I continue to be amazed that the media covering the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to miss the fact that it was Brian Burke, not Don Cherry (I'm no fan of either of these two blowhards) who brought up the Ontario player factor vis-a-vis the Toronto Maple Leafs in this, yes, ridiculous debate.
Does nobody else watch the Hockey Night In Canada pre-game show? OK, I admit, I usually don't, either. But I did last Saturday out of curiousity because the Leafs had changed coaches, and that's when Burke, in an interview with HNIC's Ron MacLean, tried to play the "other teams have Ontario players so they come in, want to impress friends and family and as a result kick the excrement out of us" card that the Leafs have tried to play for eons.
Here's the interview. Listen to Burke at the 1:36 mark of the 7:06-long clip, and then MacLean's challenging response as I referred to in the previous post to which I've linked. I rest my case. It's true that it matters not what passport a player carries; winning is what matters. But why this aspect of the debate - that it was Burke, not Cherry out of the blue, who raised the issue - has not been extensively reported remains beyond me. Cherry, as did MacLean, merely called Burke out on his claim - one that does not stand up to logical scrutiny, as MacLean - listen closely - clearly details to an obviously unprepared Burke who tries to pass it off as MacLean not listening to his answer (to a question Burke raised!!!).
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