It turns out that Brian Burke wanted Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan to be on Team USA after all.
On a media conference call Friday morning, David Poile, general manager for the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, said that Burke voted for Ryan to be on the final roster.
Poile, who serves as the GM for the Nashville Predators, also issued a public apology for the comments Burke made that questioned Ryan’s intensity.
“I’m trying right now, if I can, to apologize to Bobby Ryan,” Poile said on the conference call. “If that was said about me or one of my players I would be very upset with this. I apologize as much as I can.”
Most of the hockey world was surprised when Ryan was left off the American roster, which was announced Wednesday following the Winter Classic. Ryan was on the 2010 silver medal-winning squad, but was passed over this time for the likes of Olympic newcomers Max Pacioretty, James van Riemsdyk, Blake Wheeler and Derek Stepan, plus nine returning forwards.
Burke, the president of hockey operations and acting GM of Calgary Flames, is the director of player personnel for Team USA and Poile said his comments were too harsh.
“As far as anything to denigrate any player, that is not what any of us signed up for,” Poile said. “This was just a little bit too much. For the umpteenth time I totally apologize to Bobby Ryan on behalf of our staff and Brian Burke, who was absolutely the biggest supporter of Bobby Ryan on our staff. Nowhere does that show that. It’s just unfortunate.”
Poile was a guest on Hockey Central at Noon Friday and said he was surprised when Burke’s comments were made public.
“You could have knocked me over with a feather when the articles came out,” Poile told Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
Burke’s comments were made during a Team USA personnel meeting and were first published in an ESPN.com article from Scott Burnside; Burnside and USA Today’s Kevin Allen had been invited by USA Hockey to attend and report on the meeting and the process of player selection.
“When you take snapshots, you don’t get the whole story,” Poile said. “There was a lot said about a lot of players, both good and bad. … This should never have come out. I was assured that this is the sort of thing that wouldn’t happen.”
Poile explained that he believed USA Hockey would have more editorial control over any content produced from the meeting and added Burnside just “did what he thought he was allowed to do.”
Burke has a long history with Ryan that dates back to when he drafted the 26-year-old second overall in the 2005 NHL Draft while with the Anaheim Ducks.
Ryan currently has 18 goals with the Senators this season, which is fourth among American players behind only Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Canadiens’ forward Pacioretty.
