Brian Burke in Afghanistan on eve of free agency

LONDON--Brian Burke doesn't have to be in Afghanistan today.

Heck, there's undoubtedly hardcore Maple Leaf fans who probably think he shouldn't be, but instead should be at home manning the phones and getting ready to knock on Brad Richards' front door on Friday when the NHL free agent season opens.

Instead, the Leaf president and general manager is with our Canadian troops in Kandahar, and that's where he'll be when Richards and other unrestricted free agents officially become available looking to make themselves extraordinary rich, or richer.

That Burke will be overseas spending time with Canadian men and women serving for anything but personal wealth, well, that's a intriguing contrast.

Burke was asked some time ago if he would be part of a group visiting Kandahar Airfield in the final days of the Canadian military withdrawal to visit with the troops as many Canadians have done in recent years. Even when he realized the trip would overlap July 1st, he agreed to go anyway. He just believes in this stuff, believes in supporting the Canadian military in all its efforts even though he is an American citizen, believes you can't just talk about supporting the troops but have to make actual concrete efforts to do so.

Indeed, he also travelled to Afghanistan in March, 2010, just weeks after the death of his 21-year-old son, Brendan, in a tragic car accident.

This won't be the first time Burke hasn't not been at his Toronto office when free agency opened. Two years ago, he was in Sweden on a clandestine mission to try and sign the Sedin twins for the Leafs. When Vancouver GM Mike Gillis beat him to the punch, Burke stayed on anyway, did some work on getting free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson signed, all the while staying in touch with his right hand man Dave Nonis, who signed UFA defencemen Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin, along with enforcer Colton Orr.

With email, Skype and other communication devices and techniques making it so much easier to communicate from anywhere around the world. It's not like Burke will be out of touch, or won't be available to make tough decisions.

It's also part of the reason he has so much depth and experience in the Leaf front office. Nonis has more responsibilities than most assistant GMs, while Dave Poulin, Claude Loiselle and newly hired Rick Dudley will all be part of the team's decision-making process on deadline day while staying in touch with Burke in Kandahar. It will be Nonis making the direct pitch to Richards, Christian Ehrhoff, Max Talbot and whatever free agents the Leafs try to sign.

Burke's "war room," meanwhile, will be in an actual combat zone in what remains one of the world's most dangerous countries, a country that has claimed the lives of more than 150 members of the Canadian military during our country's mission there.

So good for the Leaf hockey boss. Conn Smythe, founder of the Leafs and an officer in the Canadian military who served in both world wars, certainly established this tradition with the hockey club long ago.

It's not like Burke's on vacation, or golfing at a resort. He's supporting the Canadian military in a meaningful way at a critical and still dangerous time, still able to do his job and make multi-millon dollar decisions while doing an important job on behalf of Canadians.

Could be that some free agent on Friday might think it would be cool to play for a GM with those kind of ideals.

 

 

 

Comments

[strange]

i fully support this type of thing and think these things should be done more, but with bow important this free agency is to the Leafs i find this really strange, and feel that if the Leafs come up empty handed o Brad Richards people are going to think this was a mistake

[Darrell Dyer]

Nice to see support coming from the leafs management team

[Rory]

He's got Nonis and now Rick Dudley in Toronto....I don't see the problem. Good on you for visiting the troops at such an "important" time Mr.Burke. The troops probably feel all the more appreciated because of it!

[MLHSdlb]

Burke is sure he's left the Leafs in good hands. He takes his job very seriously and wants the Leafs to win as much as anyone. If this visit equates to missing out on a UFA like Richards, I say so be it, but I find it hard to beleive that would be the deciding factor.
Good on you Burkie: you make Leaf Nation proud.
Incidentally, Mr Cox. In the last few years you've become a much more engaging reporter. I do not miss the negativity at all. You have freedom to be crtical now that you put out articles like this IMO.

[david martin]

Good for Bryan Burke. This is a meaningful gesture, and his staff are fully capable of handling free agent negotiations. I have to think quality players look for management they can trust to be open, honest and fair. Bryan's values and leadership in this regard can only add credibility to an organization that has struggled in this area in the past. Best wishes to our troops and God bless those that gave their lives for our country.

[redsignal]

Good for you Mr. Burke. You are supporting those who protect us with their lives, so that those who entertain us, have the freedom to play their games. You have your priorities in the right order.

[Ryan Belair]

I'm a proud serving member of the Canadian Forces and actually met Brian when my ship visited Toronto in the summer of 2010. He's an outstanding man and he believes in what the military is doing for this country. I think it's great that he's over there for the boys.

[goods]

Very good on you Burke. You are doing a great job with the leafs, with the insane media, and more importantly letting ppl know that you arnt just about hockey. With the article, it could of went without the last statement

[Carl]

Damien, what would be truly admirable is hearing someone in hockey doing something other than this. This is the same nonsense we're forced to hear about every saturday night on CBC, and increasingly on TSN. It's more common than not now for professional sports teams including the Leafs to host 'military nights' where ticket holders are asked to give their tickets to members of the armed forces, too. Nobody dares to ask why. What DOES hockey have to do with the military? Shouldn't you be asking this and other critical questions? I look forward to hearing of a professional hockey player with the courage to think outside of this well-insulated box - maybe someone like Steve Nash.

