sarcasm and looks on his face when asked a question that he did not care for.

Taking a shot at Steve Simmons was funny, but not required. Far to much self promotion in the media and no results with the on ice product. His larger than life personality was great, his ability to delivery his promises here cost him his job.

I hope he gets another GM job and I could see Columbus as a spot or the Islanders sooner rather than later.

Burkie just can't help himself, he seemed to answer most questions in a respectful manner, yet then there was Simmons...no need for it...

Burkie is a standup guy, to a fault...

 

[The Apologist]

Make no mistake about it Burke disrespected and pissed off a lot of people in the media here in Toronto when he was running the Leafs don't be surprised if there's some payback for the bellicose big bully at his farewell presser and questions are asked to try to push his buttons would love to see it.

Is it Burkes fault they're all morons?

 

[Confucius]

Is it Burkes fault they're all morons?

Hmmmmmmmm
I guess you've heard the expression, it's not me, it's the world that's wrong. Hopefully Burke doesn't think as you do.

 

[zoA]

It's not about Simmons, though, it's about Burke. You just don't fight those sorts of wars with the media, no matter what you think of them. Eventually, you're going to lose. Someone will take you down. Just simply ignoring that stuff is the best policy. Burke could never, ever do that, and it goes right to his ego. He always, always, ALWAYS has to have the last word. Sometimes, shutting up is the best way to win a fight. It's sad that Burke has reached the age of 60 or so and still not realized this.

Someone will undoubtedly hire Burke as a GM again. But really, his reputation has been tremendously damaged by what's happened in Toronto. Some clubs will not go anywhere near the guy now. And it's not just about the losing record with the Leafs. Burke's antics and constant sideshows are the bigger story. Part of that is the timing and the weird MLSE comments that this wasn't just about Burke's record. But no matter what, these issues would have been raised whenever Burke eventually was canned.

As for hindsight, I don't know about that. I said that his tenure with the Leafs was as good as dead the moment he mortgaged the future to make the Kessel deal. I loved the initial hiring, but damn near everything since then was very tough to get behind. All the media brushfires. The insane reluctance to get rid of Wilson. That idiotic feud with Cherry. Refusing to go seriously after top players due to personal beliefs about the length/structure of contracts being offered. Not recognizing the desperate need in goal. And on and on.

A lot of posters here and elsewhere were criticizing these deals along the way. So saying that we're all hypocrites with 20/20 hindsight is a bit much. I've been complaining about this slo-mo train wreck for years.

I agree, I was more referring to his issues with Simmons being justified, not how he went about dealing with them. Since he is no longer the GM of the Leafs, I didn't have a problem with how he handled Simmons. That said, that last little jab might have cost him a look with a team, then again it might even garner respect with others. You never know how people will perceive different actions, but the safer bet is to do as you said.

The hindsight comment was a general statement, it wasn't aimed at anyone specifically. The large majority didn't like the Kessel trade when it first happened, but we also hailed our new defence as top 5-10 in the league. I thought our team was going to be much better than the 2nd last we finished and I'd say the majority felt the same way. Boston got one of the most successful (currently) players out of the 2010 draft, and then they got Hamilton with the 9th pick, where no one thought he would end up. The trade, which most didn't agree with, became absolutely terrible as it unfolded. Bad trade for sure, one that set us back years, but depending on the draft picks that were selected, with the current version of Kessel it could have turned out completely different. How many people thought Beauchemin would be a great signing? There were some major problems in Burke's tenure, but I don't think it was as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

Once again, my comment was general, not directed at you or anyone else specifically. I do however think a lot of people are full of it when they claim they knew all along. I was against the Burke hiring, but while I saw a lot of the problems I figured would happen, I also saw a lot of positives and I think if you minus the Kessel trade everyone would be singing his praises for rebuilding our team - regardless of his brash personality.

 

[dubey]

Burkie just can't help himself, he seemed to answer most questions in a respectful manner, yet then there was Simmons...no need for it...

Burkie is a standup guy, to a fault...

To be fair Steve Simmons is a sleazebag. Simmons knows it, Burke knows it, everyone knows it whether they want to admit it or not. Those types deserve to be set straight sometimes.

Will be interesting to see how Nonis handles him. Carlyle has an edge to his personality too I wonder if he's told to turn it down.

 

[Confucius]

Well of course Burke got some things right, he didn't screw everything up. Sure he did a better job than some guy who has never watched a game would have done. Was he worth 3 million per year plus the army of assistants he hired to help do his job. Hell no.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

I'm glad he called Simmons out for the *** hat he is, and will personally miss Burke.

