Music: {allcanada} Burke will bring swagger to Flames

Thursday, September 5, 2013

{allcanada} Burke will bring swagger to Flames

The idea that Brian Burke could be named the Calgary Flames' new president of hockey operations and then allow general manager Jay Feaster make all the decisions is like believing that a lion could be dropped in a different jungle and taught not to hunt down the zebras.

Undoubtedly, Burke is sincere when he says he plans to allow Feaster to be the GM. He said he will merely guide and advise Feaster. He and Feaster are friends, and Burke believes in being loyal to his people. He will make sure that Feaster's decisions and opinions are respected.

"We'll collaborate daily," Burke said. "If Jay has something he wants to do, we'll talk about it and see if we can reach some consensus on it."

But Burke wasn't hired to watch Feaster work. Burke has never owned a rubber stamp. You hire the lion because you want him to be the king of your jungle.

What makes Burke desirable is the aura he possesses. He's a commanding presence. He's a big-picture guy. When he is in charge, it feels as if there is a major operation under way. It feels like you are going somewhere. It feels like he has a D-Day date in his mind, and he will tell you when you need to know.

An organization has more swagger when Burke is in charge. It has more confidence. Burke said the Flames are going to become bigger and more physical. That was hardly a scoop. Most fans know Burke's preference for "truculence", as he likes to call it.

That's always the first step for Burke. He toughens up his teams during a rebuilding process. That's how he starts to build the confidence. His players know even on the nights they don't win, they won't get pushed around. Over time, Burke expects his aggressive team to be transformed into a winning team.

Burke has known both success and failure, as you would expect in any competitive environment. Most recently, he led the Anaheim Ducks to a Stanley Cup championship and then at least got the Toronto Maple Leafs started in the right direction. Certainly, the rebuilding went slower there then he wanted. But the Leafs are a respectable team now, and he played a major role in that transformation.

Based on what we heard in his news conference Thursday, Burke might have also learned from his time in Toronto.

"I don't intend to be a spokesman for the team," he said.

He also said: "People think I need to be driving the bus all the time. I'm actually a pretty good teammate."

Both of those statements were probably uttered with absolute sincerity. What Burke seemed to learn in Toronto is that being in charge doesn't mean performing in the center ring every night. He was less visible as time wore on in Toronto. I think he will be happy to let Feaster be the face of the team.

Burke has also evolved as a manager over time. He likes to be the final decision-maker, but he likes hearing a variety of opinions before the final decision is made. It was like he had his own cabinet in Toronto where he surrounded himself with a handful of trusted lieutenants.

In 2010, when he was USA's Olympic general manager, he introduced the idea of having a GM advisory committee to help make the selections. Burke's plan worked so well that the Americans are using the same plan this time with David Poile in charge.

Burke liked that management model. He's a cerebral GM, someone who likes as much information as possible before making a final decision. My guess that that USA Olympic experience has made him more open to consensus building.

But that doesn't mean for a second that I believe that Feaster will have as much autonomy as he had yesterday. The lion never turns into a lamb.