[Mr Brown]

Don't worry fans, Burke and co. already had the Stamkos offer sheet ready to go by the time he left.

[Jersey]

Great post,I will read your post time to time.thank you!

[Musclehead17]

I heard there were a couple of UFA's in Afghanistan? Although I commend his willingness to get with the troops, I think insuring that you are committed to what you are paid for should probably be first and foremost on the priority list. If you’re saying that Nonis and Dudly can handle it then why do we need Burke at all? That or he's not really committed to the UFA market and could care less. Sorry, my take is the latter!

[The Fonze]

Seems like he should be at home doing his job and not supporting a B.S war.

[Peter Robinson]

Let's be honest, Mr Cox, this blog posts fits nicely for you given that you're in England (again) during one of the most important days of the year. Nice to be able to cite a hockey executive who's away for honourable reasons while you yourself are there for a curious mixture of tennis and, well, tennis, a sport that has little interest here, Mr. Raonic's exploits of recent months aside.

[zacker]

brilliant ...I don't want to down play what he is doing because it just demonstrates Mr. Burke's character. But in a strange way its marketing 101. The leafs can match or out bid almost anyone this year but it will be the intangibles that will make the difference. If I were an athlete I would go to the wall for a manager like that. Good for Mr. Burke!

[Derek van Veen]

goods, as a Canadian I take great offense to your comments calling hockey players or Managers supporting our Canadian Troops nonsense. Showing support for our troops by going over to a military base or having a miliary night is the VERY LEAST we can do show our thanks to men and women who without question or hesitation put there lives at risk with the belief they are doing the greater good. Our troops don't ask to go to war or pick the wars they fight in, they follow orders that come from the elected officials that WE as Canadian voters put in power to make those decisions. Are there other things hockey could support? Sure there are and they do, if you did a little research you would find out exactly how many people in hockey support multiple charities, are involved in organizations like Right To Play and visit places like sick kids hospitals all over the country. To make a comment like supporting our troops is nonsense just shows your ingnorance, and to not even have enough guts to put your real name on the post is classless. Great job Mr Burke you are a true class act.

[Derek van Veen]

sorry goods I miss read who posted that comment it was directed at Carl not you. I agree with your comments about Burke.

[bk]

so many managers work for the leafs it frees up time for burke to enjoy life. i havent heard of him doing this for the us troops while he was gm for the ducks. good for him but he shouldnt be a scapegoat this year if the leafs falter again

[Janus]

Burke is a dual US/Canadian citizen. He became a Canadian during his years as GM of the Vancouver Canucks.

[Arthur]

You're last comment is ridiculously ideological, and not the ideology that prevails among players and owners alike: Greed.

No one will care that Burke is in Afghanistan. Brad Richards isn't going to say to himself "Oh, Burke is offering 2M less a year and only 4 years when everyone else is offering 8, but he supports the troops IN a warzone, so yeah, my personal wealth can take a hit for that guy."

[Ad]

I'm all for supporting our troops who should no longer need to be risking their lives in Afghanistan. What I don't understand is how the GM can be excused for being absent on THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF THE YEAR. He was absent in 2008, but that was to go sign players. Sure Nonis et al are competent, so as someone pointed out above, why do we need Burke then? Is he just a figurehead with no real functioning role meant to smile and kiss babies like the Governor General? Don't you think potential and supremely important signings like Brad Richards might think "if I'm so important to them, why am I talking to the assistant GM?" I'm pretty sure that's the way I look at it. Now if the Leafs don't land Richards, what are we supposed to think?

[sean flynn]

I get that the Leafs with Conn Smythe's war history and proud support of all things Canadian would honor and support the troops, just when i use Skype and cel and am 6-8 hours time zone difference, I'm not as engaged as when I am in the home office in Toronto or avail as easily to take calls from clients/suppliers.

I guess this trip timing is defacto evidence the July 1st pickings will be slimmer this year & with about 5 past and/or future GMs on the Leafs payroll now there should be someone in that war room that can relay the info to Afghanistan in a timely manner.
Just hope they dont pull a Finger out or overpay for a low output bottom 6 fwd again.

[KD]

Two thoughts. First, if Burke misses out on Richards because of his absence, all the better - he's not the player that this team needs.
.
Second, to Peter Robinson, Cox is in England as a part of his job. He's a "sports" reporter, not a "hockey" reporter. If that means he has to cover Wimbledon, as he has done for many years, so be it. People who have to travel for business don't usually have the luxury of deciding when to make their trips.

[Thunder Blood]

If Buffalo doesn't sign Christian Ehrhoff by the end of today, expect the Leaf's to sign him to a 5 year 28 million deal. Nonnis has a good history with Ehrhoff, the Leaf's like to pay big bucks for their DMen, it's a fit, expect Christian Ehrhoff in a Leaf's uniform come Sept.

[west-coast leafer]

Brad Richards is going to go for a Kings Ransom - a multi-year deal for way too much cash. He's going to be paid handsomely because he is the only half decent player in this years FA pool. Supply and demand dictate this outcome - and Burkie never gives in to those demands (look at vancouver right now looking at 10 more years of Luongo....ugh) Burke is smart to steer clear of this unless Richards actually wants to play in T.O under a reasonable 5-year contract (read this as "it aint gonna happen). Stamkos is the better bet, and the odds of that happening arent much better.