After the Kessel trade, he learned a lesson. You could see it in the way he conducted deals afterwards.

This thread is funny, with all the NHL13 GM's acting hard.

We'll see Burke's best work yet. Funny how a lowly, hapless farm team is now competing for the Calder cup, but people act like Burke set the franchise BACK.

It's funny when you can tell that people's only real experience with hockey is some house league, and too many hours in front of a game console.

Hope he lands on his feet with another organization soon. Columbus would be blessed to have Burke.

 

[hockeywiz542]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-to-dislike-burke-from-get-go/article7152064/

Days after their blockbuster $1.3-billion acquisition of the Toronto Maple Leafs closed, the team’s new owners met with general manager Brian Burke to hear his plans for revitalizing the losing franchise.

By all accounts, the first impression from the famously outspoken Mr. Burke did not go well. Within days of that introductory presentation in late August, the new board of directors began building a list of names to replace Mr. Burke.

According to a source in the room, Mr. Burke offered few solid answers for why the losses on the ice kept piling up. Nor did he explain why his four-year rebuilding effort had failed to solve two key issues for the hockey team: finding a first-line centre and stabilizing the Leafs’ goaltending situation.

Executives of BCE and Rogers Communications, who together control 75 per cent of the sports franchise, found Mr. Burke defensive and brusque – difficult to work with, the source said.

It was in that meeting that the early seeds of a personality clash were sown, sources close to Rogers and Bell said. Soon after, BCE chief executive officer George Cope, unsure that Mr. Burke was the right man to lead the team forward, began discussing a search for a new GM with his colleagues at Rogers. The decision would culminate in Wednesday’s sudden firing of Mr. Burke, who will be replaced by his long-time protégé, Dave Nonis.

 

[diceman934]

Is it Burkes fault they're all morons?

Really.....get some perspective!

 

[ULF_55]

Ron Wilson hasn't reported for work in almost a year. He's still getting paid.

Where is he coaching?

 

[ULF_55]

I'm glad he called Simmons out for the *** hat he is, and will personally miss Burke.

After the Kessel trade, he learned a lesson. You could see it in the way he conducted deals afterwards.

This thread is funny, with all the NHL13 GM's acting hard.

We'll see Burke's best work yet. Funny how a lowly, hapless farm team is now competing for the Calder cup, but people act like Burke set the franchise BACK.

It's funny when you can tell that people's only real experience with hockey is some house league, and too many hours in front of a game console.

Hope he lands on his feet with another organization soon. Columbus would be blessed to have Burke.

I think the BJ's could compete for a playoffs spot this year.

 

[hotpaws]

It's the media's job to be honest and chase facts to tell the stories that are out there not stretch and manipulate them to give them a jump in interest to sell. Burke called them out on whomever operated like this in the media and was fired for it.

Like I said the media get a free ride, they don't answer to nobody as long as they generate interest to watch there sports shows, buy papers etc... Why do you think Simmons still has a job? Everybody knows he's a dirtbag but people talk about what he writes generating interest to buy the sun and read it his drivel, click on there web site to read his drivel.

The Kessel trade has been painted with such a negative picture even though he's still the best player in the trade yet not once has anybody in the media raised the question is the team a winner if the trade didn't happen? How could something be viewed as a dark cloud when the opposite doesn't change anything the team with Seguin, Hamilton etc... is still a losing one does Burke get a pass if the trade didn't happen or does the media say 4 years and no playoffs he should be fired? I think you know the answer to this.

Controversy is what the media is about today not actually report the truth, that's there roll in society that if you get on the wrong end of them they will destroy you and that's what happen to Burke he and the struggles of the team in transition just made it easy for them.


I can't wait for Vancouver to go on it's first losing streak I could see the Luongo is a distraction stories being told already.... Welcome to the world of the media

Did you ever sk the question of why the trade was made if it wasn't going to make us a winner ? Anyway this thread isn't about the Kessel trade .

This press conference was a perfect illustration of why Burke was fired .

Why was it even neccesary , why did Burke feel the need to hold a press conference . He didn't shed light on anything and he looked like he was about to snap at any time . His shot at Simmonds just reinforces the sideshow bs that he brought to the team as it's GM . Also why did he ffel the new owners wanted him anywhere near the teams hockey operations after he was fired . The guys delusional and i'm thrilled he's gone .