BRIAN BURKE'S TORONTO MAPLE leaves

[ESQ]

Like the media is innocent in all this...he doesn't have any patience for idiots and stupidity which basically covers 90% of the broadcast industry. He din't like the buttheads in Van either (he did marry one though ).I have a funny feeling this lawyer is gearing up to replace Gary as NHL head...now that would be classic...he does have a Stanley Cup Ring and Don Cherry or David 'shemale aficionado' Pratt does not...

I'm not defending the media, but they ask everybody stupid questions all the time, that's their job. The problem is, by Burke taking this ridiculous route he's now single-handedly created another million stupid questions for his players to be pestered with and provide a distraction.

I can't imagine him replacing Bettman. Bettman is an employee of the owners, a group of billionaires who are interested in making money. For all of Bettman's faults to the hockey fan/purist, he has made the owners a buttload of money. Bettman is run through the mud (unfairly in my opinion) by the media, but he generally stands up and takes his licks. The owners don't want Bettman to declare war on the media, because that is counter to their stated goal of making buttloads of money.

Plus, we have healthy disagreement about the validity of Burke's acheivements, but there is no doubt that his performance in Toronto is seriously tarnishing his image as a competent business leader, which would scare off future employers in any field (except the dumbass media).

[Potatoe1]

As a matter of fact I thought the interview was very solid, he came across as a decent and charitable guy who just happens to be Christian, believes in God and has faith.

I though he came across very well.

Positive, upbeat, high energy, seems like the ideal team mate.

He's also a crazy fitness nut, and when you get enough guys like that on the team it pushes everyone to keep up.

On of the most important things in terms of culture and leadership is how dedicated "the group" is to off ice training and nutrition. If you get enough guys on board (Bieksa, Kesler, Sedins, Lu, Booth, Manny) then it basically becomes the expectation for everyone.

Booth may not be a leader per say, but by being a positive guy and busting his ass off the ice, he is making a significant contribution in that department.

[DavidPratt_]

I see David is back and fighting the Burkie fight.

How I've missed putting your posts through an app that minimizes the usage of capital letters

I'M BACK JUSTINE....NOW YOU KNOW WHY I CAME OUT OF NOWHERE TO START THIS THREAD. GOT TO GET THE RANTS READY TO ROCK AND ROLL....

DP

[rats19]

Daymonberryman took heat for lack of spacing. Why does dp get to yell. Lotus, how do you ignore on this board?

[okcanuck]

I see David is back and fighting the Burkie fight.

How I've missed putting your posts through an app that minimizes the usage of capital letters

I'M BACK JUSTINE....NOW YOU KNOW WHY I CAME OUT OF NOWHERE TO START THIS THREAD. GOT TO GET THE RANTS READY TO ROCK AND ROLL....

DP

Looking forward to your first anti-Burke rant DP Any chance your taking over the night-time talk-show? Please

[donlever]

Close your eyes and cursor down to the next post.

Works for me.

[Zamboni Driver]

Adding to BB resume he signs Grabovski for $5.5 per season...madness IMO. Just out of interest another forum poster summed this up very well IMO
]

A common problems of GM's, they think that throwing money at a player will improve his game

[ESQ]

As people have said, on the open market as a UFA Grabovski might get $5.5 million. The problem is, he's not on the open market, and he said he wants to stay , and Burke/Nonis are the only ones negotiating with him.

If your team is going to improve, you need to keep your good players on below-market contracts, then over-pay slightly to add in the free agent market. You can't overpay your own players. Unfortunately, that's part of the Burke/Nonis MO.

[herb]

If your team is going to improve, you need to keep your good players on below-market contracts, then over-pay slightly to add in the free agent market. You can't overpay your own players. Unfortunately, that's part of the Burke/Nonis MO.

I disagree.

The leaves are not a good enough franchise that they can pander the "home town discount" angle to players in their prime years, especially European guys. Maybe the odd guy from Toronto may take a discount to play in there, but for the most part that franchise is mediocre and is likely going to have to pay at least market value to keep and attract players.

We're not talking about perenially competitive teams like Detroit or Vancouver that can sell the team and organization as cup contenders. Playing in Toronto is likely going to be a grind, with no end to the scrutiny players have to endure and no guarantee of even modest team success.

A quick note on Burke:

In the nearly four years Burke has been in Toronto, I have yet to see evidence of him really having a master plan for that team. He had all the freedom in the world to tank the team, get some very high draft picks (Seguin, Hall, RNH, Landeskog, etc.) and then make some trades to round out the roster.

Instead, he has spent long term assets building a middling team that isn't going to win so much as a division title. The whole truculance thing never seemed to really amount to much. The Phaneuf trade seemed to fall into his lap. The Kessel trade was horrible to say the least, and again he has tried to cheap out on finding an elite level goaltender (fuckin' Cloutier..).

