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[Firing] Burke Done in TO


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I am unsure why people are so confused about the timing. Most of the admin stuff for arena's etc would be under the Presidents area of concern I would imagine. Now is better then most other times. Around the trade deadline would be terrible, after the trade deadline when the team needs stability would be another terrible idea. Playoffs/off season when team evaluation and FA/RFA/UFA/Trade activity hits its zenith would be the worst time. The only better time may have been August (or in the lockout's case the last 4-5 months) after most off-season activity has stopped. This is really the second least objectionable time to remove/replace a GM...

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I am unsure why people are so confused about the timing. Most of the admin stuff for arena's etc would be under the Presidents area of concern I would imagine. Now is better then most other times. Around the trade deadline would be terrible, after the trade deadline when the team needs stability would be another terrible idea. Playoffs/off season when team evaluation and FA/RFA/UFA/Trade activity hits its zenith would be the worst time. The only better time may have been August (or in the lockout's case the last 4-5 months) after most off-season activity has stopped. This is really the second least objectionable time to remove/replace a GM...
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I think it would have made more sense to fire Burke after the end of this season, since it's such a write off season and it doesn't look good for Nonis to have his first season being an obivious lost season. Especially since Nonis didn't have a chance to build his team this season.

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Too many people here doubt that Nonis can get the job done, to be fair Nonis didn't really have a whole lot of cards to play when he was our GM as we were tied up in the cap..The year that Gillis came in was his year to make his big moves but never got that chance, It be interesting to see what he does with the Leafs.

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Brian Burke knew exactly what to do. Didn’t even need to think about it for more than a second.

As soon as he learned he had been relieved of his duties as general manager of hockey’s most scrutinized team, he bolted from the Air Canada Centre to pick up his two youngest daughters, aged 7 and 8, at school.

“I called the older kids on the way, but I wanted the little ones to hear it from me first,” Burke told the Star today in an exclusive interview.

“They were okay. They just wanted to know if we’d have to move again. I said no.”

This morning, 48 hours after being dismissed in shocking fashion by the Maple Leafs and then agreeing to become a senior advisor to the team, the 57-year-old Burke walked into his preferred neighborhood coffee shop wearing a grey Providence College sweatshirt and a leather jacket.

No ball cap, no sunglasses. No attempt to hide, no sense of wanting not to be seen or recognized.

“I was floored, and I still am stunned. I’ve never been fired before,” he said about Wednesday’s announcement. “How am I doing? I’m doing okay.

“I’m so grateful I had a chance to run the crown jewel franchise of the NHL. I’m grateful to have been given the chance to live in Toronto. I love this city and I am grateful for the support of the fans.”

This was his second visit to his favourite Starbucks of the morning — he was up at 4:30 a.m. to work out, then out for his first coffee at 5:30 a.m. — and came after a neighbour had pointed out to him that the back window of one of his cars had been smashed in.

“I don’t know if it was a disgruntled fan or not,” he said in his first interview since being dismissed. “But they didn’t steal anything.”

Burke was driving to the airport on Wednesday to catch a 10:30 a.m. flight to New York for an NHL board of governors meeting when he answered a phone call from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chief operating officer Tom Anselmi. Anselmi asked Burke to instead come to the team’s offices at the Air Canada Centre where he was told he wasn’t in charge of the Leafs anymore.

When the late Pat Burns was dismissed as Leaf head coach 17 years ago, he immediately left for the Eastern Townships.

Burke, however, has no intention of going anywhere, at least not yet.

“My daughters need me around for a few days,” he said. “This is not a time to get out of town.”

He gave his older children tickets to the New England Patriots home playoff game this weekend, and may join them for that. On Thursday, without the responsibilities of running the Leafs any longer, he went to an afternoon matinee of the film Jack Reacher, choosing that movie over Hyde Park on the Hudson and Lincoln.

“It was great,” he smiled. “First time in my life I’ve ever been to a midweek matinee. First time I’ve ever gone to a movie alone.”

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.”

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On paper we have no (left side D) spot for Gardiner.

