Burke Fired

[Redleaf]

Steve Simmons : Ba ZINGA!!!!!

 

[caver]

After hearing so many canned answers and political correctness it's nice to hear real responses. He is pissed off and it's understandable.

 

[caver]

There is still a mushroom cloud over the seat where Simmons was sitting. 

 

[Justin]

Simmons absolutely deserved it. In a classless move he brought up Burke's personal life in a column a few months ago. Burke's personal life is no one's business, and Simmons should have known better.

That's not the point. Ownership doesn't want their GM fighting with the press. That in a nutshell is Burke, he can't let anything go.

I get what you're saying but in this case throw corporate-speak and proper convention out the window. Simmons had no right to make Burke's personal life a public issue.

 

[Sudafederov]

Simmons absolutely deserved it. In a classless move he brought up Burke's personal life in a column a few months ago. Burke's personal life is no one's business, and Simmons should have known better.

That's not the point. Ownership doesn't want their GM fighting with the press. That in a nutshell is Burke, he can't let anything go.

Nope you're right. I thought he started out all right from their point of view and then he got some shots in with Simmons, timing, Russia etc. His advice to the board will not be required for long.

Yeah, he'll probably advise them about the horse they rode in on and that's about it.

 

[riff raff]

I can't see anyone having a problem with him taking Simmons down.

However at least twice he answered a question with "That's not my problem now" which comes across as petulant. And one of the questions was how to recognize the fans coming out of the lockout.

 

[Corn Flake]

Simmons is now in full defense mode on twitter, saying he thinks he gets hit by telling the truth. No Steve, people don't like you because you are a jackass.

It's pretty funny to watch him squirm when he get's hit like that. The TRUTH hurts, doesn't it, Steve?

 

[13th fan]

It seems fitting for Simmons , live by the sword die by the sword

 

[armche123]

Steve Simmons: Do you expect to be running the next US Olympic team?
Burke: ..... the best part of today is that I won't have to talk to you again.

That is part of what ownership didn't like about Burke right there. Why take shots at the press? You may not like Simmons but just answer the questions without needless shots. It's stooping to their level.

Because sometimes you want to say goodbye in the language he understands?

 

[Zee]

Steve Simmons: Do you expect to be running the next US Olympic team?
Burke: ..... the best part of today is that I won't have to talk to you again.

That is part of what ownership didn't like about Burke right there. Why take shots at the press? You may not like Simmons but just answer the questions without needless shots. It's stooping to their level.

Because sometimes you want to say goodbye in the language he understands?

It's not just the Simmons thing, Burke has been belligerent and confrontational with many members of the press, generally because they rip the Leafs and his moves. The press had a job to report and given the Leafs poor showing under Burke what else could they write?  JFJ was ripped too but I don't recall him having public battles with members of the press. With Burke its a common occurrence. 

 

[Kin]

It seems fitting for Simmons , live by the sword die by the sword

Sure, because if there's one thing that'll really bury a guy like Simmons it's getting angry reactions from team executives that a lot of people start talking about. The Sun will be firing him any day now.

 

[Zee]

I have no idea why both Burke and Wilson  cared so much about what the press wrote.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

again..who really cares what a GM says to the press...as long as he's not attacking the fans..it probably helps sales more than hurts them..

 

[armche123]

It's not just the Simmons thing, Burke has been belligerent and confrontational with many members of the press, generally because they rip the Leafs and his moves. The press had a job to report and given the Leafs poor showing under Burke what else could they write?  JFJ was ripped too but I don't recall him having public battles with members of the press. With Burke its a common occurrence. 

I do find it to be more of an individual thing with Burke to be honest. It's visible that he is professional in all situations, although he doesn't divulge too much detail at every question he's asked. It seems he is selective in the manner which he speaks and with who.

For Steve, who has a brash edge to his writing himself, he should understand, and probably does, that someones opinion is someones opinion.

 

[Kin]

again..who really cares what a GM says to the press...

