Brian Burke Presser at 12:00

[SenorDingDong]

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.

Big difference here.

Sather has had 10 years to put a team together and his teams did not start doing well until after had over 5 years to build them.

Burke had less then 4 years.

As long as ownership keeps shipping out GM's every 3-4 years the leafs will never be a successful team.

 

[Leafidelity]

As long as ownership keeps shipping out GM's every 3-4 years the leafs will never be a successful team.

There it is right there. 9 GMs in 24 years is a new GM every 2.6 years. The Maple Leafs and their fans are notoriously impatient.

 

[diceman934]

Big difference here.

Sather has had 10 years to put a team together and his teams did not start doing well until after had over 5 years to build them.

Burke had less then 4 years.

As long as ownership keeps shipping out GM's every 3-4 years the leafs will never be a successful team.

In my opinion Burke left the new owners no choice. I stated on here several times prior to the new owners taking over that Burke would be on a short leash once they took over. If Nonis can have a good year this year and the following year, then he maybe the GM who gets to stay long enough to make a difference.

Burke limited his tenure here by failing to act in the best interest of his employer.

 

[Confucius]

Big difference here.

Sather has had 10 years to put a team together and his teams did not start doing well until after had over 5 years to build them.

Burke had less then 4 years.

As long as ownership keeps shipping out GM's every 3-4 years the leafs will never be a successful team.

Again,it's Burkes own fault, he did say I don't need five years for a rebuild,etc. When someone sits back and ponders all the crap he spewed about what the team was going to be and how he was going to do it and looks at the team today, sheesh.

 

[hotpaws]

Again,it's Burkes own fault, he did say I don't need five years for a rebuild,etc. When someone sits back and ponders all the crap he spewed about what the team was going to be and how he was going to do it and looks at the team today, sheesh.

Well said .

He said he builds from the net out - fail

He said he wanted to build a tough gritty team - fail

He said he didn't need 5 years to build a contender - fail

He took over the 7th worst team in the league and in his 3 full seasons they finished 2nd/9th/5th last - fail

He took over a team with a prospect pool that was rated in the bottom half of the league and after 4 full drafts he left a team with a prospect pool still rated in the bottom half of the league - fail

Burke was held accountable for his failures so why the **** was he so shocked he was fired ? I can only guess that Burke felt entitled to be the GM for as long as he felt like doing it .

 

[asdf]

Again,it's Burkes own fault, he did say I don't need five years for a rebuild,etc. When someone sits back and ponders all the crap he spewed about what the team was going to be and how he was going to do it and looks at the team today, sheesh.

So if Burke had been like the other 29 GM's, who are quiet and humble, who make no statements in public, who hide in a bunker and eat, breathe, and sleep their team 24/7, then his tenure would be looking better and he wouldn't deserve to be fired?

Sorry but IMO this talk about how Burke is a loudmouth, blowhard, who said this and that is all a red herring. This is all about one move. One trade.

 

[4evaBlue]

Wow Brad May pinned the problem on Ron Wilson, for the team's bad play and said it would have been a different outcome, if Wilson had have been fired 3 years ago.

He's bang on, imo

Absolutely. This, however is partially Burke's fault for keeping him so long. It's really a catch 22. He wanted to give Wilson a chance to succeed (which essentially meant a reasonable roster), before deciding to fire him.

 

[4evaBlue]

I want to hear from the board of directors. I can't believe that they have not said anything yet.

And chances are, they never will. They don't feel accountable to anyone, as most Bell & Rogers customers should have found out by now.

The shot at Simmons (and indirectly by extension the Toronto Sun & Sun Media) was in fact one the very apparent underlying reasons (his uncontrollable personality) to maintain emotions and come across professionally when conducting himself in public as a representative of MLSE that got him fired. Many of these media outlets are extensions of/or work under the MLSE corporate umbrella or are advertising/marketing means to generate more revenue for MLSE.

He tells it the way it is. He is up front, direct, and honest. That's more than what can be said about his former bosses.

The most telling line during this interview was: "At an age when accountability seems to be vanishing...".

 

[Suntouchable13]

Big difference here.

Sather has had 10 years to put a team together and his teams did not start doing well until after had over 5 years to build them.

Burke had less then 4 years.

As long as ownership keeps shipping out GM's every 3-4 years the leafs will never be a successful team.