In reality we have a glaring need for a D man who can carry the puck up ice against pressure. We have strong defensive D men (Hamhuis, Garrison), guys who can score (Edler, Bieksa), we have guys who can pass (all, lol except Alberts), we have guys who can absolutely blast a puck; but we have desperately missed a puck rushing D man since Erhoff left. Many, including me, would like to see another right handed shot, or right side bone cruncher. But make NO mistake, our teams biggest weakness, defensively, is the puck carrier who can carry the puck up ice against pressure!

We can and should trade left D men if can acquire the puck carrier we need!

Then we can have fun with proposals;

Kadri, Bozak (plus a conditional pick please, or preferably Biggs?) for Lou as advertised.

Add Gardiner for Edler! We'll take on a cap dump (MacArthur?) to make the cap work. And we still have massive LW depth to trade for size or whatever at the deadline! With MacArthur gone,and Connely expiring, possibly buying out Komisarek they can expect to have money to re-sign Lupul, Edler and Kessel.

Voila; Toronto makes the play off's, gets cap relief and we get young puck moving defence (on an ELC) to add to a depth centre, plus passing and scoring right wing. Bingo; we also probably win a cup and extend our window?

Yes let's get kadri and gardiner who have no spot in our line-up much rather bozak +

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Except that neither Kadri or Bozak is the type of player we need. These guys would be great 4/5 years down the road maybe when the Twins retire but if we want a Cup anytime soon we need some "heavy duty pushback" The same people who push us around year after year ARE STILL THERE.

Year after year we complain and then I see........... "we can get Kadri and Bozak" .................talk about lack of focus.

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What Brian Burke did back in the day when acquiring the Sedin's, was monumental. What he did to get Phil Kessel - was a monumental disaster. In between those two very different happenings, I haven't really liked what he has done, or better - how he has done things. Apart from what he actually does and does not do, he looks suspicious and repugnant to say the least. All GM's have a facial demeanor that lets you know next to nothing, but Burkie's face always looks like - "get out of my way and WTF are you asking me those questions for, you moron"

Nonis is clearly a more calm and calculative type. And as many have pointed out for years - maybe too calculative and indecisive. But we don't even know the half of it. MLSE would surely not have replaced Burke with Nonis, if he couldn't handle the job and take the chances necessary when the time comes. Many of Nonis' moves-never-made have turned out to be the right ones down the line...

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Too many people here doubt that Nonis can get the job done, to be fair Nonis didn't really have a whole lot of cards to play when he was our GM as we were tied up in the cap..The year that Gillis came in was his year to make his big moves but never got that chance, It be interesting to see what he does with the Leafs.

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Things went pretty much like they did here in Vancouver for Burke. It wasn't just one thing but many things. Things boil down to respect, something Burke demanded but gave little to others. He's just been kicked off the biggest ego pile in hockey. The people that did this could have done it long ago but I think they wanted to send Burke a message loud and clear by doing it when they did. I loved the timing and so did they.

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Burke is a blow hard. Thinks he's the main show and not the game on the ice. I for one won't miss him. If I was the owner I would have fired him immediately after taking over the team.

Nonis sucked as GM in Vancouver. His team was boring to watch and he couldn't judge talent to sign for 3rd and 4th lines. Perhaps he has improved with experience but....

I remember when the Kessel deal happened the word was it was Nonis pushing for that deal. After Boston got Seguin, Nonis was exiled to the AHL for a while as punishment.

Canucks were among the most boring teams to watch in the entire NHL when Nonis was GM. Even SportNet was complaining to the organisation because the TV ratings were so bad. SortsNet ratings dropped 20% under Nonis.

So many ppl were being turned off from hockey. I am hardcore Canucks fan and even I found Canucks to be boring.

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Isn't it funny how Burke always comes in and tries to do the quick fix, and then Nonis is there to pick up the pieces.

Now Nonis will likely do what he did in Vancouver and try and build from the net out, and restock the prospect cupboard.

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From watching all the pressers and TV interviews, it seems like all Burke cares about at this point is what people think of him.

"I don't want to say this because if I do people might think that I'm.......?" How many times did he say something like that during the Duthie interview?

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