Brian Burke: Hockey Genius

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

This article was a nice change of pace from the usual semi Burke arse kissing.

Will Burke save the Leafs? Probably not

So a very good case could be made that the three people most responsible for Burke's Stanley Cup win are 1) Bryan Murray for providing the team, especially Rob Niedermayer; 2) Chris Pronger's wife and 3) a referee.

Last year, Burke's team returned to form and went out in the first round. So if we take out the Stanley Cup year, Burke has won the whopping total of three playoff rounds in nine years. Even if you include the Cup, he has won seven rounds in 10 years. This is a genius?

Now seriously, hurry up October 9th, these off-seasons are killing me.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

That was actually a really good article. Confirms my belief that Burke is tremendously overrated.

Thanks for the post!

[b.shanafan14 733]

Something we've all known and discussed to great length, great to FINALLY see someone in the press speak the truth. What is the mystique of Burke? I really don't get it, I mean the guy has done nothing, certainly nothing worthy of being repeated called the best GM in the league. He isn't even in the top 10 really. I just don't get it, its like "OMG Burke is great cause burke said so"... someone explain that

[Chunkylover 26]

The Canadian sports media will hype anyone they think will come to Toronto and get them a Cup (see: Holland, Ken; Bowman, Scotty; Brunnstrom, Fabian)

[Zion 93]

I knew I would love this thread...

[Shockwave180 0]

Great article, and I especially loved his kicker:

"As Edmonton's Kevin Lowe said of Burke, 'He's like the Wizard of Oz. You pull the curtains away and there's not much substance.'

He'll be perfect for the Leafs."

Zing! So true, on so many levels. Life is good.

[Doggy 130]

Thanks for sharing - very heartwarming.

[Louisville 112]

awww

this made my day

[Superman54 91]

god I can't wait for the wing/duck games! They are always amazing too watch

[Blood On The Ice 15]

OUTSTANDING

[zata40 3]

HAHA!

About time someone in the media said the obvious!

[revnic 0]

f*** brian burke and f*** anyone that thinks hes a good GM. hes ******* s***. read article for more details.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Al Strachan is a prickly old bastard. Kudos to him for having the nards to write this.

Brian Blowfish is an excellent lawyer/lobbyist, but his hockey fundamentals are below average.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Great article, and I especially loved his kicker:

"As Edmonton's Kevin Lowe said of Burke, 'He's like the Wizard of Oz. You pull the curtains away and there's not much substance.'

He'll be perfect for the Leafs."

Zing! So true, on so many levels. Life is good.

I was absolutely gonna quote this. Perfect ending to a truthful article regarding the "success" of Burke's career.

[edicius 3,269]

Best article/thread ever.

Warms the cockles of my heart. Maybe below the cockles. Maybe in the sub-cockle area. Maybe in the liver, maybe in the kidneys, maybe even in the colon.

But this...oh, so true.

Even that wouldn't have been enough had it not been for perhaps the worst call in the history of hockey, which turned around Game 5 of the semifinal in the dying moments just as the Red Wings appeared poised to take a 3-2 series lead. On the subsequent power play, a shot deflected into the goal off the shaft of Nick Lidstrom's stick.

There's no need to name the referee. Detroit fans know who he is. In Detroit, it's a name that will live in infamy.

Edited August 8, 2008 by edicius

[Chairman Maouth 97]

The only problem with this article is -- is that Al Strachan is historically more of a poser and pretender and moron than Brian Burke is. It shouldn't confirm anyone's feelings about Burke. Strachan is traditionally known for speaking out of his ass and having a massive hate-on for Burke, who used to frequently and publicly expose him and prove him wrong when he was with Vancouver. Strachan would frequently say "this" is going to happen, except "this" would never happen. Taking this article and using it to back up anyone's feelings about Brian Burke is like relying on bin Laden to inform you about Judaism.

As for Strachan's contention that Burke had a Stanley Cup winning team handed to him by Murray, here's a post that was originally posted by someone on the Flames board.

So I wonder if Burke had anything to do with Ananheim winning the cup?