Before the lockout he was not building anything. He was spending like a drunken sailor trying to buy his way to the playoffs/Stanley Cup and failed miserably. Only after the lockout and lucking into Lundqvist that his teams started to trend upwards. Still kept way overpaying guys too. He is nothing special. He would have been fired too if not for his great relationship with the owner. People talk about Sather as if he was a model of patience and slowly building a team, give me a break.

 

[Confucius]

And chances are, they never will. They don't feel accountable to anyone, as most Bell & Rogers customers should have found out by now.



He tells it the way it is. He is up front, direct, and honest. That's more than what can be said about his former bosses.

The most telling line during this interview was: "At an age when accountability seems to be vanishing...".

Well Burke was asked, he didn't answer. He said he was told why. Why didn't he tell us? Now you expect MLSE to tell us? Why is it ok for Burke to keep it behind closed doors but not OK for MLSE to do the same. If MLSE did spell it out, I just know there would be pages and pages of criticism for them going public.

 

[4evaBlue]

Well Burke was asked, he didn't answer. He said he was told why. Why didn't he tell us? Now you expect MLSE to tell us? Why is it ok for Burke to keep it behind closed doors but not OK for MLSE to do the same. If MLSE did spell it out, I just know there would be pages and pages of criticism for them going public.

Because it wasn't his "secret" to tell. Burke is answerable for the decisions he's made, not for the decisions of others.

 

[Confucius]

Because it wasn't his "secret" to tell. Burke is answerable for the decisions he's made, not for the decisions of others.

I don't see it that way. If I got fired and was then asked why. It would look badly if I said I don't want to tell you. Would it not? If my company said it was non of your business we all could understand that.

 

[dissociater]

Absolutely. This, however is partially Burke's fault for keeping him so long. It's really a catch 22. He wanted to give Wilson a chance to succeed (which essentially meant a reasonable roster), before deciding to fire him.

I've said before, I feel like Burke did a pretty decent, if not very good job of managing his assets, but a poor job of managing his team. He kept Wilson far too long, kept players up on the big team far longer than they deserved (although perhaps that was to facilitate moving them?) and didn't promote players who should have been given a longer chance to remain in the NHL in the face of a losing season.

 

[hockeywiz542]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...ner-ballard-with-burke-firing/article7147945/

Burke’s removal as president and general manager has the fingerprints of the newest owners, Rogers Communications Inc., and BCE Inc., all over it, rather than Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., chairman Larry Tanenbaum. Several NHL governors said the word going around the room Wednesday when they met to approve the new collective agreement was that Burke’s abrasive and loud public style long rubbed BCE and Rogers suits the wrong way.

Also hanging over the decision was the long shadow of Roberto Luongo. The consensus among the same hockey executives and some NHL GMs was the stalled trade talks for the Vancouver Canucks goaltender were, at the very least, the final straw in the decision to fire Burke and replace him with senior vice-president of hockey operations David Nonis just 10 days before the lockout-shortened season began.

Burke was not keen to meet the asking price of Canucks GM Mike Gillis for Luongo. Nonis and the other Leaf executives are said to be more willing to get a deal done. Gillis said Burke’s firing won’t affect the talks one way or the other.

 

[4evaBlue]

I don't see it that way. If I got fired and was then asked why. It would look badly if I said I don't want to tell you. Would it not? If my company said it was non of your business we all could understand that.

That's the difference between private and public figures. The majority of people couldn't care less why a random person got fired. Telling your buddies the reasons has absolutely no effect on anything.

Airing dirty laundry in a presser is another story.

 

[MajorityRules*]

There it is right there. 9 GMs in 24 years is a new GM every 2.6 years. The Maple Leafs and their fans are notoriously impatient.

Exactly and I was hoping when they hired Burke they had finally figured it out. Unfortunately these new owners are likely similar to the many armchair gm's around here More vocals than brains.

I'm actually going to miss the way Burke dealt with the media. It's exactly the way they should be treated if they're going to ask dumb questions and beat their chest like they could actually do the job. It's why I liked Quinn as well. I'm sure everyone will be quite content with the politically correctness that will now be the Maple Leafs.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Exactly and I was hoping when they hired Burke they had finally figured it out. Unfortunately these new owners are likely similar to the many armchair gm's around here More vocals than brains.