I don't think it's really to the point but I genuinely think ownership does.

 

[Zee]

again..who really cares what a GM says to the press...

I don't think it's really to the point but I genuinely think ownership does.

Has to be totally personality thing with Burke otherwise like people have suggested they would have fired Nonis too if it had anything to do with hockey. He was part of all the moves Burke made.

 

[Corn Flake]

It's not just the Simmons thing, Burke has been belligerent and confrontational with many members of the press, generally because they rip the Leafs and his moves. The press had a job to report and given the Leafs poor showing under Burke what else could they write?  JFJ was ripped too but I don't recall him having public battles with members of the press. With Burke its a common occurrence.

I really don't agree that was the case.  He had a few guys he clearly did not get along with - most of them Toronto Sun people - but for the most part, Burke gave more interviews and more of his time to the media than any other GM in this city I can remember, was about as honest as he could be and seemed fair in the vast majority of interviews I ever heard. He was cordial in pretty much all of them.  He dropped more nuggets of gold for the media than anyone else by a long shot.  Did he fire back at times when media asked stupid or repetitive questions? Yeah, sometimes, but this whole picking fights thing I just really didn't see it, other than with Simmons who every GM or coach wanted to throttle by the end.

If anything, Burke liked being in front of the media a little bit too much.

The media hated JFJ because he said nothing. They slagged him every chance they got. He took it like a soulless slug.

 

[Bender]

It's not just the Simmons thing, Burke has been belligerent and confrontational with many members of the press, generally because they rip the Leafs and his moves. The press had a job to report and given the Leafs poor showing under Burke what else could they write?  JFJ was ripped too but I don't recall him having public battles with members of the press. With Burke its a common occurrence.

I really don't agree that was the case.  He had a few guys he clearly did not get along with - most of them Toronto Sun people - but for the most part, Burke gave more interviews and more of his time to the media than any other GM in this city I can remember, was about as honest as he could be and seemed fair in the vast majority of interviews I ever heard. He was cordial in pretty much all of them.  He dropped more nuggets of gold for the media than anyone else by a long shot.  Did he fire back at times when media asked stupid or repetitive questions? Yeah, sometimes, but this whole picking fights thing I just really didn't see it, other than with Simmons who every GM or coach wanted to throttle by the end.

If anything, Burke liked being in front of the media a little bit too much.

The media hated JFJ because he said nothing. They slagged him every chance they got. He took it like a soulless slug.

The soulless slug part made me laugh

 

[Zee]

It's not just the Simmons thing, Burke has been belligerent and confrontational with many members of the press, generally because they rip the Leafs and his moves. The press had a job to report and given the Leafs poor showing under Burke what else could they write?  JFJ was ripped too but I don't recall him having public battles with members of the press. With Burke its a common occurrence.

I really don't agree that was the case.  He had a few guys he clearly did not get along with - most of them Toronto Sun people - but for the most part, Burke gave more interviews and more of his time to the media than any other GM in this city I can remember, was about as honest as he could be and seemed fair in the vast majority of interviews I ever heard. He was cordial in pretty much all of them.  He dropped more nuggets of gold for the media than anyone else by a long shot.  Did he fire back at times when media asked stupid or repetitive questions? Yeah, sometimes, but this whole picking fights thing I just really didn't see it, other than with Simmons who every GM or coach wanted to throttle by the end.

If anything, Burke liked being in front of the media a little bit too much.

The media hated JFJ because he said nothing. They slagged him every chance they got. He took it like a soulless slug.

GM's job is to put the best possible team he can on ice not provide sound bites for the press. Burke does like the spotlight, some love him for that some hate it.

 

[Redleaf]

Simmons is now in full defense mode on twitter, saying he thinks he gets hit by telling the truth. No Steve, people don't like you because you are a jackass.

It's pretty funny to watch him squirm when he get's hit like that. The TRUTH hurts, doesn't it, Steve?

It took Simmons over an hour to come up with this nugget...

"Burke likes truculence. Just not from sports writers."