"We're going to take the three picks, and given Kevin's recent (managerial) performance, we expect them to be excellent picks."Another chapter in the saga I like to call 'The end of a friend.'
by James Mirtle @ 8:40 PM
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** Note that I haven't posted regularly on this blog since October, 2008. My work can now be found at globesports.com **
A sportswriter at The Globe and Mail, James covers the NHL and blogs regularly at Globe on Hockey. James is also a member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, a senior editor with McKeen's Hockey and was the NHL network manager at SB Nation from 2008 to 2010. A graduate of Thompson Rivers and Ryerson universities, he grew up in Kamloops, B.C. — one of Canada's great hockey cities — and was a season ticket holder in the Blazers' glory years.
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14 Comments:
That quote is crying out for one of the stats-centric readers of this blog to post Bloviating Burke's draft record in Hartford, Vancouver and Anaheim.
It is hard to ever recall a senior executive with as little self control and personal discipline as Brian Burke. I thought his overall record in Vancouver was excellent, but if anyone was wondering what it was that got him fired in Vancouver, wonder no longer. Personalities like that can really grate on you after a while. One thing is for sure, though -- any humbling effect from his Vancouver firing has long since worn off.
What a pity.
You can always find another forward, but real friends are a lot harder to find. Only idiots deliberately throw them away with nasty snarky comments.
I agree that they will probably be three VERY HIGH picks - but EXCELLENT picks - that all depends on who is doing the picking.
If Brian Murray was still doing the picking - yes, they probably would be excellent picks. With Brian Burke doing the picking - I'm not so sure.
One need only look at Burke's terrible draft record in Vancouver - that is, when he didn't trade the picks away for useless second tier players.
The Ducks have relied on David McNab and Alain Chainey to spearhead their efforts at the draft dating back almost to the beginning of the franchise. While there has been other factors, such as the multiple GMs over that time and the significant influence of Chuck Fletcher that just recently ended when he left for a position with the Penguins, at the end of the day, the Ducks scouting and drafting ability has been top notch. Three of those drafts have happened under Burke's leadership and he appears to be taking a decidedly hands-off approach when it comes to the draft. He's letting the guys who know what they're doing, do their job.
Maybe Vancouver's woes at the draft lie farther down the latter, with the actual scouting staff? Has Nonis changed any of them since he moved in?
While quotes like this are funny, this whole thing just seems childish. Isn't Burke the one who cried a river because Philly tried to sign Kesler to an offer sheet?
Whining about how GMs are inflating salaries is stupid in the cap era. If Edmonton think Penner is worth $4m of their cap, then that's what he's worth.
Chemmy,
Kesler was signed to an offer sheet under Nonis, not Burker.
But either way, wouldn't whining about that offer sheet at least be consistent with whining about Penner's?
Jeff, looks like you're right. I get crybaby GMs confused a lot.
Hate him or love him, Burke gets to do what he wants for a while, because he managed to win a Cup by getting Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger in two years.
Who says he's going to use those picks at the draft anyway? Even if he sucks at drafting, he's done a helluva job with trades lately, and he has a lot of bait now.
I miss Bob Clarke. His quote - "Nedved is as dumb as Bure and Bure is an idiot" - could be used here, too.
Burke is as dumb as Clarke and Clarke is an idiot.
As easy as it is to trash Burke, he is dead on in his characterizations of Lowe.
Kevin Lowe is a dunce, he is trying to save his own behind, and he is making very bad decisions as a result that will not help the Oilers in the short or long terms.
One year from now, Burke will still have a Stanley Cup ring as a GM, while Lowe will be collecting a UI cheque.
I used to like Burke. I thought he was pretty funny. He is a petty little man. He took a team another man built got lucky with the Pronger deal.
Is Penner worth the cash will see. But he has to look in the mirror wtf is Bertuzzi doing as a Duck. Burke made it a priority to sign old guys and left his back side exposed. Try that next year will see what u get.
Burke got lucky because he took Lowe to the cleaners on the Pronger trade?
For those of you critical of Burke's drafting record, here is some of the players he drafted:
Hartford - Chris Pronger (whom he traded up in the draft for), Marik Malik, Nolan Pratt, Manny Legace.
Vancouver - Bryan Allen, Artem Chubarov, Jarkko Ruutu, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, RJ Umberger, Kevin Bieksa, Ryan Kesler.
mr perfect
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