I never heard that story. But regardless, he said many times that he didn't like them and would never offer one himself.
Let's face it, the man is a hockey dinosaur, one geological epoch ahead of Don Cherry.
But he is a character, and has character and I find myself liking him as a man. Just not so much as a GM.
Quote:
"My objection was that I got blindsided by it at a time I thought was inappropriate," Burke stated. "This entire process has involved dialogue with (Bruins GM) Peter Chiarelli. I told him about reacquiring the pick, telling him the night before I got the pick that I intended to get the pick back. There has been no blindside or back door like Kevin Lowe did."
Burke also made it clear that he does not in fact object to the notion of the offer sheet which some have suggested.
"They are part of the CBA (collective bargaining agreement)," Burke stated. "And the team utilizes that tool to get better. It's not an issue to me and it wasn't an issue to me. So on that basis I don't believe that they are parallel circumstances at all."
In case you weren't aware, the Toronto Maple Leafs swung a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that offseason to reacquire their second-round pick.
This move was made to open up the possibility of an offer sheet, which, based on Kessel's compensation, would have required the Leafs' first-, second- and third-round picks from the following year.
I don't agree with your assessment however. I don't think he's stuck in the past. He was strong to acquire a skilled undersized player like grabovski so I don't see him as stuck with an old mentality. He acquired Kessel, liles, connolly, etc... who are finese players so I don't see him as a dinosaur. He sees the need for talent and speed and understands it may not come in a nice Perry,ryan and getzlaf like package.
His faults aren't related to an old mentality but the fact he just isn't a true patient builder. Burke is a closer. He's excellent in his ability to work on deals to acquire a building block or a final piece(see Kessel, Phaneuf as building blocks and Pronger being in the final piece). His approach inbetween leaves a lot to be desired. He's good at signing young free agents and has restocked the leafs cupboard slightly but his insistence on competing while rebuilding leave his teams in mediocrity. Armed with two glaring holes(#1C and #1G) he failed to address them but insisted on patching up the rest. He went on about wanting to be a contender, not a 1st round loser but there was a missing element in the process. There wasn't enough talent coming through and there wasn't enough in the present to grow the team. He is not a true builder but he isn't a bad GM. I just don't think toronto was the right situation for him.
with injuries and a team implosion after finishing first place.
Complete luck.
We lost the least man games to injury that year, and somehow Kovalev had arguably the best performance (overall play) of his career. Although a younger career, was clearly Komi's peak year by far too. I'm not saying that was a 15th placed team, but it wasn't as good as it was.
The proof is in the pudding, missed the playoffs the year before and barely made them the year after. Struggling mightily to make the playoffs every season of Gainey's reign except one season doesn't mean he was successful. Aside from a couple good trades, the only good thing he did was Trevor Timmins.
When you see stuff like that, it kind of makes it hard to empathize with the owners. Ed Snider was the one who (allegedly) told Holmgren to get Bryzgalov at any price. Now one year into the contract they're already rumoured to be buying him out? Give me a break.
L'organisation a mis en vente 200 billets de saison à 200 dollars pour l'ensemble des 24 matchs à domicile
200$ for 24 games in tampa this year........Molson did u hear that?
I don't think they could ever do something like that in Montreal. In Tampa it's as much a way to get people in the door as it is a way to say thank you. In Montreal people have probably paid over $200 just in administration fees to sit on the STH waiting list. You'd be rewarding 200 people and pissing off however many thousand have been waiting years for a shot at season tickets.
I saw on the main board that the Pens are offering free concessions and half off everything at the arena boutique for the first four games. Pretty good. I wouldn't mind half off a Habs jersey.
I saw on the main board that the Pens are offering free concessions and half off everything at the arena boutique for the first four games. Pretty good. I wouldn't mind half off a Habs jersey.
Yeah I was hoping for something like that too. Would probably get 2...
We lost the least man games to injury that year, and somehow Kovalev had arguably the best performance (overall play) of his career. Although a younger career, was clearly Komi's peak year by far too. I'm not saying that was a 15th placed team, but it wasn't as good as it was.
The proof is in the pudding, missed the playoffs the year before and barely made them the year after. Struggling mightily to make the playoffs every season of Gainey's reign except one season doesn't mean he was successful. Aside from a couple good trades, the only good thing he did was Trevor Timmins.
The hilarious part is that André Savard hired Timmins. TT was already part of the habs when Gainey joined.
The truth is that the only good move Gainey ever did was his rebuild move Rivet for 1st+Gorges. And even that move, although it had a great outcome, was kind of retarded at the time because we missed the playoffs by very little that season and didn't sell Souray who likely had more value than Rivet. Just such a bad tenure...
The hilarious part is that André Savard hired Timmins. TT was already part of the habs when Gainey joined.
The truth is that the only good move Gainey ever did was his rebuild move Rivet for 1st+Gorges. And even that move, although it had a great outcome, was kind of retarded at the time because we missed the playoffs by very little that season and didn't sell Souray who likely had more value than Rivet. Just such a bad tenure...
Totally forgot that, to be honest I wasn't following the team during the Savard era as I didn't have access to games due to where I was living.
Terrible tenure. The entire mantra of his tenure was losing assets for nothing, or trading them for nothing... If Reggie Houle didn't exist, Gainey would go down as my worst-GM in Habs history.
