"Thank you for the many anniversary wishes today. I feel unbelievably lucky to have this job and to be living in Toronto," Brian Burke tweeted, exactly three years after he was given the job of general manager and president of Toronto Maple Leafs, replacing interim GM Cliff Fletcher on Nov. 29, 2008.
Having played a key role in reviving both the quality of play on the ice and the number of fans in the seats during his tenure in Vancouver, and winning a Stanley Cup in just his second year at the helm of the Anaheim Ducks, expectations were high when Burke assumed his position with the Leafs, arguably the most heavily scrutinized club in the league.
Three years later, Burke’s Leafs — winners of three straight — are sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference and are on pace to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Even more compelling: only two teams, the Vancouver Canucks (73) and San Jose Sharks (76), have racked up more points since the 2010-11 All-Star Break than the Leafs (72).
Weigh in on Burke’s work below.
POLL:
How would you grade Brian Burke’s first three years as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs?
$(“#poll_8629”).v2Poll({poll_id: 8629});
POLL:
Who has been Burke’s best acquisition as Leafs GM?
$(“#poll_8628”).v2Poll({poll_id: 8628});
POLL:
What do you believe to be Burke’s greatest era as a GM?
$(“#poll_8630”).v2Poll({poll_id: 8630});