Todd Marchant on waivers

Brad May via trade

Teemu Selanne via free agency

Chris Pronger via trade

Travis Moen via trade

Scott Niedermayer via free agency

Francois Beauchemin via trade

Richard Jackman via trade

Sean O'Donnell via trade

Kent Huskins via free agency

Joe DiPenta via free agency

Mark Hartigan via trade

Joe Motzko via trade

George Parros via trade

Out of 26 skaters that played at least one game for the Ducks when they won the cup, a little more than half of them were brought in by Burke. And out of the top ten point producers for the Ducks that same year, five were brought in by Burke.

Bottom line is Bryan Murray's team didn't win the cup in 2003 - Brian Burke's did in 2007. So I would think he had a little more to do with Anaheim winning the cup than what you want to give him credit for.

Edited August 8, 2008 by One of the Few

[Dabura 12,232]

So I wonder if Burke had anything to do with Ananheim winning the cup?

Todd Marchant on waivers

Brad May via trade

Teemu Selanne via free agency

Chris Pronger via trade

Travis Moen via trade

Scott Niedermayer via free agency

Francois Beauchemin via trade

Richard Jackman via trade

Sean O'Donnell via trade

Kent Huskins via free agency

Joe DiPenta via free agency

Mark Hartigan via trade

Joe Motzko via trade

George Parros via trade

Out of 26 skaters that played at least one game for the Ducks when they won the cup, a little more than half of them were brought in by Burke. And out of the top ten point producers for the Ducks that same year, five were brought in by Burke.

Bottom line is Bryan Murray's team didn't win the cup in 2003 - Brian Burke's did in 2007. So I would think he had a little more to do with Anaheim winning the cup than what you want to give him credit for.

This.

I don't like Burke, but to say he's a "s*** GM" or whatever is just as stupid as calling him "amazing."

[BlueMonk 102]

The only problem with this article is -- is that Al Strachan is historically more of a poser and pretender and moron than Brian Burke is. It shouldn't confirm anyone's feelings about Burke. Strachan is traditionally known for speaking out of his ass and having a massive hate-on for Burke, who used to frequently and publicly expose him and prove him wrong when he was with Vancouver. Strachan would frequently say "this" is going to happen, except "this" would never happen. Taking this article and using it to back up anyone's feelings about Brian Burke is like relying on bin Laden to inform you about Judaism.

As for Strachan's contention that Burke had a Stanley Cup winning team handed to him by Murray, here's a post that was originally posted by someone on the Flames board.

Exactly. Hating Burke is one thing, but citing anything Strachan writes as supporting evidence is another. Strachan's inability to even be professional on CBC's Hot Stove with Burke a few years back was comical. He hates Burke.

[Heaton 1]

As for Strachan's contention that Burke had a Stanley Cup winning team handed to him by Murray, here's a post that was originally posted by someone on the Flames board.

So I wonder if Burke had anything to do with Ananheim winning the cup?

Todd Marchant on waivers

Brad May via trade

Teemu Selanne via free agency

Chris Pronger via trade

Travis Moen via trade

Scott Niedermayer via free agency

Francois Beauchemin via trade

Richard Jackman via trade

Sean O'Donnell via trade

Kent Huskins via free agency

Joe DiPenta via free agency

Mark Hartigan via trade

Joe Motzko via trade

George Parros via trade

Out of 26 skaters that played at least one game for the Ducks when they won the cup, a little more than half of them were brought in by Burke. And out of the top ten point producers for the Ducks that same year, five were brought in by Burke.

Bottom line is Bryan Murray's team didn't win the cup in 2003 - Brian Burke's did in 2007. So I would think he had a little more to do with Anaheim winning the cup than what you want to give him credit for.

I'm bored so I'll nitpick a few of these again to the point of how Holland was nitpicked in '98.

- Todd Marchant is an irrelevant move and had little to do with their success.

- Brad May was a good character move and added some character, that was a decent move.

- Teemu Selanne wanted to come to Anaheim, he contacted them.

- Chris Pronger trade was good but if I remember correctly, Anaheim was a select few who he was even offered to.

- Travis Moen was a good trade for sure.

- Scott Niedermayer was handed to him by a silver platter. Any GM who had Rob Niedermayer was getting Scotty.

- The Fedorov trade was quality.

- Jackman, Huskins, DiPenta, Hartigan, and Motzko were irrelevant as their contributions were almost non-existant.

- Sean O'Donnell and George Parros were good because they were players who fit into their system and Parros especially since he exemplified their message.