The hilarious part is that André Savard hired Timmins. TT was already part of the habs when Gainey joined.
The truth is that the only good move Gainey ever did was his rebuild move Rivet for 1st+Gorges. And even that move, although it had a great outcome, was kind of retarded at the time because we missed the playoffs by very little that season and didn't sell Souray who likely had more value than Rivet. Just such a bad tenure...
Drafting Price wasn't so bad either.
Gained was bad but he represented an upward slope... Until the FA frenzy which undid everything.
The hilarious part is that André Savard hired Timmins. TT was already part of the habs when Gainey joined.
The truth is that the only good move Gainey ever did was his rebuild move Rivet for 1st+Gorges. And even that move, although it had a great outcome, was kind of retarded at the time because we missed the playoffs by very little that season and didn't sell Souray who likely had more value than Rivet. Just such a bad tenure...
We lost so many good players for absolutely nothing it was like Gainey had no idea who he wanted from one season to the next so he just let them all walk for zilch. I guess getting nothing is better than a lot of his trades, they guy got bent over regularly.
Gained was bad but he represented an upward slope... Until the FA frenzy which undid everything.
But what does Gainey have to do with the draft picks really... he didn't even hire the scout and head of scouting who wanted to draft Price. I don't even think he physically went on the podium to announce the pick.
What you can credit Gainey for is rushing Price at every step to validate the work of his scouting staff (remove Halak from #1 spot to put Price in instead, hand over the reigns to Price by trading Huet mid season).
Not impressed.
EDIT: In case it wasn't clear, by "remove Halak from #1 spot to put Price in instead", I meant that one season in the AHL before both made the NHL.
But what does Gainey have to do with the draft picks really... he didn't even hire the scout and head of scouting who wanted to draft Price. I don't even think he physically went on the podium to announce the pick.
What you can credit Gainey for is rushing Price at every step to validate the work of his scouting staff (remove Halak from #1 spot to put Price in instead, hand over the reigns to Price by trading Huet mid season).
Not impressed.
Not mid season, 13 games before the playoffs. He traded our best goaltender right before the playoffs after finishing 1st in the East to a rival in our own conference all for a 2nd round DRAFT PICK! You can't make this **** up. Huet goes on an insane 11-2 run and drags Washington into the playoffs and almost beats the Flyer while we barely get past the bruins and wither in the second round.
I don't understand how he wasn't fired on the spot honestly after this monumental blunder. Price clearly wasn't ready and it cost us a deep playoff run and could have ruined Prices confidence.
Not mid season, 13 games before the playoffs. He traded our best goaltender right before the playoffs after finishing 1st in the East to a rival in our own conference all for a 2nd round DRAFT PICK! You can't make this **** up. Huet goes on an insane 11-2 run and drags Washington into the playoffs and almost beats the Flyer while we barely get past the bruins and wither in the second round.
I don't understand how he wasn't fired on the spot honestly after this monumental blunder. Price clearly wasn't ready and it cost us a deep playoff run and could have ruined Prices confidence.
I actually remember when we hired Gainey. I was ecstatic. Really thought he would turn things around for us. If you had told me back then how bad things would go with Gainey, I wouldn't have believed it.
Not mid season, 13 games before the playoffs. He traded our best goaltender right before the playoffs after finishing 1st in the East to a rival in our own conference all for a 2nd round DRAFT PICK! You can't make this **** up. Huet goes on an insane 11-2 run and drags Washington into the playoffs and almost beats the Flyer while we barely get past the bruins and wither in the second round.
I don't understand how he wasn't fired on the spot honestly after this monumental blunder. Price clearly wasn't ready and it cost us a deep playoff run and could have ruined Prices confidence.
The reality of the situation is that after picking Price in 2005, the Habs should have gone on a rebuild. We had a mediocre core that we continued to try and work with.
Had Gainey been patient rather blow his wad in the summer of 2008 and then again in 2009... We could be in substantially better shape right now. The lost first round pick in 2008 is often understated here like I said earlier, and we lost that asset (Tanguay) for NOTHING the following summer. The following summer we lost McDonaugh for another nothing. So we lost 2 cornerstone players for nothing.
In 08 rumor has it that Timmins wanted Carlson... Can you imagine? Subban-Carlson-McDonagh?! Gainey defecated all over us.
L'organisation a mis en vente 200 billets de saison à 200 dollars pour l'ensemble des 24 matchs à domicile
200$ for 24 games in tampa this year........Molson did u hear that?
So the cheap seats are half price? What about the other 19,000 fans? Or were these actually good seats & 19,000 people got tricked into a bait & switch frenzy?
Not mid season, 13 games before the playoffs. He traded our best goaltender right before the playoffs after finishing 1st in the East to a rival in our own conference all for a 2nd round DRAFT PICK! You can't make this **** up. Huet goes on an insane 11-2 run and drags Washington into the playoffs and almost beats the Flyer while we barely get past the bruins and wither in the second round.
I don't understand how he wasn't fired on the spot honestly after this monumental blunder. Price clearly wasn't ready and it cost us a deep playoff run and could have ruined Prices confidence.
Yeah I thought taht was a brutal trade. Nice to have the pick but not when you are 1st in the East. So he walks at the end of the season, no big deal.
