Quote:
Originally Posted by stemit14
Burke said on day 1 after he was hired that he wasn't going to be in the spotlight... That he was going to be behind the scenes and not doing press conferences like this one. Didn't see any other presidents of other teams doing press conferences. He should just say "I'm not going to comment on any of our players assessment right now... I'll leave that to the General Manager."
I think Burke has a great hockey mind but I hate the way he hurts his teams when he gets in front of a camera. The stuff he said about baertschi only puts more pressure on a kid who is already feeling too much pressure as is. Plus, if I was Johnny gaudreau and I watched that comment about university hockey... I might think free agency sounds pretty good.
Before you say that I'm being too soft on the rookies... Let me be clear: I'm fine with the organization telling baertschi or any other player that he had a mediocre training camp and they want him to work on his game in all 3 zones... That's fine. I just don't like Burke using the media to put pressure on him. It only hurts the players relationship with the management and the fans.
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Nazem Kadri may have a different tale to tell--or not. I think it's important to realize that the mental makeup of these young players has always been scrutinized. Kadri was kept down, sent down, called out, and personal references to his habits were made. He turned out okay.
I'm just saying that the sooner a young player can become mentally strong the better off for the team and for the individual himself.
Sven is one hell of a young man. He'll be fine--even with some media pressure thrown his way. I don't think Burke did anything wrong here. He was honest and to the point.