Season Kick-off pressers Sept 30. Burke @ 11:45 AM. Feaster @ 1 PM

[Goodlad]

Originally Posted by MattyC

When you actually hear the interview, it sounds a lot more like this than what people are insinuating. It's not like the guy is wrong. We HAVE only seen flashes of brilliance from Baertschi. He just got here a couple months ago. Not really a whole lot else the guy can say.

Burke/Feaster didn't say anything in those interviews that wasn't said in every game-thread with Baertschi in the line-up. Flashes of brilliance, concern over his two-way play, concern over his compete-level/ability to win board battles.

As Ashasx said this clearly doesn't mean they hate him and are getting ready to trade him. You don't start downgrading expectations about a player right before you trade him.

[EYE_Overstand]

All Burke said was that he needs to play all three zones. No word of dislike, no trade and no demotion talk. Sheesh.

Calm down CPers who prematurely bought his jersey haha

[calumniate]

I think I'll give Burke a mulligan on this one. He needs to remember that he's not the GM. It's his first presser under the new position so I can see how easily he could go overboard with the player talk. He'd be better off talking about his coaching staff, etc than the players.

That said, we did hire the king of drama so this isn't really a surprise to me

[Johnny Rotten]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

On the subject of spoiling skilled young players by making them play defensively:

Duhatschek: Pure goal scorers are a thing of the past – it’s a defensive game now

- Globe and Mail

Cliche or not, it's hard to think of a sport where coaches don't say defense comes first or defense wins championships. The Oilers of the 80's maybe, but they still had Fuhr, and the puck was in the other team's end most of the time.

I don't think Sven needs to be Bob Gainey, but it's not too much to expect him or any other Flame to work hard in all three zones if Burke's description of his play is correct.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Burke didn't really say that.

Do you guys really think that management would come out and say all the things that they did, dropping Baertschi's value literally to an all-time low, just to trade him?

I mean, if they did trade him after they said these things, that would be unbelievably stupid. I have to have faith that our management group isn't that dumb.

I don't think they'll trade him, and Burke said he wasn't ready to give up on him yet, but it's clear he's not impressed with him.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

I don't think they'll trade him, and Burke said he wasn't ready to give up on him yet, but it's clear he's not impressed with him.

Should he be? None of us are impressed with Sven either so far this year.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Should he be? None of us are impressed with Sven either so far this year.

Burke wasn't just referencing this year

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

On the subject of spoiling skilled young players by making them play defensively:

Duhatschek: Pure goal scorers are a thing of the past – it’s a defensive game now

- Globe and Mail

This is an aside, but I wanted to address this one part in Duhatschek's article:

Originally Posted by Eric Duhatschek

"Sports Illustrated issued a plea in its hockey preview – Free Sidney Crosby – presumably from the shackles of the defence-first systems that have bogged the game down. But seriously, when the action on the ice begins on three fronts Tuesday, what are the chances the 1980s will suddenly rise up again in the NHL?

I obviously agree with Mike Smith that the answer to this question is "no chance". But further, I should like to acclaim: "Thank god". Does anyone really relish a return to an era in which players were poorly conditioned, slow, and most of whom could barely skate backwards. Do we really want a return to a time in which scoring was so high not primarily because of players' dazzling skill and coaches' creative genius, but much more so because goalies were conditioned to stay on their feet and to always challenge the shooter.

Hockey fans are too often guilty for being nostalgic. The game is faster; the players are bigger, stronger, and universally better conditioned; the goalies are better in every aspect; and the coaches are collectively far more creative and adaptable than at any other time in NHL history. This pining for the "high-flying eighties" is nonsense.

...I'm done now. Carry on.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by calumniate

I think I'll give Burke a mulligan on this one. He needs to remember that he's not the GM. It's his first presser under the new position so I can see how easily he could go overboard with the player talk. He'd be better off talking about his coaching staff, etc than the players.

That said, we did hire the king of drama so this isn't really a surprise to me

My, how generous of you. Burke is the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames, so we should not be surprised at any moment when he chooses to address the media about the on-ice product for the Calgary Flames. He was perfectly within his range in this press conference: He gave an update about his status with the team, and provided some general observations about the condition of the team and training camp. His statement actually only lasted a few minutes, and everything that followed—his comments about Baertschi, Monohan, and Colborne were ALL part of responses to questions posed by the media.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Burke wasn't just referencing this year

Ok in general then. Other than his 5 game stint and the tail end of last year, he's been pretty lackluster (ie "Flashes of brilliance"). Not saying I think he's a bust or anything ridiculous like that, but Burke's point is sound.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Ok in general then. Other than his 5 game stint and the tail end of last year, he's been pretty lackluster (ie "Flashes of brilliance"). Not saying I think he's a bust or anything ridiculous like that, but Burke's point is sound.

Actually, I disagree. I agree he doesn't have a two way game, but neither does his homey Kessel. If you're saying he was good the last 5 games two years ago and the tail end of last year, you're only saying he wasn't good for the few games at the beginning of the season. He seemed to do well in Abby too. When was he lousy again?