With the exception of Kessel who is a top line scorer, his forward group is loaded with tweeners. Grabovski is a great example of a guy who is probably a second line calibre player but is likely going to be relied upon to be much more in Toronto because Burke won't be able to get a true #1 centre.

[2Fingers]

herb - your posts can be pointed at several teams in the NHL. We can thank the 3 point games as this allows crappy teams to almost make it year after year and never really address the problem.

look no further than over the mtns and in Calgary, they have no plan as well, Montreal has no plan and neither does a few others. these teams and their GM tell fans, look we were only 3,4 or 5 points out, this new overpriced FA is all that is needed to make the team make the playoffs. Fans buy it and the GM gets another year.

[DavidPratt_]

If your team is going to improve, you need to keep your good players on below-market contracts, then over-pay slightly to add in the free agent market. You can't overpay your own players. Unfortunately, that's part of the Burke/Nonis MO.

WHEN GRABOVSKI'S AGENT HEARD BRIAN BURKE SAY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE "I DON'T LIKE COACHES WHO ARE WARM AND FUZZY, THE GAME SHOULDN'T BE FUN...THE COACHES CAN'T COME DOWN AND SAY YOU HAD A GREAT SHIFT. MOST OF THE FEEDBACK YOU GET FROM A COACH IN THE CONTEST IS NEGATIVE, AND I DON'T WANT IT ANOTHER WAY."

.......GRABOVSKI'S AGENT ASKED FOR ANOTHER 20% OF WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED

DP

[clem]

Burke has made many unnecessary incendiary remarks for the sake of headlines. Some of the remarks are funny media fodder. Others hurt both his organization's ability to sign talent and Burke's reputation as a GM. He never learned when to keep his mouth shut.

[DavidPratt_]

I COME FROM A GENERATION WHERE THE COACH WAS KING. YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND DID WHAT HE SAID.

PERIOD

IF YOU TALKED BACK, YOU WERE SHUNNED BY THE REST OF THE TEAM AS BEING SELFISH. THAT WAS IT. THE COACH'S WORD WAS LAW AND YOU HAD TO BE 'MAN' ENOUGH TO TAKE IT.

EVEN A GUY LIKE ME UNDERSTANDS THAT IN 2012, TIMES HAVE CHANGED. AGENTS HAVE A LOT MORE POWER. THE YOUNG GENERATION USES FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOU NAME IT.

THE GOOD COACHES KNOW WHEN TO PUSH ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT ALSO KNOW WHEN TO PULL BACK.

QUESTION: IN THE RECENT HOCKEY NEWS 'BEST OF HOCKEY' PUBLICATION, WHO WAS CHOSEN BY THN WRITERS AS THE BEST COACH IN THE NHL?

BARRY TROTZ. RUNNER UP? MIKE BABCOCK. BOTH ARE COACHES WHO PUSH ACCOUNTABILITY AND SYSTEMS. BOTH GUYS ARE ALSO TEACHERS. BOTH GUYS ALSO GIVE THE DRESSING ROOM A VOICE. NOTICE THAT EACH HAS BEEN COACHING FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS FOR A LONG TIME. NEITHER ONE IS EVEN REMOTELY IN DANGER OF GETTING FIRED.

(http://predators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=596898)

READ BRIAN BURKE'S COMMENTS ABOVE ABOUT HIS PHILOSOPHY ON COACHES. IFYOU WERE A FREE AGENT, WHY WOULD YOU SIGN IN TORONTO? WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO STAY?

EVEN KEN HITCHOCK, COACH OF THE ST. LOUIS BLUES AND LIKELY 2012 NHL 'COACH OF THE YEAR' WINNER RECENTLY STATED:

"YOU LEARN AFTER A WHILE THAT YOUR BIGGEST JOB AS A COACH IS TO GIVE HOPE" ON HIS CHANGING COACHING PHILOSOPHY.

IF YOU WERE A FREE AGENT IN 2012, OR A YOUNG ROOKIE DRAFTED BY THE leaves AND YOU HEARD BRIAN BURKE SAY, "MOST OF THE FEEDBACK YOU GET FROM A COACH IN THE CONTEST IS NEGATIVE, AND I DON'T WANT IT ANOTHER WAY"

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

DP

[clem]

Are you & Burke related ?

[damonberryman]

I appreciate the support Rats. I have always been kind of proud of all the drug induced brain damage I can lay claim to. It has no mortgage. It just keeps on giving a place for me to live.

Somewhat out of topic but I have been out of Van as a resident for 20 years after way many there so I ask this in all humility: WTF is a Yaletown?

On a separate well spaced note I kind of like Booth. He has that open kind of face Americans are despised over the world for but I find charming. The fact he has some kind of faith (albeit the paternalistic christian variety) is to his credit. The spiritual force of faith is rather useful in dark times. The early christ person was very much like the Taliban: Ready to die for the faith and that includes getting eaten by wild animals in front of drunken crowds which has prepped him well for pro hockey.

I had five (5) lines in a row so I want this line to show I am not relapsing.