Bryan Murray had the base there, Burke did some fine tuning, but nothing to validate his recent "Best GM in the World" praise.

Every team Burke has been a GM of has been worse when he left and this will be no difference. When Burke leaves at the end of the year their payroll structure will be in shambles with many players still without contracts.

To qualify this though, yes Burke is one of the better GM's and is one of the better hockey minds around today but the myth of Burke is more successful than the actual GM.

[Dabura 12,232]

Bryan Murray had the base there, Burke did some fine tuning

Maybe this is just a semantics issue, but I'd say he did more than fine-tune. To say he fine-tuned Murray's team implies that he kept Murray's work, his vision, his guiding philosophies more or less in place, making only minor adjustments here and there and basically "finishing what Murray started." To Murray's credit, he had put a good thing in place for Burke. But the Ducks that won the Cup in '07 were unmistakably a Brian Burke Team™ -- that is: big, tough, nasty, dirty, etc., but carrying enough pure talent to offset whatever damages the rampant thuggery might cost (i.e. PK mins.) on any given night.

Burke gave the team an identity, one Murray had little interest in, and that went a long way towards winning it all in '07.

[Heaton 1]

Burke gave the team an identity, one Murray had little interest in, and that went a long way towards winning it all in '07.

Getzlaf and Perry are exactly what the identify is and those are the guys that the team was based around and had just as much of an impact than any other player. Burke's philosophy obviously is a tough physical team but with or without Burke, Niedermayer and Pronger show up IMO. Whether or not the Ducks win the cup in '07 is subjective but those guys were coming there no matter what.

[eva unit zero 271]

Maybe this is just a semantics issue, but I'd say he did more than fine-tune. To say he fine-tuned Murray's team implies that he kept Murray's work, his vision, his guiding philosophies more or less in place, making only minor adjustments here and there and basically "finishing what Murray started." To Murray's credit, he had put a good thing in place for Burke. But the Ducks that won the Cup in '07 were unmistakably a Brian Burke Team™ -- that is: big, tough, nasty, dirty, etc., but carrying enough pure talent to offset whatever damages the rampant thuggery might cost (i.e. PK mins.) on any given night.

Burke gave the team an identity, one Murray had little interest in, and that went a long way towards winning it all in '07.

The biggest reason the Ducks won the Cup in 07?

He was offered Chris Pronger via trade for fairly cheap, and he was in put in charge of the only team Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne were even interested in signing with after they had already decided they wanted to play there.

Bryan Murray built a contender. Burke retooled that contender, got lucky when he was offered the Pronger trade, and got really lucky when Niedermayer and Selanne fell in his lap. He dumped some salary by getting rid of Fedorov, a player he didn't like, for basically nothing; Beauchemin has proven nothing but that he can look good playing next to Scott Niedermayer, which is something I could do.

So Burke started with a contender, and added two elite level players nobody else had access to via free agency. If Murray is still in town for the 06-07 season, they still have the same strong chance of winning the Cup.

[hallelujahlogic 1]

Best article/thread ever.

Warms the cockles of my heart. Maybe below the cockles. Maybe in the sub-cockle area. Maybe in the liver, maybe in the kidneys, maybe even in the colon.

But this...oh, so true.

leary!

and, oh how i agree.

[Dabura 12,232]

For the record, I'm not saying the Ducks couldn't have gone all the way without Burke. I just object to the idea that the '07 Cup "was basically Murray's." Like Burke or not (I don't), he did more than "get lucky" with a couple of key acquisitions and sit on his good fortune.

[akustyk 84]

As for Strachan's contention that Burke had a Stanley Cup winning team handed to him by Murray, here's a post that was originally posted by someone on the Flames board.

let's not forget that each trades has two sides. and that for those guys listed

Burke had to give away a lot of young prospects drafted by Murray. prospects

who in years to come will likely become better or much better than their

replacements.

Burke got huge number of young assets to trade. from Murray. yes he got

players who eventually won the cup, to large extent because Bettman&Co.

were licking Burke's ass and letting his team get away with murder on regular

basis.

I'm far from being extreme here but I pretty much remember vast talent pool

that Burke inherited from Murray and the mess the Ducks team is now. that's

a big difference and even if they won the cup, the price has been very steep.

and I would really not be surprised if Burke jumped to Leafs and left sinking

ship of Anaheim. just as he did with Canucks