Is that normal for young players to struggle? If so, how does embarrassing a 20 year old kid help him learn and grow?

This only is a reasonable response of Sven had an attitude

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Actually, I disagree. I agree he doesn't have a two way game, but neither does his homey Kessel. If you're saying he was good the last 5 games two years ago and the tail end of last year, you're only saying he wasn't good for the few games at the beginning of the season. He seemed to do well in Abby too. When was he lousy again?

Is that normal for young players to struggle? If so, how does embarrassing a 20 year old kid help him learn and grow?

This only is a reasonable response of Sven had an attitude

Well, like I said before, Burke has only been here a few months and seems to suggest the only time he's seen of him was when he was in junior (while watching another prospect), and his impression from the last couple months. Yes he is and has been a GM in the league for a long time, but that doesn't mean he knows specific details about our prospects before getting here. He was asked a question about Baertschi and responded with what he know's. "I don't know" is a perfectly fine response. People want to give a context of "I dunnnoooooo..." but really Burke doesn't actually know. He knows what he's seen thus far and for him to not be overly impressed seems pretty logical to me.

I have no problem waiting through the trials of dealing with young players, and people can debate how to deal with them all they want, but I think to suggest that they haven't brought up these issues with Baertschi perosnally before it was mentioned here is off the mark. And again, he was asked a direct question to evaluate Baertschi at this point. If you were new to an organization and have been watching the camp, would you be impressed with Baertschi? I wouldn't. He said he is immensley skilled but has a lot to learn about the rest of the game. Is that an unfair comment?

I want the kid to do well and succeed, but he won't do that with the effort level he's been giving thus far this season. It's been especially dissapointing given what we had seen from him in terms of work ethic before.

[Tinordi]

Bottom line: Baertschi's had a terrible camp and Burke doesn't mince words.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Well, like I said before, Burke has only been here a few months and seems to suggest the only time he's seen of him was when he was in junior (while watching another prospect), and his impression from the last couple months. Yes he is and has been a GM in the league for a long time, but that doesn't mean he knows specific details about our prospects before getting here. He was asked a question about Baertschi and responded with what he know's. "I don't know" is a perfectly fine response. People want to give a context of "I dunnnoooooo..." but really Burke doesn't actually know. He knows what he's seen thus far and for him to not be overly impressed seems pretty logical to me.

I have no problem waiting through the trials of dealing with young players, and people can debate how to deal with them all they want, but I think to suggest that they haven't brought up these issues with Baertschi perosnally before it was mentioned here is off the mark. And again, he was asked a direct question to evaluate Baertschi at this point. If you were new to an organization and have been watching the camp, would you be impressed with Baertschi? I wouldn't. He said he is immensley skilled but has a lot to learn about the rest of the game. Is that an unfair comment?

I want the kid to do well and succeed, but he won't do that with the effort level he's been giving thus far this season. It's been especially dissapointing given what we had seen from him in terms of work ethic before.

I have a few issues with this analysis

First, he referenced what he's seen, but to suggest the President of Hockey Operations hasn't had a full briefing on the teams top prospect is also off the mark.

Second, who had suggested they haven't told him first? I have little doubt they did. Does that make a public shaming justified? He used pretty clear language to suggest Baertschi is lazy and doesn't care about what the coaches would obviously expect of him. Again, this only makes sense of the kid isn't listening or Burke trying to be intentionally controversial (the latter has much more history to prove it true). Otherwise, what purpose does this serve? Why wouldn't the prudent and professional course of keeping it between management and player be the right one?

Third, Burke never mentioned the preseason as the time frame. He was asked about what he thought of Sven Baertschi, not his preseason.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

I have a few issues with this analysis

First, he referenced what he's seen, but to suggest the President of Hockey Operations hasn't had a full briefing on the teams top prospect is also off the mark.

Second, who had suggested they haven't told him first? I have little doubt they did. Does that make a public shaming justified? He used pretty clear language to suggest Baertschi is lazy and doesn't care about what the coaches would obviously expect of him. Again, this only makes sense of the kid isn't listening or Burke trying to be intentionally controversial (the latter has much more history to prove it true). Otherwise, what purpose does this serve? Why wouldn't the prudent and professional course of keeping it between management and player be the right one?

Third, Burke never mentioned the preseason as the time frame. He was asked about what he thought of Sven Baertschi, not his preseason.

I agree that he he for sure has had a full briefing of Baertschi, but regardless he has had a terrible camp. Burke strikes me as a guy who would certainly take into account his briefings on Sven, but after seeing his pre-season, of course he would think there's been a step backwards for him after his camp. And there have been plenty of people in here suggesting that they haven't spoken with Sven first and are now just "bashing" him in the media.

I didn't hear anything about Burke implying him to be lazy or not care, just overviewing parts of his game with deficiencies.

I just think people are completely overblowing it. He was asked a question about a player and he answered with his honest opinion. His other options were "no comment" or to lie. Which would you prefer? If it's no comment fine, but if a reporter asks Burke to give an analysis on a player and he said "no comment" I feel like the reaction here would be even more over the top.