I'm actually going to miss the way Burke dealt with the media. It's exactly the way they should be treated if they're going to ask dumb questions and beat their chest like they could actually do the job. It's why I liked Quinn as well. I'm sure everyone will be quite content with the politically correctness that will now be the Maple Leafs.

Who cares? Just get the job done.

 

[4evaBlue]

I've said before, I feel like Burke did a pretty decent, if not very good job of managing his assets, but a poor job of managing his team. He kept Wilson far too long, kept players up on the big team far longer than they deserved (although perhaps that was to facilitate moving them?) and didn't promote players who should have been given a longer chance to remain in the NHL in the face of a losing season.

A lot of people (including me) say Burke didn't get enough time to finish his work. Would it have been fair to Wilson to fire him 2-3 years after hiring him? Especially considering the crappy team he was given to work with in his first couple of seasons. Personally, I would have fired him based on the lack of a defensive system, and the ineffective special teams. All aspects that are very much coachable. Still, a tough decision while trying to remain fair.

As for player related moves, Burke's said numerous times that it was the coach's prerogative who they use on their roster.

 

[Gatorade*]

Exactly and I was hoping when they hired Burke they had finally figured it out. Unfortunately these new owners are likely similar to the many armchair gm's around here More vocals than brains.

I'm actually going to miss the way Burke dealt with the media. It's exactly the way they should be treated if they're going to ask dumb questions and beat their chest like they could actually do the job. It's why I liked Quinn as well. I'm sure everyone will be quite content with the politically correctness that will now be the Maple Leafs.

Who cares. The nightmare is over. The Ahole is gone.

The reign of the worst GM in the history of the Leafs is over!!!

This has been an awesome few days!!!!

 

[Confucius]

That's the difference between private and public figures. The majority of people couldn't care less why a random person got fired. Telling your buddies the reasons has absolutely no effect on anything.

Airing dirty laundry in a presser is another story.

Bottom line is it would reflect poorly on a company stating why a person was fired, when the person in question refused to answer the question the day before. It doesn't matter if it's public person.

 

[4evaBlue]

Who cares? Just get the job done.

To improve Bell's and Rogers' public image and popularity?

 

[Disgruntled Observer*]

A lot of people (including me) say Burke didn't get enough time to finish his work. Would it have been fair to Wilson to fire him 2-3 years after hiring him? Especially considering the crappy team he was given to work with in his first couple of seasons. Personally, I would have fired him based on the lack of a defensive system, and the ineffective special teams. All aspects that are very much coachable. Still, a tough decision while trying to remain fair.

As for player related moves, Burke's said numerous times that it was the coach's prerogative who they use on their roster.

While 4 years probably isn't enough time to fully complete a rebuild...
if the rebuild was going properly, you should be able to see some sign of improvement.

But after four years of bottom 10 finishes, we don't score more goals, don't prevent more goals, don't win more games, and have lower rated prospects in lists created by professional nhl scouts.

I don't think ownership thought Burke's rebuild should be COMPLETE by now. But they wanted to see some indication that the rebuild was working. If they thought it was, they would have kept Burke.
But fortunately for us, ownership looked at the facts and saw that the rebuild WASN'T going well. So Burke got fired.
Pretty simple really...

 

[Riellyfan04]

Honestly, its so sad seeing Burke leave. This team 4 years ago was totally garbge.. Had no prospects and had no hope. Burke brought in big pieces to our future and he gets the boot, but when JFJ was trading our future pieces for old farts there some were praising him and stupid mlse wasnt firing him... Look at our team 4 years ago and look at the team now and tell me if theres a big improvement.. Burke did make some mistakes but every gm does...I feel bad for the guy but i feel even more bad for us leafs fans. With this ownership, we will never have a contender team to compete for the cup. These owners are thirty for money and thats it..

I was never a supporter of a new team in Toronto, but now that this is happening i really would like another Toronto team. Im so sick of being a Leafs fan. These owners that we get are just terrible and will never give a **** about us fans..

 

[Gatorade*]

To improve Bell's and Rogers' public image and popularity?

Pretty sure they are the Leafs nowadays.

 

[4evaBlue]

Bottom line is it would reflect poorly on a company stating why a person was fired, when the person in question refused to answer the question the day before. It doesn't matter if it's public person.

You mean a company clarifying their major decisions to their customers would reflect poorly on a company?

Agree to disagree, I guess.