Brian Burke – 1 year as GM in Toronto

The Brian Burke era in Toronto began on Nov. 29, 2008. And it would be an understatement to say there were great expectations when the Rhode Island native was named President and General Manager of the Maple Leafs a year ago.

Hailed by many as the architect of the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, Burke opted to leave the sunny beaches of California and head to arguably the world’s most scrutinous hockey town – Toronto, a city desperately craving at least some semblance of success after four straight non-playoff seasons.

Depending on who you talked to at the time, Burke was The Messiah – the cure for the ills brought on by the well-intentioned but failed tenure of previous GM John Ferguson Jr.

The tone was set right away, and it was very different.

“We require, as a team, proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence,” Burke famously said. “That’s how our teams play.”

And 24 games into his first full season, there’s plenty of belligerence and pugnacity to go around. But not much scoring. The Leafs are 6-11-7, sit 29th out of 30 teams and – according to one recent statistical study – have a less than two percent chance of making the post-season.

With a full year in the Big Smoke under his belt, Burke has received his share of criticism for producing a team that’s tough as nails, but not all that effective at putting the puck in the net.

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