Running 2007 NHL regular season thread

I can't stand that guy but, dammit, he is so quotable.

 

He comes across as the biggest sob on the planet. Remember when he was out of work and he did some hockey broadcasts. Looked like had a hockey stick up his ass on TV.

The only time I remember seeing him smile was when the Ducks won the Cup.

But he would have livened up things here in Toronto. Ferguson wouldn't say "shit" if he had a mouthful, Maurice is Mr. Nice Guy but Burke calls a spade a fuckin' shovel.

 

Have been on conference calls and have interviewed the man. He has his pleasant moments but they are outweighed by his surliness.

 

Couple of comments:
1. I like Brian Burke. Quotable, workaholic, respects you if you work as hard as he does.
2. On Boyce, whom I saw play for two years: Gritty kid, a bit cocky. Talked to him today. He believes he can play and contribute there. Another former UNB player who went on to NHL: John LeBlanc, circa Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers in the late 80s. Big guy who didn't play big.
Ex UNBers who went on to NHL coaching ranks: Don MacAdam (Red Wings assistant). Doug MacLean. Mike Johnston (associate with Crawford in Vancouver and LA.)
More trivia than you need to know, but the path is a little more beaten down than most people realize.

 

I thought I had heard earlier — before it hit the fan in Toronto — that Burke was happy and had no plans of leaving Anaheim for any job in the NHL, despite TSN's recent insistance that he could be lured away by the Leafs. The way the TSN pannel has been going on about possible GMs is reminisant of the Toronto rumourmill at trade deadlines and off-seasons about how everyone wants to play for The Maple Leafs . . .

My guess for their new GM is Neil Smith for several reasons: A) he's available, B) he ended the New York Rangers drought, history could repeat itself, C) He has experience handling the high media glare of the New York tabloids, he may actually be able to handle Toronto's. Maybe. D) With some of the moves he made in his brief stint on Long Island, he made a vast improvement to that roster, he knows how to work within the new NHL to turn a bloated roster with a lot of dead weight around. Toronto would be the ultimate challenge of doing this.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I know Burke has made it quite clear he has no interest in the Leaf job but you can't underestimate the ego of these guys. There's no player they can't turn around, no dismal situation they can't fix.

It's one thing to win in the OC with the Ducks, but you make the Leafs into winners (a huge task to be sure) but you become a deity in the biggest hockey market in the world. That'll be tough to resist for some guys and maybe Burke is one of them.

 

During Thursday night's Thrashers-Rangers game, Smith said that he would be interested in the job.

 

Sounds like I've probably worked with you once upon a time.

Back to the search for the Leafs' new GM, where is all that Jim Rutherford crap people were slinging around for a spell?

 

In LA with Jack Johnson?

 

The Whalercanes have yet to receive the used puck bag and broken skate sharpener that Rutherford asked for in the deal ...

 

NHL coaches took some time during All-Star Weekend to discuss why the league needs us to promote the sport.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AvSfsmF0eoCec8WHI7fROD97vLYF?slug=rm-allstarfriday012508&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

I wouldn't mind seeing an Ovechkin-Malkin-Kovalchuk line tomorrow night.