And to your point before, I do think that this shows Sven has a bit of an attitude issue. Not saying it's the end of the world, we all get attitude issues at some point, but his lackluster play all the way through rookie and training camp says to me that he felt he shouldn't have needed to participate, and in fact he said so. Even if that is your opinion, the effort still needs to be there. And when it's not, it just looks like whining. Because you KNOW, if Baertschi was putting in the effort that a guy like Ferland was putting in during camp, Sven would have been heads and shoulders above everyone in the rookie camp.

If you are playing like junk, Brian Burke will not praise you. It's just the way it is. When (not if, when) Sven picks up his game, I'm sure Burke will be quick to praise his improvements.

[bubbsy]

hopefully he pots a goal tomorrow, and we can move on from this thread.

I think Sven needs to get on the score sheet early on this year, which will help him build some confidence. I also think if he can get comfortable and confident through getting some points, it will help translate to a better compete level in the other 2 zones.

[MolsonInBothHands]

High level hockey players are used to having criticism, constructive or not, barked at them in a variety of ways, some good, some not, since they decided to try out for their first competitive league. When the players turn pro, they become part of an organization that is in the business of entertainment. Public criticism is as much a part of the job as public accolades. Sven said himself, he wants to become the face of the franchise. Do you think he would like to take a mulligan on that statement? Hockey players have to have a thick skin to succeed in the NHL, and I am sure Burke did not cause Sven to curl into a fetal position and suck his thumb.

I am not even much of a Burke fan, but I think some are way overreacting to his comments yesterday. They were in direct response to a question (was that staged?, maybe), and he said he was NOT ready to give up on the kid, and that he has seen many kids overcome this and become great players.

Sven has probably heard all off this many times, and I personally doubt he is resisting these directives near as much as he saw his former captain resist them. This message was meant for the fans to hear. Expectations have been far beyond reasonable for him. This was meant to take pressure off of Sven, to prod him to learn all facets of the game, instead of putting unreasonable pressure to carry the burden of the offensive output for the team. IMHO.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I agree that he he for sure has had a full briefing of Baertschi, but regardless he has had a terrible camp. Burke strikes me as a guy who would certainly take into account his briefings on Sven, but after seeing his pre-season, of course he would think there's been a step backwards for him after his camp. And there have been plenty of people in here suggesting that they haven't spoken with Sven first and are now just "bashing" him in the media.

I didn't hear anything about Burke implying him to be lazy or not care, just overviewing parts of his game with deficiencies.

I just think people are completely overblowing it. He was asked a question about a player and he answered with his honest opinion. His other options were "no comment" or to lie. Which would you prefer? If it's no comment fine, but if a reporter asks Burke to give an analysis on a player and he said "no comment" I feel like the reaction here would be even more over the top.

If you are playing like junk, Brian Burke will not praise you. It's just the way it is. When (not if, when) Sven picks up his game, I'm sure Burke will be quick to praise his improvements.

He said, in the context of watching him in junior, that he showed no commitment in the other two zones, and in the offensive zone, only sporadically. Words like "focus" and "commitment" in hockey speak sound to me like euphemisms for effort.

Comments like "He didn't show the commitment to defense this preseason" or "Like many young players he needs to work on his play on both sides of the rink" would have been infinitely less inflammatory.

He specifically wanted to send a message, I think we can both agree. My concern is that I don't think the intent was honorable, or the result beneficial. If you look at Burke's history, despite his protestations, it leads me to believe it's self serving.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

He specifically wanted to send a message, I think we can both agree. My concern is that I don't think the intent was honorable, or the result beneficial. If you look at Burke's history, despite his protestations, it leads me to believe it's self serving.

Fair enough, he is definitely sending a message (which also tells me that Sven hasn't listened or adjusted to what they were asking of him thus far). You obviously already have a default opinion of Burke if you want to get into the honor of his intent though. I don't know what you were expecting of him, but tact hasn't ever really been a great quality of his. I would think his intent is to try and improve Sven Baertschi. Why else would he do it? The avenue he chose to use is debatable (as evidenced by this thread), but to say he would do this for any other reason than to try and improve Sven's game is disingenuous IMO. I'm sure Burke would rather have Sven turn out to be the player he can be rather than go through the process of trading him or the like. How could this possibly be self-serving?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Fair enough, he is definitely sending a message (which also tells me that Sven hasn't listened or adjusted to what they were asking of him thus far). You obviously already have a default opinion of Burke if you want to get into the honor of his intent though. I don't know what you were expecting of him, but tact hasn't ever really been a great quality of his. I would think his intent is to try and improve Sven Baertschi. Why else would he do it? The avenue he chose to use is debatable (as evidenced by this thread), but to say he would do this for any other reason than to try and improve Sven's game is disingenuous IMO. I'm sure Burke would rather have Sven turn out to be the player he can be rather than go through the process of trading him or the like. How could this possibly be self-serving?

It was once again a quote that got a lot of play in the papers and TV. He's the biggest prospect and he knew it would cause a stir. There's far, far more history of Burke doing that than there is of Baertschi not listening (this would be the first time). He does have a long history of such quotes. They're unnecessary, self serving, unprofessional, but worse, potentially damaging to our best prospect.