10:45am: Well that didn’t take long. Burke has been hired by Sportsnet to join the remainder of their postseason coverage. He’ll make his debut for the network this weekend.
8:34am: The Calgary Flames and Brian Burke will amicably part ways on May 1st, as the team announced the veteran front office executive will be “stepping back” from his position as President of Hockey Operations. CEO Ken King released a statement on the decision:
When Brian came to us in September 2013 we discussed a structure and timeline of four to five years for his new role. Each year we review our mandate going forward and determined together that we would move on.
Brian’s leadership and guidance of our hockey operations and work with General Manager Brad Treliving have been exemplary and we are grateful for his contributions. His charity work and organizational representation in our community are legendary as he has touched so many with his generosity.
Burke has been an infamous front office member in several cities now, dating back to his early days with the Vancouver Canucks and Hartford Whalers. His unique media approach and willingness to speak openly about his ideas and issues have made him both well liked by some fans and hated by others. In Calgary, he stood as a sort of umbrella for Treliving to shield him from some of the media scrutiny and allow him to operate the club as he saw fit. Treliving will remain in his position with the Flames, along with Vice President of Hockey Operations Don Maloney.
Speculation has already began over where Burke will head next, with many doubting he’s anywhere close to retirement. Bob McKenzie of TSN has heard Burke could be turning to the media side of hockey, while others have suggested a return to the USA Hockey program. Regardless, it seems unlikely that we’ve heard the last of him.
Maybe being groomed for the top job in Seattle?