GMs, coaches and broadcasters from the U.S. are beginning to cross the Canadian border.
When it comes to general manager and coaching combinations, every Canadian NHL city has their own style.
In Montreal, a heaping helping of Stanley Cup rings and a dash of Francois finesse are the traditional recipe that brought Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau together.
Things have always been a little looser on the west coast, which is why new GM Mike Gillis has convinced coach Alain Vigneault to adopt some new-age ideas. For instance, the Canucks are monitoring their players sleep patterns to determine the optimum hours of shut-eye they require. Sources also say that Gillis is now attempting to communicate with dolphins in hopes that they'll come up with the definitive answer on who should play with the Sedin twins.
Toronto, meanwhile, has never been shy about having a crush on all things American and with that in mind, Brian Burke and Ron Wilson are being touted as the perfect partnership to finally lead the Leafs to Stanley Cup glory.
But even if you're one of those Canadians who refuse to buy what Uncle Sam sells, you have to admit that there seems to be a method to the Maple Leafs madness. For one thing, Burke and Wilson come with a proven track record, as the GM already has a championship on his resume and the coach owns over 500 NHL victories. So, with a winning attitude and confident demeanor, the two pals from Providence College are an excellent fit for a city that prides itself on being the centre of the hockey universe.
The Leafs previous full-time GM, John Ferguson Jr., often resembled a deer in the headlights when addressing the lights and cameras. Burke and Wilson, on the other hand, have yet to run into a reporter who they couldn't intimidate with a nasty sneer or a caustic comment. In fact, if he dressed in drag Burke would bear a striking resemblance to Rosie O'Donnell, whose become an extremely angry woman over the last few years. Donald Trump learned that you never cross Rosie and if the Toronto media is smart, they won't mess around with Burke.
Speaking of show business, the U.S. is the entertainment capital of the world and both Burke and Wilson have a strong belief in using a little pizzazz during their puck discussions. Having spent a large portion of their careers working south of the border, the pair were constantly selling the game in cities such as Anaheim and San Jose that didn't have traditional hockey histories. Burke, for example, became well-known for supplying reporters with his personal phone number and inviting them to call any time if they had a question. In comparison, Canadian GMs and coaches often go into hiding when confronted with a media swarm and even when they do talk, it usually amounts to nothing more than a bunch of mind-numbing clichés.
But the Canadian media is part of the problem, too. Because hockey is a religion in our country, reporters are often guilty of bowing at the altar and allowing GMs and coaches to slip off the hook. Jim Kelley resides in Buffalo. N.Y. and is a regular contributor to "Prime Time Sports" on Rogers Sportsnet and a columnist at Sportsnet.ca. Kelley is also a past president of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and recalls an incident a few years ago that serves as an illustration of Canadian journalists getting too close to the people they're paid to cover.
"The NHL was starting to get tight-lipped about player injuries and a number of Association members felt the public had a right to access that information," said Kelley. "But when we brought it up, a number of Canadian writers defended teams for hiding injuries by saying they were just trying to win the Stanley Cup."
Lacking the same romantic connections to hockey that are held by their Canadian brothers and sisters, American reporters often display a harder edge when covering the game. Veteran New York City hockey maven Stan Fischler, for instance, never shies away from controversy and recently described Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price as being nothing more than a "big stiff". On a more serious note, meanwhile, it should be pointed out that a Massachusetts-based newspaper man named Russ Conway took the lead role into the investigation of corruption inside the NHL Player's Association that resulted in Alan Eagleson being sentenced to prison.
With that combination of "tell-it-like-it-is" moxy combined with dogged reporting skills, it's no surprise that Canadian media outlets are starting to incorporate Americans into their hockey coverage. Jim Kelley has already been mentioned, and former NHL GMs and coaches such as Mike Milbury and John Tortorella are developing a strong presence on Canadian network television. It's not that they have more knowledge than their Canadian counterparts, but they do bring an in-your-face attitude that most Canucks this side of Don Cherry just can't seem to muster.
It's the same story when it comes to NHL players, with Americans such as Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick shooting from the lip every time a microphone makes an appearance. Granted, J.R. has toned down his act the last few years as he tries to focus on capturing a Cup before his career comes to an end. But his comments are still a lot more colorful than most of the material you get from Canadian boys-next-door who refuse to rock the boat. Then again, even when a Canadian-born puckster such as Sean Avery does try to stir things up, he gets crucified by fans and media in this country for not following the bored and bland book authored by Canadian sweethearts like Sidney Crosby.
If you asked most Canadians to identify the only thing more irritating than listening to Avery spout off, they'd likely point to obnoxious old Toronto.
And since the Leafs and every major TV network are located in Hogtown, maybe a big city and big mouths are a marvelous match.
But even if you believe Toronto is full of shameless boors, at least Burke, Wilson and all those cocky American talking heads ensure that the hockey scene is never boring.